Zachary FenellECW Eulogy
February 15th 2010 20:11
On Tuesday, Feb. 16th, 2010 the last broadcast of ECW will air. Since its fulltime resurrection in June 2006, ECW has been amidst controversy. Many Internet fans felt outraged about the direction Vince McMahon took ECW in. While I was disappointed about how the fulltime return of ECW went, I must say, ECW, as a WWE brand, did have its moments. ECW launched the careers of current WWE Champion Sheamus, as well as CM Punk and John Morrison, both of who are currently major players on the Smackdown brand. ECW gave many young wrestlers, such as The Hart Dynasty, Jack Swagger, Evan Bourne, and Yoshi Tatsu, a chance to perform in front of millions. Overall, ECW on Sy-Fy gave many wrestlers and talents (i.e. Matt Striker) opportunities that otherwise might not have existed.
While ECW, as a WWE brand, deserves recognition, when the initials E-C-W are spoken, I hope fans still think of Paul Heyman, Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, Raven, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, Taz, The Dudley Boys, and the many others who helped to make the original ECW so special. The ECW legacy should always be remembered for the local Philadelphia promotion that, with hard work and the support of a loyal fan-base, turned into a national phenomenon. ECW should be remembered for things like the epic Tommy Dreamer/Raven feud, the anti-hardcore promos of Cactus Jack, the great Eddie Guerrero/Dean Malenko matches, the debut of Rey Mysterio in America, Terry Funk’s ECW Heavyweight Title win at Barely Legal, and Rob Van Dam’s near two year reign as ECW Television Champion.
On several occasions, ECW owner Paul Heyman has been compared to a cult-like leader who uses “kool-aid” to gain control over fans and wrestlers. While others believe this to be a negative, I would like to say “thank you Paul.” I enjoyed my kool-aid, and the taste will forever remain in my mouth.
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