When WWE first announced the return of Extreme Championship Wrestling as a third brand, people cheered. After all, this was ECW. It was the return of Extreme.
Now this is the part where I’m supposed to say, “Then everything sucked.” Well, I’m not. Sure ECDub had it’s ECDownfalls, but that’s a matter of perspective. For a hardcore fan of the Philadelphia mat wars, the new brand was an extreme letdown. However, for a casual, foam finger buying, watch every-other-week, didn’t-the-original-Ultimate-Warrior-die fan, the show was more than likely what they had expected. After all, this is World Wrestling Entertainment. Any fans of WWE’s product, and WWE’s product alone, knew what they were getting into the first time they tuned into the SciFi Network. It was a WWE show. In order to miss that fact, you’d have to be watching the TV on mute…with your hands over your eyes….while sleeping.
So, surprise, surprise. This isn’t an anti-ECW column. In fact, I think I, and many others, have finally accepted that things are as they are. Would they be better had WWE focused on pleasing the audience that would genuinely care about those three Extreme letters? Sure. If they wanted to make something new, then they should have named it something new. They didn’t, though. So now it is what it is and we are where we are.
Here’s my issue with the whole thing, though. World Wrestling Entertainment, the massive corporate entity that has been thrilling fans for years using the same tried and true formula of heroes vs. villains, has decided now to give them something different. In the very first feud for the top title in the new ECW brand (and the WWE title too), World Wrestling Entertainment has scripted a three way conflict…between three people who are getting booed on a regular basis.
It’s truly amazing when you think about it. I don’t mean amazing in a “Wow, check that out” way. I mean it in a “What the hell” way.
Think about it. First, you have Edge. Adam Copeland is probably one of WWE’s hottest stars when used correctly. He has an evil grin and an even eviler gimmick. As the over-sexed, arrogant complainer, Copeland can get under the skins of fans whenever he wants to. His promos aren’t written to get him over as a cool heel. They’re written to get him over a as a real heel. People boo him. People hate him. That’s the goal and he gets it done.
So, that’ s awesome, right? You have a heel that people hate. Great news. Now who’s the baby face you put him up against? Someone who’s super-over and ready to captivate fans with the good vs. evil conflict? Rey Mysterio? Bobby Lashley? DeGeneration X? Batista? Nah.
It’s John Cena. Word life. You can’t see him. Hustle, Loyalty, Respect, and all that. Look, I know there’s a ton of Cena Haters out there and, truth be told, you can’t blame them. This past Monday, I watched John stand there and cut an intense promo on Edge. As he did, I thought, “This guy might be on his way back. For once, I’m not rolling my eyes at his use of potty-humor or juvenile insults. Maybe we were all wrong about…”
“Fart juice!”
Damnit! Before I could complete my thought on how Cena is finally getting over the third grade toilet jokes, he used the term “fart juice.” Man. It’s actually unfair to call it third grade humor, because there’s plenty of third graders out there who can think of better lines than that.
But, I digress, that’s your hero in the feud. John Cena is the fart juicin‘, cheap saucing’, poopie lovin’ hero of our hearts. So…people boo him. Why? No one likes to cheer for the dork with the childish comebacks. I can’t imagine how that would have played out throughout time.
“Hey brother, train, say your prayers, make your poopies, and take your vitamins.”
“Austin 3:16 says I just whopped your fartie hole!”
“To be the man - whooo - you gotta make doodies like the man”
So, yeah, that’s the good guy. Now onto the third part of the equation. With a hated heel and a hated baby face battling for the top title of the new show, you have to have a third person tossed in there. Why not make it the hero of the diehards? It’s the underused and overly-loved king of ECW! It’s the hardcore fan’s new version of Chris Benoit. It’s “Mr. ECW” Rob Van Dam!
RVD has been cheered for years. No matter how little he was used, fans went nuts for his kicks and half-closed eyes. Whether in a storyline or not, he was always the most popular guy in the building.
That all changed once they started using him.
In what is probably the biggest indictment of WWE’s creative process throughout the relaunch of Extreme Championship Wrestling, Rob Van Dam went from hero to heel lickety split. While some might think that’s a good thing, it’s not. Why not? Well, because it doesn’t appear like that was WWE’s goal.
They gave him all the lines that would have sent the real ECW audience into a euphoric cheering spree. They had him cut down WWE and declare that he had taken their title and brought it to ECDub. Predictably, the crowd booed. Why? Well, they were a WWE crowd. Duh. The hilarious thing here is that World Wrestling Entertainment went out of their way to tell us all that this was a “different ECW.” Then, right off the bat, they scripted the baby face champion to say things that would have gotten over with the OLD ECW FANS. He insults WWE in front of WWE fans, gets booed, and the creative team all wonder why it didn’t work. Now that’s insanity.
So there you have it. You have the super horny heel vs. the fart juicin’ juvenile vs. the guy who wants to kill the promotion that all the fans paid to see. That’s the top feud for the new ECW. Hell, it’s the second to top feud for Raw. It seems pretty obvious why things aren’t working.
People want to look forward to a segment that’ll have them cheering. Instead, they’re sitting through shows waiting for the top feud…so they can boo all three participants. I don’t know about you guys, but I’d rather cheer something than boo it. If you don’t have anyone to cheer for, the feud is no fun. Know where I learned that?
