The Crystal Ball Special Edition 5.03.06: ECW Returns (Part 2 of 5)
Posted by Steve Sullivan on 05.03.2006
ECW may replace OVW, but is taking your main developmental territory away a smart move? And who on OVW's current roster could contribute to a new ECW?
Welcome to Part 2 of this Special Edition Series of The Crystal Ball! The news of an ECW revival is a couple weeks old now and while many of my co-writers have moved on to bigger and better things, I'm keeping the ECW hype alive and well. Because we all know that's what you really came for. So sit back, light a table on fire and sit on some thumb tacks as we take a look into what kind of impact an ECW revival would have on Ohio Valley Wrestling.
I had no freakin' clue how much feedback I would get for part 1. And that was just the beginning of this special series. In fact, there was so much feedback, I had to delay the production of this specific column to respond to all the feedback that I received. So now that I have everyone's attention, I hope we can do this every week for the next few weeks leading into One Night Stand.
There are obviously a TON of uncertainties going around about the revival of Extreme Championship Wrestling. What's more is that there are even bigger rumors that ECW is going to mix in with Ohio Valley Wrestling.
What I want to look at is 5 Different Rosters that will obviously be greatly affected. A Raw Roster, A Smackdown Roster, an OVW Roster, a TNA Roster and an old ECW Roster that potentially may come back to be.
Again, this is what we will see as part of this Special 5 Part Series.
TNA Roster Impacts TNA Roster Impacts Feedback
OVW Roster Impacts OVW Roster Impacts Feedback (This is the part where you write in to me)
Raw Roster Impacts
Smackdown Roster Impacts
ECW Roster Impacts
At the end of the column we'll add a few names onto the potential new ECW roster that would seem likely or more successful onto a new ECW roster. At the end of this series, we'll see what kind of roster ECW could have and what kind of matches could take place once the organization gets going.
The rumors are rampant and there are tons of rumors revolving around the idea that ECW and OVW will combine into one nationally televised brand. These rumors are obviously unconfirmed and have no value currently. But if the rumors do turn out to be true, then what do we have to expect of our beloved developmental talent? Obviously some of them would be a given a role in the company but which wrestlers could provide the biggest spark for a new ECW?
I promise I will try to remain as positive as possible but I do have some concerns that I have to spit out and repeat from my last column that concerns me about taking away OVW. The obvious one being…where do undeveloped talent go? If ECW becomes a flop, this becomes a major risk if OVW is taken away. Because now you've lost a whole brand of wrestlers that have no show to compete on, many of them major talents that will sell out shows and bring in lots of money and you have to make cuts on your regular rosters for those talents. You really don't want to just cut that kind of talent away though, because then they will be free to walk right over to TNA.
So where can you send them? You no longer have OVW anymore to send your guys you aren't ready for. Deep South has been a complete flop and the majority of the "good" wrestlers from Deep South have already landed spots on OVW's roster. You can't rely upon a flop to provide your future. Although one could maybe put an idea together like, "Move your guys from OVW to Deep South and you'll have the same product". But those same people who will put that very idea in their head are about to be hit by my hard reality. In fact, if you have that idea in your head, I'm going to give you 3 lines to get it out right now before I hit you with my reality.
Here's line 1…gone yet?
2nd line warning…I'd get rid of it if I were you.
3rd line, you're out! *Slaps you with some reality*
OVW is a great product and the wrestlers are learning more about the business because of one man. Paul Heyman. And guess what kids, Paul Heyman won't be available to work Deep South. He'll likely be heading the new ECW. In fact, if he's not heading the new ECW, I won't even go out of my way to watch it. I'll start a "Bring Back Velocity" campaign right now. But he will. They would be crazy not to. Better yet, let Bischoff and Heyman both call some shots and you could have an "I got bought out" Competition going on.
So now you've got your old OVW guys in your old Deep South Wrestling league, and now nobody knows anything about them. Unless you attend the Deep South Wrestling tapings or watch them on local TV, please tell me if you know ANYTHING about Deep South. I doubt you do especially since they don't even update their website. You may go to a few other wrestling websites and read who won what matches but there is nothing to see about their physical talents. It's not the best of programs down there and I just can't see that being a suitable developmental talent league for THREE top notch wrestling brands. So later on during a regular issue of The Crystal Ball, check in with me as we compare OVW with Deep South Wrestling.
