Here are some highlights from Jim Ross’ Tuesday blog on jrsbarbq.com:

- I am told that I have at least four viable book deals that people want to discuss. No discussions have taken place as of yet but I am interested to hear the pitches and proposals. Once those meetings take place then I will better be able to decide if and when I want to assume this major undertaking. I can’t see it happening in 2010 but I assume stranger things could occur.

- ECW made unique and significant contributions to the pro wrestling world and their alumni should feel a source of pride for their accumulative accomplishments. I will enjoy watching old episodes of the “Original” for years to come when the opportunity presents itself. No one can tell the ECW story in today’s marketplace better than their one and only voice, Joey Styles.

- Speaking of ECW, of the many top hands that made their mark in ECW, none were more uniquely talented than Rob Van Dam who is one of the hottest “free agents” available right now. It would seem to me that RVD would be a high priority to any wrestling organization and that facilitating a travel schedule to his liking should be attainable. RVD is a one of a kind talent who connects with his fan base and Rob’s in ring work is singularly his which would be a breath of fresh air to many TV broadcasts.

Labels: ecw, jim ross, Rob Van Dam

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:11 PM | Permalink | Comments

There were people within WWE who wanted to honor the ECW legacy on last night’s show by bringing back old ECW names for appearances. The feeling was that it was more important to get WWE NXT over and close out ECW quickly so they chose not to bring any old faces back.

Vince McMahon made the decision to put the ECW Title on Ezekiel Jackson last night so he would have momentum going to the SmackDown brand, where he will likely be kept with William Regal. The latest word is that the duo will end up on Fridays after it was first believed they would go to RAW. Some on the WWE creative team wanted Christian to retain the belt to give ECW a “happy ending” but that idea was shot down.

Labels: Christian, ecw, Ezekiel Jackson, vince mcmahon

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:08 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE’s website has confirmed that the ECW Title is retired. There was speculation last week that it may be kept around as a mid-card draw for some pay-per-views but it looks like that idea was shot down.

Labels: ecw

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:07 PM | Permalink | Comments

Source: Prowrestling.net

- There is still a lot of talk from within WWE about changing the ECW brand. The latest is that the new version of ECW’s show on SyFy will premiere some time after WrestleMania. The idea is to use a lot of younger talent on the show but with a few veterans also, basically what they have been doing for months now.

Everything is still in the planning stages but the company is thinking outside the box with the new ECW show with talk of making it fit in more with SyFy programming by going with more conspiratorial storylines.

Labels: ecw

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:28 PM | Permalink | Comments

Talks backstage about revamping the ECW brand have picked up within WWE as of late. No specific details regarding changes are known but some say that SyFy has began re-pushing its original idea of incorporating science fiction and alternative segments into the program. The feeling is that the ECW name will still be dropped.

Labels: ecw

Posted by Matt Loede at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments

Source: PWInsider.com

- With the record low rating for ECW this week, speculation regarding the show’s future on SyFy remain. With the current TV deal expiring soon, WWE has been working to freshen the show up to help the ratings. There was talk of a magazine style show that didn’t work out. One recent idea was to drop everything ECW related and focus the entire show on new talents from the brands.

Changes are still being discussed for the SmackDown brand but word is that there won’t be any major decisions made until after the first of 2010.

Labels: ecw, scifi

Posted by Matt Loede at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

It's been reported this week that major changes are coming to WWE in the early months of 2010, with the ECW brand likely being shut down. According to a report on PWInsider.com, WWE also has big changes in store for the SmackDown brand. The feeling is that Raw has enhanced its identity with the Guest Host concept and SmackDown needs something of its own to stand out. While nothing official has been decided on yet, it's believed that any big changes will take place after year ends.

Labels: ecw, smackdown

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:01 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: Wrestling Observer

Last night’s episode of ECW saw the debuts of four wrestlers in Yoshi Tatsu (Naofumi Yamamoto), Abraham Washington (Brian Jossie), Sheamus (Stephen Farrelly) and Tyler Reks (Gabriel Tuft). However, both wrestlers and fans alike shouldn’t get too comfortable quite yet as the four newcomers were considered in the eyes of creative as not full-fledged ECW wrestlers, but rather, wrestlers being looked at for possible spots on ECW. At this point, none are considered to be official members of the ECW roster.

Keep your eyes peeled on ECW over the next few weeks as more developmental wrestlers will be tested out for possible spots on the roster. Given the limited amount of roster spots in ECW and extraordinary number of wrestlers in developmental, unfortunately, not everyone will make it. Given WWE’s lack of patience for young stars, it’s definitely a “sink or swim” situation.

