This is a tale of the tape I haven't really written down...until now. Once again, it has to be revised due to the revised nature of ECW. I did some serious cutting and pasting, as well since not much as changed. Other than that, it should be good. Enjoy!
I have spent the last few months watching both WSX and the new ECW. Both shows give a different look or have been trying to give the wrestling fan a different look at the world of professional wrestling.
ECW was once an upstart wrestling organization situated in Philadelphia. For seven years (1993 – early 2001), they have been a source of some of the most violent, innovative, and cutting edge forms of professional wrestling to date. ECW provided fans with a different style of wrestling as well as a different batch of wrestlers that some said were not ready for the major organizations. However, due to monetary problems, the organization had to fold and sell its wares to their competitor, the WWE. However, as of June 13th 2006, the ECW brand of wrestling has returned to television under the auspices of Vincent K. McMahon, owner of the WWE. ECW can be now found on prime time television for one hour on Tuesday nights. It is billed as "a new breed unleashed", touting a new generation of ECW wrestlers for the new generation of fans.
Wrestling Society X is an upstart wrestling promotion put together by Keith Lipinski and Kevin Kleinrock, two former promoters who have ties with indy feds PWG (Pro Wrestling Guerrillas) and XPW (Xtreme Pro Wrestling). As writer and head booker, respectively, their mission was to provide wrestling fans with a more underground, hard-hitting, and somewhat over-the-top 30 minute wrestling show for the casual wrestling fan. How casual? The show was on MTV. The show had musicians play a set in the beginning of the show. They were going super casual here, as in people who know wrestling is there, but probably watch it once a month. Other than that, the show pretty much had some of the best high-fliers and hardcore indy wrestlers around. It had high spots, fast-paced wrestling, and crazy hardcore matches.
Now, since WSX and ECW have co-existed, a few questions have come up. Which has a better showing as an television show? Who would win if they were put head-to-head against each other? It was more than obvious that WSX was placed in the timeslot it was in on the night it was given for a reason. That reason was to cut into the path of ECW and try to pick up its fans. Did it work? Was ECW deterred?
I decided that in order to make this fair, I broke down the competitive analysis into 4 categories: Presentation, Ratings, Talent, and Wrestling Ability. It will be along these lines that the two groups will be compared and contrasted. So, with all that said, here we go!
Presentation
ECW
The new ECW is, without a doubt, not the original ECW. There is no question about that. However, in the presentation aspect, those in charge have taken it upon themselves to make it completely different from the original ECW. This not only alienates the real, die-hard ECW fans, but it also kills the credibility of the product. When people hear "ECW", they look forward to what the original brand offers: professional wrestling, cutting edge promos, hardcore matches, and innovative moves and wrestlers. The new ECW has veritably none of that. Instead, we are given one hour of WWE style matches, where the ECW originals (RVD, Sabu, etc.), lose to wrestlers that they would never lose to in the original ECW. Also, we get silly gimmicks and happenings like Kelly's Striptease, Macho Libre, and, of course, interpromotional matches with wrestlers that have no business being in an ECW ring. As for hardcore matches, don't bother. They aren't implied, they are stipulated. This means that all matches aren't hardcore. For the first time in ECW history, there are disqualifications. If you were looking for anything close to the original ECW, look elsewhere. This is WWECW. Since its inception, things have changed. Now, instead of just getting what I mentioned earlier, we get one original losing to everyone in Tommy Dreamer, no more stupid gimmicks or strip-teases, interpromotional matches with Raw and SD, to the point where they just have Raw or SD stars wrestle on the show to take up time, veterans trying to retain some semblance of importance wrestling on the show, and a great place for the young and new talents of the WWE to showcase their skills. The last point made seems to be the major selling point for ECW at this point in time, and is now the major focus.