I name dropped Biscoff for a reason though. Would Eric Biscoff be a good replacement for Heyman as a head of developing talent? You bet. But it's going to take a lot of work to get something rolling. It will take a dedicated roster, it will take a great facility, and some semi-major publicity like OVW gets now to make it work. And even then, I don't know if Biscoff would be even remotely interested in working with these guys. This would be similar to taking Joe Torre from the Yankees and asking him to coach the Double A Minor League Team.
But that's it. I promise. All the negative speak you are going to get out of me. Because outside those concerns and unanswered questions I have, taking a big load of OVW talent and putting them together with some WWE guys, some old ECW guys, maybe some TNA guys and giving them a chance to shine with the biggest names of the industry and putting them in a national spotlight is the best potential idea the WWE has ever had.
If you've read ANYTHING I've written in this column for the past 6 months, you'll know that a lot of OVW's talent has been deserving of some national recognition for a long time. And in the beginning, that was the whole point of this column. But now I feel that OVW has become too much of a dark, hot topic that spotlighting one person does not make OVW look like a place where the garden is plentiful but makes it look like it's just one flower growing in a patch of weeds.
When you look at OVW's current cards and the wrestlers who have seen a lot of TV time the last few weeks in OVW and haven't made any appearances, you see names such as the following.
C.M. Punk
Aaron "The Idol" Stevens
Seth Skyfire
Roadkill
Elijah Burke
Beth Phoenix
Trinity
Deuce Shade
Dice Domino
Ok, again, I'll give you a second to take some of those names in. You likely only recall one of those names unless you've been an avid fan of this column from the beginning. Not every single one of these guys or girls are what I would call future World Champions, but every single one of them have had a lot of success under the influence of Paul Heyman, and Heyman is very familiar with their abilities.
While a new ECW would likely have the majority of these "unknowns" job out, this could be the place where the majority of these guys would get their start as unknowns and be able to blossom into superstars. And Heyman knows who would be capable of blossoming and who would take a little more effort. This is the whole benefit of mixing the two together and why a new ECW would be different than what old ECW fans are used to. You can expect the younger talent to take the majority of the TV time to give wrestling fans something different than what they have right now.
I will go as far to say that if you don't see at least half of these guys on TV within the next few months, then this is a failed project. A lot of people in the forums immediately wet themselves at the thought of C.M. Punk working in ECW. He would almost seem like a shoe in at this point, but what about the other guys?
Depending on how much you know about Aaron "The Idol" Stevens, you might be curious as to who this guy is. Let me just say this man knows how to wrestle. Not only that, he can dish out hardcore pain or he can take hardcore pain. Early in his career he wrestled in several hardcore matches and just recently, last Saturday, fell onto a steel guardrail hanging above the ring. ‘Nuff said.
Seth Skyfire is a young and exciting wrestler who can perform breathtaking moves and in turn, be on the wrong end of some breathtaking moves. He has the ability to steal the show with the right stage and knows how to excite the crowd.
Roadkill and Elijah Burke are an odd pair but great wrestlers. Elijah Burke would be a little odd for an ECW but Roadkill would seem to be another shoe in. A very large 300 pound man that can perform top rope moves is similar to that of the reason why Samoa Joe has succeeded. Uniqueness. Something the wrestling industry has lacked lately. Oh and not to mention Roadkill was on the tag team that last held the ECW Tag Team Titles (with Danny Doring).
Women's wrestling has become a new addition to OVW as of late. Not only that but the style of which women wrestle has EXTREMELY changed. We're talking Death Valley Drivers from the top rope. We're talking chairs and top rope dives. Beth Phoenix and Trinity could both play a great role in a new ECW similar to that of Dawn Marie played.
Deuce and Dice have yet to impress me but if you look at the heritage in that of Deuce Shade, you might actually consider some good potential. If you don't know, Deuce Shade is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. So there could be potential in Deuce to do some high flying, extreme moves that we just aren't seeing in his current "Greasers" gimmick.
So who, if any of these wrestlers could potentially make it in a new ECW environment? Who, if any of these wrestlers would be a part of the carryover if Ohio Valley Wrestling merged with a new ECW and who if any of these wrestlers could see a lot of success performing on a national spotlight? Or a better question, can any of these guys handle getting in the ring with seasoned veterans and perform extreme stunts?
