That Wrestling Podcast Episode 40

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 40 by Dave Hatton on Mixcloud

A subject I’ve wanted to write about for quite a while now is whether or not a large scale (or larger than the current scale) British wrestling promotion could succeed. There are enough talented wrestlers based in Britain to put together a worthwhile roster but that’s only part of what would be required. Regular shows available for viewing on TV or online, ongoing storylines, and an identity beyond being just another company using the same guys to put on good matches would all be necessary too.

This is not an image I'm happy with. For various reasons

It’s a subject that would take thousands of words to do justice, and that sort of thing takes time to write. It doesn’t take long to say them though. So the topic seemed liked a good one for That Wrestling Podcast to cover.

As part of the topic Michael and I talk about guys we’d like to see in a leading British promotion, what sort of style we think would work, the scale on which the company could operate and platforms that could be used to get it seen. It’s not as comprehensive as the subject warrants but it’s close enough. Maybe we’ll come back to it at some point. It is, as I say, something I’ll write about at some point in the future.

Also discussed (for the bulk of the episode in fact) are names synonymous with Extreme Championship Wrestling. Michael and I each pick four guys to go on to a (completely fictional) Mount Rushmore celebrating the talents of ECW. Among the names discussed are Taz, Raven, Sabu, the Dudleys, Rob Van Dam, Paul Heyman, Rhino, Joey Styles and, of course, Jerry Lynn. It proves a far more interesting discussion than a WCW Mount Rushmore because there are so many more men and women linked to ECW than there are to WCW. The reason? Most of WCW's big names worked for the WWF before and WWE after their stints in World Championship Wrestling. Plus, y'know, WCW was really defined by Goldberg's winning streak and the invasion of a outsider faction. Beyond that there was little identity to WCW, and that makes it hard to link guy's to the promotion.

Anyway, how about you press play?

NXTweet 19.09.12

Why Rick Victor was chosen as an opponent for new NXT champion Seth Rollins I cannot say. He looks like an enhancement talent from the days of Heat and Velocity. While Rollins is clearly destined for the bright lights of the WWE roster at some point Victor is not.
 
The first man to try to make a name on the new champ should have been someone with an equally dazzling future. Associating Rollins with a guy sporting a dated look and working such an uninspiring style does him no favours at all.
 
Had Victor been made to look like a potential star by the encounter then I'd understand the decision but that wasn't the case. The match wasn't bad but it wasn't especially good either. It stank of mediocrity. Importantly it was not the sort of bout we've come to expect from Rollins. As the league's figurehead he should be moving forward with dynamic encounters every week.
 
There was some enjoyment to be found in the match. As I mentioned above it wasn't bad, and the nonsense about Victor being the last graduate of the Hart family dungeon (an accolade also given to Tyson Kidd before now) was amusing. The crowd seemed lively enough and JR was on commentary so at least there was a good atmosphere. The wrist biting gimmick was gold too.
 
The highlight of the show for me was the brief Kassius Ohno outing. His two wins, both via kravat, over a random jobber showed how good he is despite not lasting long. I can't write enough that Ohno should be KOing guys on the main roster rather than ploughing through nobodies on NXT. Still, we have his showdown with Richie Steamboat to look forward to. I expect that to be very enjoyable considering how good both men are.
 
Finally I feel I should mention Trent Barreta. He returned to action after six months recovering from injury. While I'm not one of the (seemingly many) people that think Barreta is tremendous and deserving of an upper mid-card spot I do appreciate he's sound in the ring (and wears good tights). WWE should be making use of guys with any level of popularity. That includes Barreta. It was nice to see him back and I hope he's put to good use.

Opening credits

Tweet 1: NXTweet.

Tweet 2: Someone mentioned the other day that Byron Saxton sounds like Joey Styles. I hadn't noticed before. I'm hearing it immediately now.
Tweet 3: Rollins v Rick Victor. Um... Wow?

Johnny Curtis v Trent Barreta

Tweet 4: Oh hey, Trent Barreta.