WSX
Wrestling Society X is sort of the flipside of professional wrestling. It is held in a bunker, chock full of explosions, pyrotechnics, and very adverse wrestling personalities that you might or might not see anywhere else. The show is highlighted with a musician or music group playing a set in the beginning then jumping in on commentary with Kris Kloss from XPW and Bret Ernst from whatever comedy club he was performing at before this show started. Not the best idea as none of them knew what they were talking about on a regular basis. There was also a ring announcer that got more obscure every week named Fabian Kaylin (Kayfabe?) who screamed so much that he killed his voice in the first episode. According to lore, he was the reason people stopped watching. Throw in Lacey, the very attractive backstage interviewer and you had your journalism team. Now, for the show itself, it was 30 minutes of non-stop action. This was something that TNA had progressively started to lose to this day. There were weapons, explosions, high spots, and hard-rocking music. At some points, the hardcore wrestling action was a bit 0ver the top with special effects that were somewhat cheesy at times. The only problem: the show was taped well in advance, and the matches were edited heavily to the point where all you saw were the high spots at times and the editing was starting to show. That was a sure sign of bad production value. Still, the action was worth writing home about. Plus, they had an online show right after the broadcast on their website that showcased a recap, extra footage, and about 2 full matches that were full and un-edited. Pretty good, but it would have been nice if it was on with the actual show.
Winner: Tie. On one hand, ECW is more action with less talk and it's one hour, but WSX is also all about action with the action being much better than what you see on ECW, although somewhat predictable at times. Plus, it's 30 minutes of it. If you think about it, they tend to cancel out at times: good wrestling spots for 30 minutes versus 1 hour of action, albeit not so good at times. This can only be seen if you don't take ECW or WSX too seriously. Also, WSX was much better than ECW during its original run based on its action.
Ratings
ECW
ECW is on Tuesday nights at 10 P.M. That's just 24 hours from the second hour of WWE RAW. Smart move. ECW gives a back-to-back wrestling feel with the timeslot choice, allowing WWE fans to keep watching wrestling twice in a row. Also, that's the main part of ECW's ratings. The WWE fans are watching the show, knowing full well that a former WWE star they liked, a current WWE star they like, or an ECW star that made a killing in the WWE is on ECW. So, when the ratings come in, you know who's been watching: the WWE fan or mark, not the die-hard ECW fan. Currently, the die-hard ECW fans are few and far between, while the WWE marks are in full effect. ECW will be moving to 9 P.M. on 9/30/08. Since its inception, ECW went from a high of 2.7 to a low of 1.2, just recently. As for the new timeslot, it still got a 1.2.
WSX
On its first night, WSX went up against ECW's second half hour. The verdict: 1.00 for the whole. ECW that night did a 1.7 for the whole. The next night, WSX dropped to a .7, then a .5, then a .6 on the night where Vampiro got burned. After that, they had episodes 4 to 9 straight into the night with ratings at .6, 3 straight .4s, and lastly a .3 at 1 in the morning. Why this move? MTV wanted to cut this show loose and a bunch of other shows with it, so they decided to put all the shows on at once to get rid of it without the backlash of fans looking for episodes to pop up on tv. The final episode was never shown in its original run, but might have been later.
Winner: ECW by a landslide. I don't know where all those viewers went. Perhaps it would have been wiser to have this show on, say, a network that didn't pander to people who didn't watch wrestling ever.
Talent
ECW
The talent roster of ECW is a slim one. Not only are they short many wrestlers, but the wrestlers they do showcase probably have no place in any ECW-related program. The Big Show is the best example, as he has always had the WWE or WCW feel to him. He just doesn't fit in with the ECW feel. It takes away from the product. He is not the only one, either. Wrestlers that have failed to excel on Raw or SD! have found solace here. These include Rene Dupree, Matt Striker, and Hardcore Holly. Test and Shannon Moore are just examples of wrestlers that were recently re-hired but won't be overly utilized on a Raw or SD! event b/c of their bad track record on Raw or SD! Mike Knox is a new blood from the WWE farm systems that looks more like a Raw/SD! guy than an ECW guy. As for the ECW originals, only the ones that matter (Sandman, Dreamer, Sabu, Mahoney, RVD) are utilized, and job out at times to the new guys. The others (FBI, Stevie Richards, C.W. Anderson, Jazz) are not even necessary, so, they are kept home. The only exception to the new talent rule is CM Punk, who fits in on any show and can give a great showing as a wrestling talent. He's just in ECW so the RAW/SD! guys don't look bad compared to him. Currently, a lot of changes have been made. Most, if not all of the aforementioned wrestlers were either fired, died, moved to another brand, or even downgraded to announcing (That's you, Striker). The talent roster once again slimmed down, but, the quality has improved. Apparently, they took the example of C.M. Punk and started to add talent that was either in need of retooling or new to the game with a lot of potential. The Miz and John Morrison make up two very entertaining and talented heels after some stints on Raw and SD. Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, and Finlay, and Chavo Guerrero are some veterans added to bring some depth to the young roster as well as help them work a little better in the ring. Mike Knox has re-surfaced as a top talent and a threat. Lastly, the new stars that are coming through make up the best and brightest from WWE's farm systems, or at least those that have been around and ready to go. Evan Bourne, Gavin Spears, Ricky Ortiz, and Jack Swagger are the talents, and they bring a lot to the table.
