There are a lot of ECW fans still around in the wrestling world. I will admit that I am one of them. So, when I heard rumor that the WWE was building an ECW reunion pay-per-view I was shocked to say the least. The first time I saw an ECW show was back in 1996. It was about two o'clock in the mourning and I was having trouble sleeping. I was flipping through the channels and came across the last five minutes of the show. I only remember Brian Lee and Tommy Dreamer brawling it out. I was shocked that this wrestling show was on television and I had no idea up until this point that ECW even existed. From that moment on I was hooked. I found myself staying awake until late in the mourning just to catch a glimpse of an ECW show.

I watched first hand as ECW slowly started building momentum and growing from a bunch of no name misfits, to a group of great wrestlers and performers who always kept you on the edge of your seat. While my love for ECW grew, others around me had no idea that it even existed. I told anyone and everyone I came across about ECW. I wanted them to see it first hand. Most, didn't want to stay up so late to watch it. I then started recording every episode that I saw and sent them out to everyone who wanted to watch. Soon they were all hooked too.

Many people will argue against ECW, bringing up such issues as, they wrestled out of a bingo hall, they were too violent, they pushed the issue far too often, they only targeted a small portion of the audience, and they were at best a second rate promotion. In some ways most of these statements are true. If ECW was such a second rate promotion and only targeted toward small portions of the audience, then why do you still hear overwhelming ECW chants to this day at almost every WWE event you see" When was the last time you heard a WCW chant break out" Never.

ECW let everyone know that they were a promotion that didn't try to hide anything from the audience. They respected the audience that help build the promotion. They knew that wrestling was more than just a couple of 6'10" 300lb guys bumping around in the ring. They knew that people were tired of the childish gimmicks thrown at them by promotions. ECW, even though scripted, was real.

For example, take the Shawn Michaels/Bret Hart feud that took place in the WWE. It is still one of the biggest, most shocking set of events that ever took place in wrestling history. Vince McMahon had the intelligence to bring all the "behind closed doors" happenings out into the public's eye. For that reason, it grew to be the most memorable event in wrestling history that I have witnessed over the last 24 years of being a wrestling fan. Reality sells. It's a proven fact. Just look at all the reality shows that rule television ratings right now. During the "Monday Night Wars", why do you think wrestling grew so large" Because everyone knew that something major was going on behind the scenes. I would guess that only about 10% of the wrestling that took place during that time was decent enough to set through. What we all were watching for was the shock and surprise of one wrestler jumping promotions, to hear what they had to say about their previous employer and co-workers, to see what they really felt as an individual.

For anyone who had the pleasure of viewing ECW before their demise, there was rarely a moment that you were bored with what you were seeing. They had a way to use each and every wrestler for a purpose. Even if what you were watching sucked, half the fun was letting everyone know how bad it sucked. Once it was known that the fans really disliked an angle or a wrestler, they were gone. Unlike what you still see in the WWE today, special note to Chris Master's segments.

My hope is when the ECW One Night Stand Pay-Per-View is over, Vince McMahon will realize how much money and how many fans it would bring in. With Paul Heyman as the figurehead and Vince McMahon overlooking, ECW could once again be a great promotion. With the return of ECW, it would also give the WWE an equal competitor. TNA can try, but I can never see them stepping up and becoming a legitimate competitor. Only time will tell if ECW returns from the ashes to rise again. For the better of wrestling I hope it happens.

by T.C. Anderson ..