Sunday, December 7, 2008

ECW's Team Extreme: Then and Now

I remember a distinct t-shirt created years ago during the run of the original ECW. It was entitled, "Team Extreme", and it had cartoon drawings of four of the top ECW stars at the time. I believe it was the Sandman, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and a fourth star that I don't remember. I believe it was Raven, "The Franchise" Shane Douglas, or Taz. When I saw that shirt, I couldn't help but agree with the message the shirt was sending. Yes, I know it was developed by Taz, as were all the cartoon ECW t-shirts, but the message was a profound one. These were the stars of ECW that were at the top of the ECW ladder at the time. They were the embodiment of ECW through their gimmicks, angles, feuds, moves, and the like. These were the best misfit toys in the "land of misfit toys" as Taz would compare ECW to. It was something that got me more interested in ECW as an organization because I was familiar with their work and I enjoyed what they did on a regular basis. I bring up this anecdote because of what a fellow blogger asked of me last month.

Marvin, the dude who blogged last month for Reader Appreciation Day, asked me to blog about how ECW was losing its quality after losing Mike Knox to Raw. The only decent wrestlers they had left were Matt Hardy, Finlay, Evan Bourne, Mark Henry, Ricky Ortiz, and Jack Swagger. He then stated that Tommy Dreamer's firing will mean the death of ECW, and the Sci-Fi Channel made a mistake extending the contract of ECW for another year. He went on to blog about this in a way for Reader Appreciation Day, citing different examples. I took this all into consideration and came up with the blog for today. You see, the team I saw on the t-shirt resembled ECW in the fullest of the letters. The wrestlers I see on today's ECW....might not really be connotated with such or as much.

Back then, ECW was about rebelling against the system. They had all the wrestlers no one wanted or considered, so they took their rejections, and, led by Paul Heyman, rejected the norm and decided to live by the extreme. By doing so, a cult following had ensued. It was a following so great that they remained in the thread of the wrestling world for about 7 years. They were a non-publicly funded, out-of-control, adverse, and intriguing wrestling group that looked to take the norms of wrestling and make it cutting edge. ECW had the mind of Heyman to do it, and the wrestlers to back it up. Who were these wrestlers? Let's take a look:

-The Sandman was the "Extreme Icon". He was a beer-drinking, cigarette-smoking, cane-swinging, ex-construction worker-turned-wrestler whose penchant for violence earned him his icon status. He was involved in some of the most violent feuds and matches over the course of ECW's tenure. Whether he was getting blinded by his own cigarette and Singapore cane, caning someone repeatedly in the back, or getting kicked in the face with a ring of barbed-wire on it, this guy was the embodiment of extreme.

-Tommy Dreamer was the "Innovator of Violence". At first, he just wanted to belong in the land of "Extreme", sporting a bit of a baby-face look to him. Upon warring with his rival, Raven, the baby-face was gone, and the rugged look was in. This came at a very convenient time as the fans were practically riding him to take it to an extreme level. When he did, there was no looking back, and the innovator in him was born. He always tried to come up with new and different moves dealing with weapons. If not, he was finding new and different weapons to bring to a match. Throw in a few innovative moves without weapons and that's Tommy in a nutshell.

-Sabu was exactly what he was called every night. He was the "homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, death-defying" wrestler who didn't know a risk he wouldn't take. He would dive off of anything, fly into anything, and literally use his body as a weapon on several occasions. Other than his body, his other weapons of choice were chairs to launch off of, tables to crash into, a spike to carve into somebody's head, and even barbed wire that, for the most part, caused scars all over his body. Yet, regardless of the injuries, he bounced back and continued to wrestle, risking life and limb again to, well, take out someone else. Did you know he actually Krazy-glued one of his wounds shut? Sick

-Raven was a testament to what a wrestling personality can be when his or her full potential is unlocked. He was a disturbed, deadly, manipulative wrestler that preyed on human weakness and the human mind to get what he wanted. Sure, he could be extreme, but the lengths and depths he went to in order to get to his opponents were intense. He stole and manipulated the Sandman's wife and son from him in order to get the ECW title. He enlisted the help of an old ex-girlfriend of Tommy Dreamer's in order to further their rivalry and destroy Dreamer on numerous levels. He surrounded himself with misfits to create havoc all over ECW. He was a very athletic and talented wrestler, without a doubt. But, when it came to blending mind games with violence, nobody did it better.