Tweet 5: The once promising Johnny Curtis there. I wish they'd used him properly on the main roster.
Tweet 6: Trent looks very skinny. I'm sure he's big compared to average guys but in WWE he's going to struggle to make an impact.

Nice to see this dude back

Tweet 7: Curtis using the AA there.
Tweet 8: Clumsy sunset flip. I didn't notice it the first time it was shown. I think that proves that replays aren't always a good thing.
Tweet 9: More wrestlers should wear tights like Barreta's.
Tweet 10: Barreta's winning move looked like a Sick Kick. Is he secretly a member of the House of Truth?
Tweet 11: Judging by that graphic Alicia Fox doesn't have a problem with fur.

Alicia Fox v Paige

Tweet 12: Why is Paige so over with the NXT crowd? #notcomplaining #justsaying

Tweet 13: I don't like this ref. He's shifty.
Tweet 14: I think Fox just botched an uppercut. At least I think it was an uppercut. I'm not sure. It was THAT bad.
Tweet 15: I wish ECW Cyber Slam '00 was online. I think Saxton's voice has made me think of that.
Tweet 16: "Alicia Fox is top notch" - William Regal

Conor O’Brian v Jimmy Uso

Tweet 17: My laptop has just started showing Game of Thrones. Oh wait... hang on. It's just The Ascension.

Tweet 18: Conor O'Brian looks like a cross between a ferret and a goblin.
Tweet 19: How can a tag team have an enforcer, Byron? A stable, sure, but not a tag team. Fool.
Tweet 20: Another win via kick to the face? This is shoddy booking.
Tweet 21: They don't do it quite as well as The Eliminators used to be I like The Ascension using Total Elimination. It's a good, believable finish.

Michael McGillicutty interrupts the pontifications of Bo Dallas

Tweet 22: Briley Pierce looks familiar... #Dolphsbrother

Tweet 23: Michael McGillicutty didn't display much conviction during that promo interruption.

Kassius Ohno v Oliver Grey

Tweet 24: It's Kassius... OHNO!!

Tweet 25: This was billed as a sparring session but it's just a regular match.
Tweet 26: Johnny Saint reference.
Tweet 27: Ohno wins by kravat. Little nod to fans of a guy named Chris Hero there...
Tweet 28: Chris H... Sorry, Kassius Ohno wins again with the kravat. And now here's valiant babyface Richie Steamboat.
Tweet 29: I'm looking forward to the inevitable Ohno v Steamboat match.

Leo Kruger vignette

Tweet 30: It sounds like Leo Kruger is doing a very bad (and very racist) Indian accent.

Tweet 31: "Tata" - Leo Kruger

Rick Victor v Seth Rollins

Tweet 32: Rick Victor looks like he belongs on Velocity.

Tweet 33: You know you're watching an NXT main event when you hear Jim Ross.
Tweet 34: Rick Victor was the last graduate of the dungeon? I thought that was Tyson Kidd.
Tweet 35: Guys will be debuting in twenty years and be claiming they've been trained in the Hart dungeon.
Tweet 36: Young boys is trending. #puroresu
Tweet 37: Rick Victor biting his own wrists there. He wants Kruger's madman gimmick.
Tweet 38: "This guy's obviously very talented or he wouldn't be on NXT" - JR, with a comment that doesn't make too much sense if you think about it
Tweet 39: Rollins loves to fight. Like Finlay.
Tweet 40: Rollins gets the predictable win with a Black Out. I'm slightly disappointed by that match. Rollins is usually far better.

The ECW Network

WWE’s need for original programming for their Network, now due to launch (apparently) sometime in the autumn (or “Fall” for the colonists among you), is no secret. Neither is the difficulty the company seems to be having dreaming this new content up. With that in mind here’s a free idea for Vince McMahon and the relevant cronies:

Bring back Extreme Championship Wrestling.

I don’t mean show repeats of the original product (which WWE has owned the rights to for a decade). I’ve advocated that move before, and still do. I mean put on live events and film a TV show branded as ECW, then air it on the WWE Network. Done right, it could be a massive success.