This is my main concern regarding the talent in OVW. Are any of these young stars ready or capable of competing with some old stars? Could a tiny Seth Skyfire handle a barbed wire match with Sabu? Could a hefty Roadkill survive a top rope splash through a table from The Blue Meanie? I mean, if these wrestlers were capable of performing such stunts, wouldn't they already be on WWE programming?
That's pretty much what this week's scale is based on. As I said, you can't really expect to see a lot of success from guys like Seth Skyfire or Idol Stevens right away in a new ECW environment pitted up with the potential of guys like Rob Van Dam, The Sandman, Sabu, and such. You might see them take some great spills and dish out a few cool spots but right away, the new ECW is going to be about getting the old ECW crowd back and by that, getting the old ECW wrestlers back together again and allowing them to return to dominance against new and old WWE/OVW/ECW wrestlers alike.
And this again, is where the success of a new ECW lies. You cannot, and I'll repeat in bold YOU CANNOT build this company upon old talent. You have to give them something unique and something they won't get tired of. After all, isn't that what made ECW so popular in the first place? To this day, no true wrestling fan will ever get tired of an extreme hardcore match. And the more unique the match is, the more over are the participants with the viewers. And as long as your guys are over, your ratings will get over.
But building your brand on older guys like Sabu and The Sandman just won't work. They can't work forever. And many of them may not even want to set foot into a ring again. Especially if Vince is going to water it down to make his own product look better. What happens 5 years from now if your new ECW brand is still raking in profits but your wrestlers are ready for retirement? That's where my OVW boys come into play.
Building the company at first with the old ECW guys is the right thing to do. Especially following up One Night Stand. You get your old fan base interested again and it gives you a chance to set a foundation of storylines to get things started. But throwing in new guys like C.M. Punk and Roadkill and letting them get over involving matches with some of the veterans is the way ECW will need to go in order to survive. Not every wrestler is suited for extreme wrestling, so in a way, the face of OVW may change. And again, this is where I ask the question, what if you get a good wrestler in your developmental system that isn't suited for hardcore fighting? Where does he go? Is the future of old style grappling in jeopardy? Guess we'll find out!
So who of those wrestlers would look good on our fantasy ECW roster? Let's take a look at some of them and see what kind of success they could have in a new ECW and whether ECW would be a suitable brand for them to perform on. Top 5 get on the roster!
C.M. Punk: ROH fans and the ever growing population of C.M. Punk fans immediately started drooling over the idea of C.M. Punk working in a new ECW. And they have every reason to be drooling. Because C.M. Punk would be the glass slipper of a new ECW. The WWE has watered down Punk's style from his days of Ring of Honor but wrestling fans know what he is capable of and he would be able to pull off a lot of moves that will have the ECW crowd chanting Holy Shit! Just like the old days! There is absolutely no reason why C.M. Punk would not be invited to be a part of the brand.10
Aaron "The Idol" Stevens I'll admit. His current gimmick wouldn't really be welcomed very well on a new ECW, but again, this IS Vince's investment now and if Vince wants this gimmick, he'll have this gimmick. Whether or not Idol is well...The Idol...or whether he is Aaron Stevens, future hardcore legend, Stevens can dish bumps and take bumps that would be enjoyable for an ECW crowd. That being said, there are going to be a lot of roster openings on Smackdown once the new ECW emerges and Stevens has been working some Smackdown shows with his Idol gimmick. I would look to see Idol on Smackdown with a gimmick that's better suited for its brand before you see him in ECW. 6
Seth Skyfire The little guy could have some big time matches in ECW. Unfortunately, Skyfire would likely be relegated to a Tag Team role if he were to make the brand. He's got several moves in his set that are unique in comparison to that of Rob Van Dam, such as a matrix kick which he has turned into a Van Daminator at times. Skyfire is also small enough that big guys can toss him around and slam him through things easily to get the crowd excited. He can take high flying bumps and could very well be a Rey Mysterio underdog type of character in ECW's Television Division. After all, he is the current OVW Television Champion, a Championship that was brought back by the man who made stars out of it's TV Champions. 7