-Shane Douglas was a well-grounded and well-versed wrestler that was cast away from the major organizations despite his talent. His bitterness towards these organizations would be shown in his cutting promos about how he was the best wrestler around and that these organizations were fools for dumping him. He was also very wily in the ring, utilizing many different opportunities to get ahead of the curve in ECW. He resembled the part of ECW that gave the misfit wrestlers who didn't regularly use weapons a chance to showcase their talents. He did a very good job at that, and didn't mind bragging about it either. Basically, he would be like the Triple H of ECW, only, well, a little more talented.

-Taz was known as the Tazmaniac first. He was an unkempt, unruly savage from Tasmania who took pleasure in brutally destroying his opponents with different displays of strength and savagery. Think Umaga, only shorter and leaner. When he was injured, he refocused himself and remodeled his wrestling approach. He then returned as Taz, the human suplex machine. No long the unkempt warrior, Taz was a quiet, angry, powerful dynamo whose explosive power was seen in his staunch MMA-style approach. He would suplex you in almost every fashion, and when he grounded you, he would make you submit in various holds and submissions that have been only seen in martial arts competitions and the UFC. After one match with him, you would be convinced that he was truly the most miserable person on the planet. If not him, then his opponents were for going through a match with him.

This was a very interesting crew of stars that ECW had showcased as the poster boys of ECW. They were the embodiment of ECW's mentality. Yet, we fast forward to now, and ask ourselves, "Has anything changed?" The answer is a resounding "yes". The problem I have with it is this: no one from the ECW roster of today can logistically call themselves true representatives for their brand. I mean, sure, they are adverse wrestlers, in some aspects. But, can you actually call any of these stars tried-and-true reps for the "New Breed unleashed"? I'm not sure if you can, at least fully.

Tommy Dreamer is still around in this version of ECW. However, his role has changed. Instead of innovating violence, he has become the heart and soul of the acronym of ECW. He represents the annals of the old school of ECW, and serves as a link to the past from the present. It's too bad that he's become the new training dummy for the ECW roster. He loses almost every time he is on television. Now, what about his colleagues, the Sandman, Sabu, and the gang? Well, they are either no longer in this ECW or were never signed. So, who's the new Team Extreme?

There might very well not be a "Team Extreme" this time around for numerous reasons. Sure, there are talented wrestlers that can or have shined on ECW, but do they resemble the mentality and aura of this new ECW? Not all of them do. Some wrestlers like Matt Hardy, Finlay, and Mark Henry are just wrestlers drafted to this new ECW, giving the roster some depth with their veteran abilities. That's actually a pretty good deal for this brand. However, they don't really resemble a new breed being unleashed. They aren't new, and they have been wrestling within a span of at least 10 years, representing either the WWE or WCW. What's so new about them?

This brings us to the other possible figureheads of ECW today. Evan Bourne is a high-flying aerial wrestler who wows the crowd defying the laws of gravity and bringing people to their feet. Ricky Ortiz is the "Latin Assassin", filled with ambition, energy, a frizzy haircut, a rally towel, and a laid-back mentality that has some people turning heads. Jack Swagger is the "All-American American" who has never been pinned in amateur wrestling on the collegiate level, has yet to be pinned or submit in ECW, let alone the WWE, and has an ego the size of his home state of Oklahoma. Lastly, there's the Miz and John Morrison. The Miz is a resident chick-magnet, attracting girls with his style, and causing damage in the ring with his under-handed and cruel approach. John Morrison is the self-professed "Shaman of Sexy", who has a well-toned body, chiseled good looks, a very abstract view on life, and an air of total arrogance. These guys are the new breed of wrestlers flying under the ECW colors. However, it's almost as if they don't even belong. Sure, they can be innovative with their moves and approach, but why don't they seem to resemble or represent ECW fully?

