The ECW brand will be put to rest once and for all in the near future.
According to a reliable source, WWE officials have had several meetings with the Syfy network about re-branding WWE’s Tuesday night show. Both sides are in agreement that WWE’s version of ECW has been a bust and plans are already being made for a new weekly series. While several ideas have been tossed around (including a magazine-style recap show), right now the most likely option is that WWE will drop the ECW letters and “identity” (whatever that is) and create a new brand that will feature young and-and-coming stars. The Tuesday night timeslot will likely stay the same.
WWE relaunched the ECW brand back in 2006 after the undeniable success of the “Rise and Fall of ECW” DVD set and later the ECW One Night Stand Pay-Per-View events. After ECW was relaunched as a brand, it quickly became apparent that WWE had no intention of keeping the elements that made the original ECW special and turned ECW into a watered-down, generic “C” show. The first week of ECW on Syfy back in 2006 drew around a 2.8. These days a 1.1 is considered a good week.
While it may be bittersweet to see the ECW letters go, ECW has been dead for a long time and a brand featuring primarily young stars sounds like it has potential.
Stay tuned for the latest.