Labels: abraham washington, ecw, sheamus, tyler reks

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments

WWE’s website has the full details on the 15 Superstar trade that was approved by Donald Trump. Here are the full roster changes:

New Members of RAW: Evan Bourne, Mark Henry, Jack Swagger, Gail Kim, Alicia Fox

New Members of Smackdown: Matt Hardy, Finlay, Tyson Kidd, Natalya, David Hart Smith

New Members of ECW: Shelton Benjamin, Goldust, William Regal, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella

The decision to implement the fifteen-Superstar WWE roster trade was reportedly made sometime in the past week. One of the trade’s biggest implications concerned the ECW Championship. The original plan called for Jack Swagger to win the title at The Bash in the Championship Scramble. Instead, WWE opted to move Swagger to RAW, where he will feud with fresh babyfaces.

Labels: ecw, gail kim, jack swagger, mark henry, matt hardy

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments

There is already talk within WWE of replacing Tiffany as the General Manager of ECW in the near future, reports The Sun. A lot will hinge on what Tommy Dreamer decides to do.

His contract is legitimately expiring soon and there is talk of making him the General Manager of ECW should he decide to re-sign with the company.

Internally, the feeling is that Tiffany isn't projecting well enough in her role and that she has poor delivery on the mic.

Labels: ecw, tiffany, tommy dreamer

Posted by Tymo55 at 12:27 AM | Permalink | Comments

So the WWE brass has given a basic no-name in Jack Swagger the ECW Title, beating an established star in Matt Hardy. And I wonder why I don't watch ECW with much hope. Yes, the company thinks they are creating stars by giving them belts, but let's be real here, does Swagger even deserve a belt at this point in his young career?

You probably did like I did when Swagger got the three-count vs Hardy on Tuesday night - said to yourself "wow" and then simply went back to doing whatever it was you were doing. Fans don't care about wrestlers like Jack Swagger. They don't have near the charsima that main event stars do, yet they get pushed down our throats each and every week.

I'd almost rather watch Tiffany make out with Ricky Ortiz. Just kidding.

Labels: ecw, jack swagger, matt hardy, Ricky Ortiz, tiffany

Posted by Matt Loede at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments

ECW's offering on Tuesday night was, per usual, nothing special, but we did get a few interesting things out of it. First off, sounds like Tommy Dreamer is in someone's dog house backstage for talking about TNA on his recent blog entry. Dreamer talked about watching and liking the TNA product, a big "no-no" in the WWE. Seems like he paid for it with a quick opening beating from Vladimir Kozlov and then Jack Swagger.

The funny part is we never really heard why the beating took place, or what may come of it.

As for the announcement of Kozlov vs Matt Hardy for the ECW Title at the PPV Sunday, seems like a total rushed deal to me, but that's what we have come to expect at ECW. They have tired as hard as they can with Kozlov, but at the end of the day they will come to find out he's nothing special, and he's a waste of time. We'll see if Hardy can get something good of him Sunday night.

The tag match with Miz and Morrison vs Kung Fu Naki and Jimmy Wang Yang was not a bad match, but I again have to question the long-term focus of Miz and Morrison. Too often they break up tag teams too fast, but this team needs to be broken up just so we can see what is going on with them as single wrestlers. At least this was an entertaining match to watch.

You gotta love WWE.com, which states the following about the Boogeyman match: "Boogeyman def. local competitor - After making quick work of a local athlete, Boogeyman added insult to injury by “worming” the poor competitor. Who is next to suffer the same, slimy fate?"

Just who is this mysterious "local competitor," and will we see him again? I guess only the WWE knows.

As for the main event, I could have done without it. You of course don't need to have a PHD to figure out that Mark Henry is eventually going to turn on the much older (yet in better shape than Henry) Tony Atlas. I for one don't care if I ever see Finlay Hornswoggle again in a ring together, but the company seems to think it's something we want to see.

Hopefully they will get the hint. Oh, and as for Henry and Atlas winning. Does anyone really care? And so goes another week of ECW.

Labels: boogeyman, ecw, hornswoggle, mark henry

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments

Ah yes, it's that time of the year when the WWE tries to cram in as many PPV's as they can, and at the same time take money for lackluster cards out of their fans pockets. That will be the case in less than three weeks, as the company presents "Cyber Sunday" a card that from all accounts is picked by the fans, as they have the "power" to pick who they want to see fight some of the champions and what not.

