One was Tommy...who lived by himself...

The title of this blog entry is a parody of a song from Carole King. The song was called, "One was Johnny". It came from a cartoon called, "Really Rosie". Johnny was a character on the cartoon who lived alone after a bunch of things happened while in his house. He was the only one left after all the chaos.

Now, is Johnny similar to Tommy Dreamer? I doubt that since Tommy is not a cartoon character. However, his constant jobbing makes him look like Wile E. Coyote, sometimes. But, you see, that can't bother Tommy Dreamer at all. See, Tommy Dreamer is the "heart and soul" of ECW. He can't give up. He'll take a licking and keep on kicking. And you know what? The WWE wants it that way.

When word got out that ECW would be having a reunion show in 2005, the first people to jump on the idea were RVD, for suggesting it, Paul Heyman, since he practically owned the company, and Tommy Dreamer, who was practically Heyman's right-hand man backstage. They put the pieces in play and ECW One Night Stand 2005 was underway. It was a success to the point where another one would be planned in 2006. Now, a lot can happen in a year: people can die, sign contracts to other companies, or even retire. Knowing this, Tommy and Paul both gave it a shot. In the end, we were treated to a lackluster pay-per-view that segued the re-launch of ECW on television. The first episode walked away with a 2.7, the highest the show would ever do. Since then, it was a steady down-turn in ratings, which were caused by many things: inter-promotional nonsense, dumb characters that were funny for about a second, under-utilization of ECW originals and the almost-complete absence of anything extreme. This would cause many of the "original" fans to stop watching, if not all. Tommy and Paul were undeterred and were sold on the fact that this was not the "original" ECW, but a new type that would sort of take pages out of the books of JAPW or ROH. While there was doubt from some, Tommy remained somewhat hopeful. One was Tommy....who hoped by himself...(sorry, I couldn't help it).

As time passed on, many things were changing about the new ECW. One of the biggest changes came in December after the debacle which was the December to Dismember event. After this, Paul Heyman was relieved of his booking and writing duties, leaving all of his supporters within the ECW brand fearful of losing their jobs. This, of course, was common-place since over the months, some ECW originals did lose their jobs, if not their spots on television. Still, Tommy, watching the dejection, remained hopeful, since he still had a place on t.v., as a jobber. One was Tommy...who jobbed by himself...

About one year after December to Dismember, ECW was without many originals as well as newbies. We're talking Francine, Trinity, Tony Mamaluke, Sandman, Sabu, Ariel, Rodney Mack, Jazz, Test, and later on, Mahoney among others, and the biggest of them all due to his impact, RVD. Why say that? It's because he suggested that ECW come back, for crying out loud. What was left was a meager portion of wrestlers who followed Tommy Dreamer's example: love the fact that ECW is on and you represent it in a way, job if you're asked to, and keep your mouth shut. All the people I have mentioned were released because they had no use according to creative, got in fights backstage, had no interest in putting the new ECW over since it was sacrilege, or whatever negative reason. Still, Tommy remained, and what did he do? He mentored Colin Delaney, and both got beat down, mercilessly at times. One was Tommy...who obeyed by himself...(I didn't include Colin because he didn't even have a job yet. He was just being payed to appear).

Fast forward to now. The new ECW consists of the following things: new talent looking to get over, old talent looking to remain in some semblance of a spotlight, an ECW title with no semblance of the original feel to it, and...Tommy Dreamer, the only original left on the show, and sadly, even in the WWE. No, I don't count Super Crazy or other like Jericho or something for two reasons: 1) Super Crazy was first discovered on WWE television as Super Loco back during 1997. In truth, that was his first wrestling outing. Do the research as I'm sure it's there. 2) Super Crazy and others like Jericho have found ways to transcend the ECW feel by melding into the WWE or WCW style of presentation. You could have watched them anywhere else and said to yourself that they were going to be top stars someday. Now, yes, they were discovered on ECW, no doubt, but compared to the other people synonymous with ECW, they have done or are doing relatively more with their careers. Ok, maybe this isn't the best defense for number 2, so how about this: I didn't count them b/c they aren't on the ECW brand, which means that someone feels they have more value than to be placed on a 1-hour show that lampoons the "era of Extreme" to the point of sacrilege. I didn't want to be that harsh, but that's the case. Amidst all this, who is left? Tommy Dreamer. He has no "original" friends in the ECW brand, no "original" proteges, nothing. He just has himself. One was Tommy...who survived by himself..

So, yes, Tommy Dreamer became the heart and soul of ECW, and the WWE is loving that idea. Now, why is this the case? It's this case for 2 key reasons.

