Tommy's Ultimatum

Tommy Dreamer made an open ultimatum to the ECW fans and the fans of the WWE: he will win the ECW title by his contract expiration date in June or retire for good. To some people, this is music to their ears because Dreamer hasn't won a major profile match for, well, ages. In fact, it was probably in 2000 when it happened (I'll go on with it on Wrestlemania weekend's ECW Analysis on 4/5/09). So, this is probably his swan song, which has been hummed for a while now. To others, this might not be the best of news. You see, there's something about Dreamer that few people may agree to. Something that as unbelievable as it sounds, might have a grain of truth to it. You see, contrary to popular belief, Tommy Dreamer is over with the crowd. Still, the ultimatum stands, and there can only be two ways to see the outcome. Two ways that may very well change the face of ECW permanently, for better or worse.

Now, my saying Tommy Dreamer is over with the crowd is not some delusional piece of nonsense. People still cheer this guy. People still respect him. He still represents the old school-ECW that we all came to know and love. People still spell out "ECW" when he does as he goes to dropkick someone in the "tree of woe" in the corner. I remember Tommy saying on a blog that his match for the ECW title against Chavo Guerrero was the highest-rated segment in the history of the revival of ECW. Now, that might have been far-fetched. In fact, it might have been completely inaccurate because the blog disappeared as soon as he posted it. But, in all essences, he may have a point. He is still pretty popular. In fact, I bet you it was pretty high as per the ratings because for the first time in a while, Dreamer had a serious shot at winning a major match he was involved in. Not just any major match, but a match for the ECW title, a title he only held for one day for a few moments, if any. People saw that Chavo had lost some key matches before, be it on ECW, SmackDown, or RAW. So, with Chavo's luck, Tommy was almost a shoo-in to win. But alas, Dreamer has lost more key matches in his WWE tenure than Chavo, so it was practically a foregone conclusion that Dreamer would be heading home unhappy. But, it still felt good to see him try, especially since anything can happen in the WWE. It wouldn't have been so far-fetched to see him with the ECW title after that night, but it would be far-fetched to see him keep it.

This brings me to point #1 about Dreamer's ultimatum. Let's say all goes well for Tommy. He becomes ECW champion. He staves off retirement. He relives the night he had in 2000, only this time, he wants it. This could open the door for Tommy to have the title run he's always deserved. He'd be fighting top guys left and right to keep his belt. He could even try his hardest every night to make himself a credible champion. The problem with that is, well, he's lost just about all credibility as a champion and as a wrestler at this point. No one expects him to be a champion because he's lost to just about everyone who's passed through ECW while they were on ECW or not. He's lost to or will lose to Finlay, he's lost to Mark Henry, Paul Burchill, will lose to Christian if he hasn't already, as well as Evan Bourne, and has lost to ECW champ, Jack Swagger at his own game and at Swagger's game. For Swagger to lose the title at this point to Dreamer, it would take the miracle of outside interference or something. But, the possibility of that seems rare since there are a few others who are more competent at title matches than Dreamer. For Dreamer to be champion would even be counter-productive to the already devalued ECW title. People will look at him and say, "he could barely beat a wrestler half his size at December to Dismember, and now he's the champ? I bet you he doesn't hold that belt past one week." That's not going to look very good for a championship run, let alone a champion. Now, picture this champion beating all the stars on ECW that have proved themselves. How does that make them look, along with ECW? It will make them look weak, in my view.

Now, let's look at the flip side of the coin. Say Dreamer fails. Say he retires and he's gone. Then what? Then ECW isn't ECW. It's just some show for young and failed stars trying to get by on WWE television. It's not ECW. It can't be ECW. You see, the only true part of this ECW that still exists, as I have pointed out before in 2008 (see my "One was Tommy.." blog), is Tommy Dreamer. Everything else bleeds WWE, TNA, or even independent wrestling. There's no real link to the ECW longevity of the past until today. That's Tommy's job. If Tommy disappears, then ECW goes with him. Without a past, there's no present existence, let alone a future to worry about. Tommy Dreamer resembles the past. So, no Tommy, no ECW. Then again, that might not be something the WWE cares too much about. Rumor has it that ECW will be undergoing some serious changes in the future. Changes that may very well alter ECW's framework for the most part and the long run. So, perhaps, Tommy Dreamer being removed is all part of the plan.

These are the only two scenarios that the WWE could possibly pull off. In all fairness and truth, it's a toss-up, if you ask me. I wouldn't put it past the WWE to try and use Tommy further for their own enjoyment by burying him every Tuesday night, but not before they feed him a bone the size of the ECW title. Either that or, they know that they don't have an ECW without Dreamer, so it's a "you need us, we need you" situation. Then again, releasing him won't really hurt the WWE any, either. They can totally live without him as we have seen many an ECW episode without him. Plus, his usefulness is just about gone. He can do a good job behind the scenes or as an on-screen authority figure (check my predictions for the New Year blog). That move can keep him on ECW without having him wrestle. Or, they could just get rid of him altogether.

I don't truly know the future for Tommy Dreamer at this point. All I do know is that it will have a profound effect on the quality of ECW. If he stays, he could have a championship run that may or may not undermine the talent on ECW. If he goes, then the very essence of ECW goes with him. So, it's a lose-lose situation, that the WWE might not see as such. So, whatever happens, we all have to wait and see. One was Tommy....who changed by himself...(come on, I had to say it).