The card basically goes like this: the company picks a title or match, and they either give fans the option to pick the stipulation for the match, or they give a champion and give the fans the power to pick who that champion will fight. Right now there has been only two matches with fans power to pick the opponent and guest ref announced, but expect them to start going fast and furious with the rest of the card in the next week.

There are always issues with this card, as in fans picking bad matches (take last years ECW title match with The Miz vs C.M. Punk) and there are always some bad stipulations that are offered, and every once in awhile you will get fans picking the worst one. Right now the slam dunk of the card is the involvement of Steve Austin as the guest ref for the match for the World Heavyweight Title between Chris Jericho and Batista.

The other thing that the company is going to get more year out of this event is more cash in their pockets. How? Easy, they are going the 'text message' route for fans picking the card instead of the old fashioned way of calling an 800 number. Right at the top of their website they have a big banner ad for "Vote Now - The Power is in Your Hands." The ad is for you to text a number and tells you that you'll be charged $.99 per vote, plus standard text message rates.

How cheesy is that?

So on top the $40 bucks people already plopped down Sunday for No Mercy, now they want you to A: pay a buck to vote for the next rushed PPV, and B: plop down another $40 for a PPV that normally is known for being a train wreck by all accounts. At least Vince and company are coming up with a way to make more money in this tough economic time, even at the fans expense.

Labels: 2008 cyber sunday, batista, c.m. punk, chris jericho, ecw

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments

Jim Ross is back with another Q&A update at his website, jrsbarbq.com. Below are some of the highlights:

- JR on Austin’s final match: Steve could do well w/ many guys including HBK, Cena, Edge, and Jericho. No one would like to see Austin in one final match any more than me but I really think that ship has sailed. If it doesn’t happen at WM25 then I don’t think it ever will.

- JR on who he would like to manage if he weren’t announcing: Whoever at the time had the potential to sell the most tkts. Today I might suggest Kozlov as I feel he could be really good.

- JR on if we will see a 2 hour ECW and an edgier ECW: My guess is no to both questions. ECW’s talent roster is essentially young and w/o depth. Being PG attracts more potentially lucrative advertisers. Going PG makes sense to me.

- JR on why RAW got the 2.6 rating: Well a 13.7 cable rating is stout for Cowboys-Eagles but it all comes back that if any program contains what the audience wants to see they will watch it. No excuses from me.

Labels: ecw, jim ross, steve austin

Posted by Matt Loede at 1:27 AM | Permalink | Comments

On CM Punk's commentary: "For those that choose to watch or to DVR NBC's Saturday Night’s Main Event, I think you will be pleasantly surprised with World Champion C.M. Punk's commentary during the opening 8 man tag that featured Raw Superstars. Punk doesn't get the credit yet that he has earned or deserves as the World's Champion. Punk has some RVD-like qualities about him as it relates to having a loyal and vocal fan base. If Punk can continue to navigate choppy waters, he will hopefully establish residence on the "next level" and stay there for the foreseeable future."

On what he thinks ECW should do: "Here's an idea for ECW TV... go young... stay young... and take chances on new individuals and concepts. It looks as if that may be the direction the Tuesday night Sci Fi show is heading. I like watching ECW because one can usually see more wrestling in their hour than many other hours on TV."

Labels: c.m. punk, ecw, saturday nights main event

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments

Challenging the World's Strongest
July 29, 2008

With Matt Hardy’s victory in a Fatal Four Way Match against Finlay, The Miz and John Morrison, the new ECW Superstar secured a chance to face Mark Henry for ECW gold at SummerSlam. Does Hardy have what it takes to face the World’s Strongest Champion? Or will Henry again prove his dominance in the Land of the Extreme? Who will both competitors face in the weeks leading up to SummerSlam? More on this story…

Colin Delaney’s betrayal of former ally Tommy Dreamer at The Great American Bash came back to haunt the young Superstar when he had to face the ECW Original this week. While Delaney may have joined forces with Henry and WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas, he was on his own during his match with Dreamer, which he lost. What’s next for Delaney now that he’s made a new alliance? Will this be the last Delaney sees from his former friend, Dreamer? Since Dreamer couldn’t claim ECW gold from Henry at the Bash, will the Original continue to persist in his quest for the championship?

ECW newcomer Evan Bourne has proven to be a fierce competitor in the Land of the Extreme. Thanks to picking up wins against Nunzio, Chavo Guerrero and James Curtis throughout the last three weeks, the high-flying youngster is on a winning streak. After defeating Curtis, Guerrero and his bodyguard, Bam Neely, tried to attack Bourne, but were unsuccessful. Who will be able to stop Bourne? Does the newcomer have hopes for championship gold?