One such reason they don't is because of ECW's new scope. What was once a show dedicated to the rebirth of ECW is now a show made to showcase the new blood of the WWE. When they are ready to roll, they will be promoted to Raw or Smackdown. In an attempt to see where they lie, they are paraded around on Raw and Smackdown in inter-promotional matches to test their appeal to the different crowds on different shows. What does all this mean? Well, I tell you. How can you be the embodiment of ECW when you won't even be there in the long run? Here's a better question. How can you represent ECW when you aren't even on the show some weeks because you are being used on another show? The truth is, no one on ECW is really there as a permanent fixture to represent ECW as part of the new breed unleashed. That can take away from the brand in a large way.

Another reason is that these new ECW talents have a certain feel to them: the WWE feel. I mean, sure, they come off with some very innovative and interesting maneuvers. But, the feel is still very WWE. That's something you might want on Raw or Smackdown, but ECW brings a different vibe to it. It has before, and it should be now. But, the possibilities of making this ECW like the old one are long dead and gone. Paul Heyman was at least trying to get a different feel out of this brand, so it didn't resemble Raw and Smackdown. However, Paul Heyman is gone now. Now, this ECW is a lot like its counterparts, if not for just one hour. So, the wrestlers have to go with the flow. The thing is, why waste them on a show like ECW when you can use them full-time for a Raw or a Smackdown? The point I'm trying to get across is that the new blood on this show would be better suited in an area where their talents would be applauded, like Raw or Smackdown, which ultimately, they will be when this is all said and done.

I guess, in the big picture, the stars on ECW today don't really add anything to the depth or aura of the brand. There are no break-out personalities that you haven't seen or won't see on another show. Plus, the experience level on these guys is still pretty low. Getting good quality matches from all of these new guys is almost impossible. This could affect many different aspects of this show, from length to content to ratings.

I know, this might not be the best analysis made or even the most enthralling, but I just wanted to point this out on some level. The chosen few of ECW are a mix of throw-away superstars who can't survive elsewhere in the WWE and new stars being bred to take the spots they lost. That's kind of terrible if you think about it. Also, these new guys may take years to be as qualitative in the ring as some of their wrestling cohorts, so it will take a while for the quality of their style to come in, if it does even come in. The old guys may have qualities in certain areas, but they are not strong enough to get them over on other television shows. What does that say about their quality? It says that the quality is lacking.

When ECW came about in 1993, it was littered with wrestlers who weren't good enough to be in the upper leagues of wrestling. However, their tenacity, innovation, and cutting-edge approach was more than enough to gain them cult status, and get the attention of the upper leagues. It's 2008 and this two-year old version of ECW is littered with wrestlers who aren't good enough to be in the upper leagues. The differences are these: some of them are being bred for the upper leagues while having to work on their ring quality, and some of them have used up their attempts to make themselves known through their qualities and are stuck here. Either or, these differences are not enough to gain them cult status on a whole. Maybe partially through certain wrestlers, but not on a whole. Ultimately, this is what separates the new Team Extreme from the old. The chosen few here aren't here to change the world of professional wrestling. They are here to just exist in the world. It's going to take more than existence to get yourself ahead. It's going to take initiative, which is something lacking from this show and brand for the most part.

Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, Sabu, Raven, Shane Douglas, and Taz were ECW's chosen few. Through their efforts, they helped change the face of professional wrestling.

Matt Hardy, Finlay, Mark Henry, The Miz, John Morrison, Jack Swagger, Ricky Ortiz, and Evan Bourne are the new chosen few for ECW. Through their efforts, they helped give and sustain life to a shell of an organization reborn through the mad machinations of the WWE.

If you were going to battle to make an impact in the world of professional wrestling, who would you choose? Yea, I can see why you'd choose that...

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