From WWE, that’s where. I just wonder why and when they forgot it.
http://pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=18854&p=1
Now this is the part where I’m supposed to say, “Then everything sucked.” Well, I’m not. Sure ECDub had it’s ECDownfalls, but that’s a matter of perspective. For a hardcore fan of the Philadelphia mat wars, the new brand was an extreme letdown. However, for a casual, foam finger buying, watch every-other-week, didn’t-the-original-Ultimate-Warrior-die fan, the show was more than likely what they had expected. After all, this is World Wrestling Entertainment. Any fans of WWE’s product, and WWE’s product alone, knew what they were getting into the first time they tuned into the SciFi Network. It was a WWE show. In order to miss that fact, you’d have to be watching the TV on mute…with your hands over your eyes….while sleeping.
So, surprise, surprise. This isn’t an anti-ECW column. In fact, I think I, and many others, have finally accepted that things are as they are. Would they be better had WWE focused on pleasing the audience that would genuinely care about those three Extreme letters? Sure. If they wanted to make something new, then they should have named it something new. They didn’t, though. So now it is what it is and we are where we are.
Here’s my issue with the whole thing, though. World Wrestling Entertainment, the massive corporate entity that has been thrilling fans for years using the same tried and true formula of heroes vs. villains, has decided now to give them something different. In the very first feud for the top title in the new ECW brand (and the WWE title too), World Wrestling Entertainment has scripted a three way conflict…between three people who are getting booed on a regular basis.
It’s truly amazing when you think about it. I don’t mean amazing in a “Wow, check that out” way. I mean it in a “What the hell” way.
Think about it. First, you have Edge. Adam Copeland is probably one of WWE’s hottest stars when used correctly. He has an evil grin and an even eviler gimmick. As the over-sexed, arrogant complainer, Copeland can get under the skins of fans whenever he wants to. His promos aren’t written to get him over as a cool heel. They’re written to get him over a as a real heel. People boo him. People hate him. That’s the goal and he gets it done.
So, that’ s awesome, right? You have a heel that people hate. Great news. Now who’s the baby face you put him up against? Someone who’s super-over and ready to captivate fans with the good vs. evil conflict? Rey Mysterio? Bobby Lashley? DeGeneration X? Batista? Nah.
It’s John Cena. Word life. You can’t see him. Hustle, Loyalty, Respect, and all that. Look, I know there’s a ton of Cena Haters out there and, truth be told, you can’t blame them. This past Monday, I watched John stand there and cut an intense promo on Edge. As he did, I thought, “This guy might be on his way back. For once, I’m not rolling my eyes at his use of potty-humor or juvenile insults. Maybe we were all wrong about…”
“Fart juice!”
Damnit! Before I could complete my thought on how Cena is finally getting over the third grade toilet jokes, he used the term “fart juice.” Man. It’s actually unfair to call it third grade humor, because there’s plenty of third graders out there who can think of better lines than that.
But, I digress, that’s your hero in the feud. John Cena is the fart juicin‘, cheap saucing’, poopie lovin’ hero of our hearts. So…people boo him. Why? No one likes to cheer for the dork with the childish comebacks. I can’t imagine how that would have played out throughout time.
“Hey brother, train, say your prayers, make your poopies, and take your vitamins.”
“Austin 3:16 says I just whopped your fartie hole!”
“To be the man - whooo - you gotta make doodies like the man”
So, yeah, that’s the good guy. Now onto the third part of the equation. With a hated heel and a hated baby face battling for the top title of the new show, you have to have a third person tossed in there. Why not make it the hero of the diehards? It’s the underused and overly-loved king of ECW! It’s the hardcore fan’s new version of Chris Benoit. It’s “Mr. ECW” Rob Van Dam!
RVD has been cheered for years. No matter how little he was used, fans went nuts for his kicks and half-closed eyes. Whether in a storyline or not, he was always the most popular guy in the building.
That all changed once they started using him.
In what is probably the biggest indictment of WWE’s creative process throughout the relaunch of Extreme Championship Wrestling, Rob Van Dam went from hero to heel lickety split. While some might think that’s a good thing, it’s not. Why not? Well, because it doesn’t appear like that was WWE’s goal.
They gave him all the lines that would have sent the real ECW audience into a euphoric cheering spree. They had him cut down WWE and declare that he had taken their title and brought it to ECDub. Predictably, the crowd booed. Why? Well, they were a WWE crowd. Duh. The hilarious thing here is that World Wrestling Entertainment went out of their way to tell us all that this was a “different ECW.” Then, right off the bat, they scripted the baby face champion to say things that would have gotten over with the OLD ECW FANS. He insults WWE in front of WWE fans, gets booed, and the creative team all wonder why it didn’t work. Now that’s insanity.
So there you have it. You have the super horny heel vs. the fart juicin’ juvenile vs. the guy who wants to kill the promotion that all the fans paid to see. That’s the top feud for the new ECW. Hell, it’s the second to top feud for Raw. It seems pretty obvious why things aren’t working.
People want to look forward to a segment that’ll have them cheering. Instead, they’re sitting through shows waiting for the top feud…so they can boo all three participants. I don’t know about you guys, but I’d rather cheer something than boo it. If you don’t have anyone to cheer for, the feud is no fun. Know where I learned that?
From WWE, that’s where. I just wonder why and when they forgot it.
http://pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=18854&p=1