Find out the answers to these questions and more by tuning into ECW on Sci Fi, Tuesday at 10/9 CT, and SummerSlam, live, and only on pay-per-view, Aug. 17 at 8/7 CT.

Labels: ecw, Evan Bourne, mark henry, matt hardy

Posted by Matt Loede at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments

From: Wrestlescoop.com

As of September 30th, 2008, ECW will be moved up one hour to 9:00 EST on Tuesdays. The reported reason is due to the WWE making all of their television programming PG rated.

As we reported here on the site, the planned merger between the Raw and ECW brands has been dropped. This is due to the hectic schedule they already have on Mondays for the Raw tapings. Adding ECW would make it that much harder and more stressful. Additionally, Raw has a lot deeper roster which would not allow ECW superstars as much room on house shows as they do currently with Smackdown.

Labels: ecw, smackdown

Posted by Matt Loede at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

To put the speculation to rest, plans to tape ECW on Monday nights before Raw have been dropped. Pretty much everyone thought it was bad move in the first place because Mondays are much more stressful backstage than Tuesdays. Also, Raw has the greatest roster depth and it would be really difficult for the ECW guys to get on house shows.

Labels: ecw, RAW

Posted by Matt Loede at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments

Jim Ross updated the blog section of JRsbarbq.com. The following items are among the highlights:

Ross on the match that will main event the Great American Bash on Sunday: "Look for Edge's challenge to Triple H for the WWE Title to close the show at the Bash from what I understand. Things could change between the time I write this and Sunday night on PPV but that's close to a lock."

Ross on speculation that ECW will be taped on Monday nights: "The aforementioned statement (regarding the Hunter and Edge main event) is more of a lock than the never ending speculation that ECW will start taping their program prior to Raw on Monday nights or on Monday nights period. That horse ain't leaving the barn. Could there be some combo ECW/Raw live events? Sure. There could also be ongoing ECW/Smackdown live events too at the same time. However, that has zero to do with ECW moving its TV production to Monday night which, again, I don't think will happen."

Ross on catching up with Magnum T.A.: "It was great seeing my old friend Terry Allen aka Magnum T.A. Tuesday night in Charlotte. Terry recently underwent back surgery and was walking with the aid of a crutch while he heals but was in great spirits. This guy has great character and perseverance and I never once have ever heard him say "poor me" due to the hand that was dealt him. Terry's two, beautiful young daughters were wonderful to meet."

Labels: 2008 great american bash, ecw, edge, jim ross, magnum t.a.

Posted by Matt Loede at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments

Preview:A Hardy two for one on Tuesday
July 15, 2008

As reported on WWE.com over the weekend, The Hardys will reunite for one night only on ECW on Sci Fi this Tuesday night. SmackDown Superstar Jeff Hardy will tag over to the Land of the Extreme to partner up with his brother, United States Champion Matt Hardy, and face off against the WWE Tag Team Champions, The Miz & John Morrison. Titles won't be on the line, but the "Dirt Sheet" duo's self-proclaimed reputation as the best tandem in WWE could be in jeopardy when they confront the team that for years epitomized Extreme.

Meanwhile, ECW Champion Mark Henry has had the Land of the Extreme in the palm of his massive hand, and last Tuesday was no different. The World’s Strongest Man took advantage of a distraction by Tony Atlas and Colin Delaney, capitalizing and crushing Tommy Dreamer. The ECW Original and former ECW Champion has not been shy about wanting to prove himself against Henry. Have his days of trying come to an end? Can somebody slow the champion down and prevent him from making the era of Mark Henry virtually permanent?

New Superstar Evan Bourne continues to open eyes with his performances. His convincing win against Nunzio further establishes that he belongs with the extreme competition on Tuesday nights. Braden Walker also had a quick start, defeating Armando Estrada on Tuesday. One week earlier, new Superstar Ricky Ortiz also notched a win in his debut. Is new blood about to start defining the Land of the Extreme?

Also on the last ECW, the rivalry continued to escalate between Finlay & Hornswoggle and the WWE Tag Team Champions. The father-son duo got the last laugh, however, as Finlay topped The Miz in one-on-one competition. Do the Irishmen still pose as a threat to The Miz & John Morrison’s titles?

Find out the answers to all of these questions and more on the next ECW on Sci Fi, Tuesday at 10/9 CT.

Labels: ecw, Evan Bourne, finlay, hornswoggle, Nunzio, The Hardys

Posted by Matt Loede at 4:05 AM | Permalink | Comments