1) Tommy Dreamer is the only palpable ECW original from the embryonic stages of ECW. If I'm not using the right wording, how about this: Tommy Dreamer is the only ECW original who will do as he is told. You see, Sandman got fired because he ticked off Ricky Steamboat by not listening to him. Sabu got fired for trying to no-show some events based on his injured neck. RVD didn't renew his contract because he was tired of being linked to this new version of ECW and what it stood for. Paul Heyman got fired for trying to make the new ECW in his vision instead of Vince's. Tommy Dreamer? All he did was plan a few tough and heavy-handed blogs that either never happened or were toned down. You see, these guys have what Tommy Dreamer lost about 6 years ago when he agreed to eat things like hair, tobacco spit, and such: pride. Tommy knows he has kids to feed and a beautiful wife to support (he's married to Beulah McGuillicuty). He knows what's at risk if he opens his mouth. Plus, he's a mark for the business as well as a mark for ECW. He and Paul Heyman showed that they were willing to put aside their petty feelings of pride to at least give us the original ECW for a bit. Once Paul knew there was no getting his way in any form, he quit. Tommy already knew there was no way, but he never gave up. He probably feels that if he does, he will have betrayed the legacy of ECW that he pushed so hard to get re-established. I mean, sheesh, people chanted "ECW" every time he came out there. ECW is all he's ever been, sadly, so why not hold onto it?

2) Since Tommy Dreamer needs to hold on to ECW, WWE needs to hold onto Tommy Dreamer. It's a "give/take" type of thing in a weird way. Let me explain. Tommy Dreamer loves ECW to the point where he'll watch it be tarnished on television. He's passionate about it to the fullest. Now, the other originals who did what Tommy did and still got fired were sort of in his position, but honestly, they never were. Why is that? Stevie Richards was a fine talent, but they believed what most other pundits believed: without Raven, he's nothing. Nunzio is a great wrestler, but the pundits thought he was too small to do anything and they didn't want to waste money on people they didn't need like Mamaluke, Smothers, J.T. Smith, Tommy Rich, Big Guido, or even Big Sal. Mahoney knew how to wrestle amateur as Joey Styles pointed out every time he was out there. However, the pundits thought that all the damage done to his body wouldn't allow it. Also, he was an ugly fat guy with nothing going for him except ultra-violence. Tommy Dreamer, however, had the average WWE superstar build. He could still string together moves despite all the damage, and he had been in so many wars where he got his clock cleaned. To the WWE, he was perfect for a guy who was a jobber. Even better, he was an original that they could use to smear the name of the "original" ECW in the dirt. Why him and not all of them? He was in some pretty high-profile ECW matches and feuds. Plus, he was a former ECW champion, and probably the last high-profile one around, excluding Rhino. Now, let's say they get rid of Dreamer by giving him an office job or something. How does that affect the ECW brand? Simply put, it destroys the remaining credibility it has. 90 percent of it is already gone with all the nonsense that has happened. Tommy Dreamer is the only thing on that show that is worthy of the letters, E, C, and W. You take Tommy out, and there is no ECW. At least, there would be no need to call it ECW. The reason being is that the WWE needs to hold onto whatever form of history ECW may have had before this new one came up. No Tommy Dreamer means no more originals, meaning no more past, and possibly no more future. You would need to give it a new name altogether. They go out of their way to say that Tommy Dreamer had been in some extreme wars in the past. Without Tommy, where is the past?

Now, I know I hit some points that might not sit well with whoever reads it, but if you don't like it, let me know. I love feedback. But, the analysis is showing the following: Tommy Dreamer is the heart and the soul of ECW, and that's how the WWE wants it. Tommy is programmable, obedient, and high-profile enough to latch the letters ECW onto. He'll take a beating, do a job, and even get shaved bald on national television for ECW's legacy. He knows that ECW is the brainchild of Paul Heyman's fantasies and the WWE has adopted it. Tommy has no choice but to be the surrogate mother to this child or it will die. And you know what? The WWE, like a mean stepfather, wants an obedient mother to do what she is told, especially when it comes to nurturing. In further truth, the WWE needs Tommy more than some people think. You take out Tommy Dreamer, you take out the heart and soul of ECW, and then what do you have? A one-hour WWE wrestling show that is showcasing the new development stars of their choosing and the veterans that want to help them get over. It's not ECW, which is why Tommy has to stay. One was Tommy....who fights by himself...

(If I touched a nerve or offended anyone with stepparents or have had bad experiences which stepfamilies, I sincerely apologize with some of those remarks made earlier. I just wanted to get a point across, not tear open old wounds)