Roadkill Been there done that. Roadkill is an ECW alumnus that is wrestling in OVW. It's hard to categorize him as an OVW candidate but since he is currently in OVW, he gets the nod from an OVW standpoint. As mentioned above, Roadkill was one half of the last tag team champions before ECW died. He has already taken the big bumps ECW was famous for. In fact, Roadkill was in a coma for a week in the late 90's thanks to a powerbomb by Bubba Ray Dudley. If Dudley makes it back, I wonder if a new ECW could build on this. 9
Elijah Burke Elijah has so much potential that the sky is the limit for him. However, Elijah has not shown me any kind of potential in his career that he could be suited for extreme wrestling. With all the roster shuffling that will occur during the transition of a new ECW, Burke will more than likely find himself a spot on Smackdown since it seems at this point Raw may potentially become the "face brand" of a WWE/ECW feud. Burke at this point really would have no use for extreme matches unless he can show me some extreme maneuvers in the upcoming months. 5
Beth Phoenix Beth has shown tremendous potential in the last few weeks that has caused me to form some sort of infatuation for her and her aggressive style. It's that aggressive style that could be a great fit for a new ECW roster. ECW will need a few women as valets and wrestlers that can put on something different and exciting. Beth has everything you could ask for. She's attractive. She's got some major athleticism. And she has a damn nice move set. She has taken chairs. She has beat up some men. She performed a Death Valley Driver on Trinity from the middle rope! She's got sex appeal too. She's everything an ECW fan could ever dream of. 8
Trinity Many of you are probably familiar with this name from her time in TNA. In TNA, Trinity showed her abilities. She too can perform some moves that are quite impressive. She specializes in top rope moves which is always exciting, and a rarity in women's wrestling these days. Because of that, she's unique. And uniqueness belongs on a brand that will thrive on being unique. 7
Deuce Shade As I said before, Deuce has the heritage of a great wrestler. As the son of WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Snuka, you would think Deuce has the ability to be the exciting and unique wrestler that his father has been. Unfortunately, that potential has yet to be seen from Deuce. And I'm really not sure where to point the blame at. When he first came into OVW, Deuce was pulling off some sort of "lucky card dealer" gimmick. Today, he teams up with Cliff Compton, also known as Dice Domino and together, they have formed a "Greasers" type tag team. Complete with the "Ay!" and "Oh!"'s . Deuce has yet to show me anything that would make me think that he will make an impact in extreme wrestling.4
Dice Domino I hate to admit but Dice is completely riding on Deuce's success. Deuce will be popular at one point once this gimmick is dead, but for now Dice will ride on the abilities of Deuce. He will not make it into a new ECW and from what I've seen so far, will probably be unemployed once Deuce moves on to better things. He will get some time in the WWE though. Deuce and Dice have been working some dark matches at Raw events. 4
So add 5 more onto our fantasy ECW Roster. C.M. Punk, Seth Skyfire, Beth Phoenix, Trinity, and Roadkill all make the new ECW Roster. Here's what it looks like so far.
Samoa Joe
Sabu
Abyss
Raven
Bubba Ray Dudley
D-Von Dudley
Spike Dudley
C.M. Punk
Seth Skyfire
Roadkill
Beth Phoenix
Trinity
Some dream matches are already starting to take shape with those 10 wrestlers! Punk vs. Joe…Roadkill vs. Abyss! Good stuff!
Again, I don't want people to think that I'm concerned about the CURRENT OVW wrestlers. I know they will be ok and this is the best opportunity of their young careers. But what I am concerned with is the FUTURE of the developmental territory. OVW has been the reason the WWE has been able to put together such a fresh new crop of talent the last few years. Guys like Batista, John Cena, Carlito, Chris Masters, and even Mickie James all started out in OVW. Can Deep South Wrestling keep up with such a high standard in developing talent?
We'll look into that question in another edition of The Crystal Ball. We'll compare success of wrestlers called up from Ohio Valley Wrestling in comparison of wrestlers called up from Deep South Wrestling over the last year or so since Deep South came to be. I'll even give you a short glimpse into the talent of Deep South Wrestling, something I can't recall ever seeing here on 411.
Also coming up in the next edition of this Special Series, the impact a new ECW will have on the Raw brand. With Styles leaving the broadcast booth and Rob Van Dam holding the Money In The Bank contract going into One Night Stand II, what kind of roster shakeups can we look at when ECW goes to war. All that, your feedback (hint hint) and more in the next edition of The Crystal Ball!