The key words there are “done right.” I’m sure most of us have nasty memories of the horrendous attempt WWE made to bring the Extreme outfit back in 2006. Even with Paul Heyman at the helm it was largely a failure. There were a few highlights: the debuts of stars Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, Evan Bourne and, most notably, current WWE champion CM Punk all occurred in WWECW, and there were a handful of creative successes in the ring (a ladder match between Rob Van Dam and Sabu fairly on in the show’s run stands out as a particular highlight). But mostly it was a dismal effort to recreate something nobody in a position of power understood or approved of.

The trouble is that even with Heyman (the man almost always created as the number one reason the original ECW succeeded to the extent that it did) running things the product faltered. There didn’t seem to be a clear vision for what ECW should be. It started off with its own live event schedule and TV venues but was lumped together with SmackDown after just few months. ECW stars quickly started working only in preliminary matches, leaving the main event (on a ECW show!) spot for guys like the Undertaker, Ric Flair and Batista. The creative direction was a muddl: people were added to and taken from the roster at a moment’s notice, which made booking difficult for those in charge and watching difficult for viewers.

Doing it right would mean putting someone in charge and leaving them alone for a set period of time, only bothering them after that time had elapsed if they hadn’t met agreed goals regarding TV ratings, pay-per-view buy rates, merchandise sales, live event attendance, or some other logical factor.

Obviously the natural choice for the man in charge of any ECW revival is Paul Heyman. WWE should extend an offer to him, with the above assurances about being left alone, and be prepared to negotiate in order to get him to work on the project, in any capacity (i.e. consultant). Realistically that’s unlikely though: Heyman has stated on numerous occasions he has no interest in working in wrestling anymore and has enough other work that he’s not going to be wooed back easily.

WWE could do a lot worse than hiring a fan of the original ECW who understands the theory of piecing together a wrestling show along with the spirit of the ECW product. Teamed up with one or two of the knowledgeable veterans at WWE’s disposal (Jim Ross, Pat Patterson, there are dozens who could fill that role) a weekly hour-long show could be scripted very effectively.

There are more than enough “ECW Originals” out there that could be signed back, on short term deals, in order to add the necessary authenticity to the show. Among them are Sabu, Sandman, Rhino, Raven, Super Crazy, Yoshihiro Tajiri, and Little Guido. Rob Van Dam’s TNA contract expires soon and he’s said to be interested in a return to WWE. The Dudley Boys would probably be interested in a one way ticket out of the IMPACT Zone too. Mick Foley and Joey Styles are already under contract and would make an enjoyable commentary team (or Styles could just work solo).

The rest of the roster could be bulked up with guys who are currently killing time on WWE’s undercard (Tyson Kidd, Yoshi Tatsu, Ezekiel Jackson, Michael McGillicutty, the entire NXT cast... take your pick) and a smattering of specifically signed independent stars.

Main roster stars could be shuffled into ECW as and when necessary, giving the brand some star power and allowing the main roster’s creative team to come up with new ideas for them. This could be particularly useful for a guy like Evan Bourne, who will return to TV (if he returns at all) from two high profile Wellness suspensions. That’s something that can’t really be mentioned on RAW but could be exploited and turned into a storyline in ECW.

That ECW would be broadcast on the WWE Network may cause concern for some but I think it would actually provide a perfect lead storyline. It’s easy to imagine a heel authority figure representing “the parent company” being a big heel in Extreme Championship Wrestling. It’s a simple way of introducing WWE’s superstars and could provide the impetus for tonnes of heel heat. David Otunga would be perfect for the role.

WWE would be foolish not to at least try this: with the right people in charge and the current writing team kept a safe distance away they could successfully present their own competition and reap the benefit financially. The venues that ECW would need to run are far cheaper than those used for RAW and SmackDown events, and production values would be lower for an ECW TV show too. It would all add to the air of authenticity: ECW was never known for being the slickest operation around. It would be perfect for a late night, mid-week slot on the WWE Network.

Vince, if you want me to book I can be reached through Twitter.