WSX
Ok, first off: Matt Sydal is Evan Bourne. So, we can leave him out of this convo. As for the others, everyone, and I mean, everyone, even the veterans were oozing with talent. Their best high fliers regulared ROH, PWG, or even JAPW, and had the experience to back it up. Their hardcore talents had the battle scars to show their experience. Their vets, although, washed up to some people, were still pliable in the ring and were still open to teach the newbies how to wrestle for television. The list was a who's-who of wrestlers who were big on the internet, or big on the indy scene with the cred necessary to keep them on t.v. Jack Evans, Teddy Hart, Yoshino and Horiguchi of Dragon Gate, the Human Tornado, Sean Waltman, Vampiro, Ricky Banderas, Ruckus, Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black, and even Colt Cabana (A.K.A. Matt Classic, Scotty Goldman) were some of the stars that this show had showcased. How talented were they? The WWE had a handful of them on their shows either jobbing or wrestling for them full-time. That was proof enough that the WWE had some interest in them as well as the show. They can deny it all they want, but can they explain why Sydal and Cabana are on their payroll or why Ruckus has all those giftbaskets they sent?
Winner: WSX, without question. Three reasons: 1) Evan Bourne, 2) Scotty Goldman, 3) WWE's interest in Ruckus
Wrestling Ability
ECW
There are only very few ECW stars with wrestling ability. This is the ability to make a match interesting along the lines of pro-wrestling. The ECW originals that do have this ability are not very polished at it (except RVD). This is mostly due to the fact that they specialize in hardcore matches that has degenerated their bodies and their wrestling efficiency. As for the new blood, only CM Punk and Matt Striker fit the bill when it comes to wrestling. The others are too cliched from the WWE style of things. Their matches look clunky, rushed, and sometimes silly. This, of course, is all in good fortune for "sports entertainment", which is something that ECW hasn't majored in since its inception. Currently, ECW has improved in the wrestling ability aspect and dramatically. Finlay, Matt Hardy, and Chavo are excellent wrestlers. Morrison and Miz also have some severe credibility. Evan Bourne and Jack Swagger are also great talents to have as wrestlers with their great skill along with a better utilized Bam Neely and Mike Knox. So, the overall wrestling ability has improved, albeit slightly.
WSX
These matches were very innovative and well-wrestled when weapons were not involved. The spots were veritably spot on. The matches were well-wrestled. The hardcore stuff? It was something to hold the grit of the show together, but at least it was existant, unlike with ECW for a good amount of time. However, these matches were something to behold. They were entertaining, well-thought out, and logical. It might have been tough to see all that, amidst the editing issues, but they were. This show even had a functioning tag team division, and they didn't even have belts to show for it. That says plenty to me. The wrestling ability of ECW's best wrestlers were in WSX, only multiplied by about 2 or so.
Winner: WSX
Initially, when I thought this up, WSX was way better than ECW. Based on my assessment today, WSX should have and might have smoked ECW, but alas, that was not the case. Why? Many reasons. MTV didn't market it as much as they market just about every show. It was probably because it was a wrestling show, and wrestling is lowbrow to MTV. Yea, and like Viva La Bam isn't? MTV didn't like all the violence that the show was portraying. Ok, if you didn't like it, why show the show in the first place? All the fans pretty much left because of the show's nuances and went back to ECW which was the devil they knew. Perhaps these fans were never there to begin with. Who knows? In the end, my assessment is that WSX might very well be better than the new ECW and could have been if it had the right chances and such, but, unlucky for us fans of WSX, that's not the case. Now, all we have is the dvds and ECW is still on. Let's hope Kleinrock and Lipinski can hit gold with their new show ideas concerning the NWA. But, I doubt it.
That's what I think. What do you think?
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