ECW on TNN
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| ECW on TNN | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Paul Heyman |
| Starring | See Extreme Championship Wrestling alumni |
| Opening theme | "This is Extreme!" by Harry Slash & The Slashtones |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 59 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | ECW Arena, South Philadelphia |
| Camera setup | Multicamera setup |
| Running time | 60 minutes (with commercials) |
| Original release | |
| Network | The Nashville Network |
| Release | August 27, 1999 – October 6, 2000 |
ECW on TNN was a weekly American professional wrestling television program that aired on The Nashville Network (TNN, now Spike) from August 27, 1999 to October 6, 2000. Created by Paul Heyman, the owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), it presented original ECW matches on Friday nights and was the first (and only) national television exposure that ECW received.
Despite the high ratings that the ECW broadcast generated for TNN, relations between ECW and TNN were strained from the beginning. TNN's demands that ECW tone down more controversial aspects of its broadcasts and that it produce a high-quality show on a limited budget were large stumbling blocks to the success of the program. Almost immediately after the show's debut in 1999, the network began negotiations with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) to bring that promotion's flagship show, RAW is WAR, over to TNN from the USA Network. The negotiations were successful, and RAW is WAR aired its first episode on TNN in late September 2000. Although there was brief speculation that ECW and WWF programming could co-exist on TNN, ECW on TNN was cancelled shortly thereafter. The promotion itself met its demise few months later, and all ECW footage is currently owned by WWE.
History
Origin
In 1999, Heyman signed a three-year contract with TNN in the hopes of expanding national awareness of his company. Prior to ECW on TNN, ECW shows were only televised via syndication. For its part, TNN added ECW to its "Friday Night Thrill Zone" lineup in an attempt to help build on the increase in teenager/young male viewership that Rollerjam had brought to the network.[1] Into 2000, the network claimed a vast improvement in the young male demographic on Friday nights due to ECW's addition.[2]
ECW–TNN differences
Early signs of a rocky relationship between ECW and TNN came when TNN president David Hall implied that the program would be "toned down" from the usual ECW fare[3] – which featured more violent matches and explicit content than that offered by the two leading professional wrestling companies of the day, the WWF and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). On WWE's The Rise and Fall of ECW DVD, Heyman alleged that the requests from TNN to tone down ECW's content, including the removal of references to hatred ("intense dislike" was preferred) and objections to the show's theme music on the grounds that it sounded "demonic", were excessive.
The first episode of ECW on TNN was broadcast on August 27, 1999, five years to the date that Shane Douglas threw down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and rechristened ECW (then known as Eastern Championship Wrestling) as Extreme Championship Wrestling. The first episode of ECW on TNN also became a source of contention, since it did not consist of original programming. Unsatisfied with the first TNN shoot, Heyman instead chose to air a compilation of promos and old ECW matches designed to act as an introduction to the company for those who had never before heard of it or seen it. ECW commentator Joey Styles said that "the network crapped on" this episode,[4] and ECW wrestler Tommy Dreamer's recollection supported this assertion.[5] The network also had reportedly placed a great deal of importance on ECW retaining top star Taz, and initial publicity indicated that this helped him sign a lucrative deal with ECW.[6] Instead, the deal fell through and Taz signed a contract with the WWF just months after the show's premiere. His departure, coupled with that of the Dudley Boys (who also joined the WWF), forced the company to build storylines around new champions only weeks after starting their first, and only, national cable television show.
Heyman and former ECW producer Ron Buffone have since complained that TNN's production expectations were unreasonable. On Rise and Fall, Buffone stated that TNN provided ECW with a very small budget to produce the program while simultaneously asking for high-quality production on par with WCW Monday Nitro and WWF RAW is WAR. This expectation irritated Heyman, due not only to the difficulty of meeting the standards, but also because he felt the more bare-bones ECW "look" was part of its appeal. Heyman also took umbrage with what he felt was a lack of promotion of the show by the network specifically and by its parent company Viacom in general, as well as the fact that almost immediately following ECW's debut on TNN, the network began negotiations with the WWF to bring RAW is WAR over to its lineup from the USA Network. Many wrestlers echoed this point on both the Rise and Fall DVD as well as the independently produced Forever Hardcore documentary. Heyman's dissatisfaction with TNN culminated in an on-air promo in which he made known his disdain for the network, as well as in a running storyline in which manager/commentator Cyrus portrayed a TNN representative that continually interrupted ECW proceedings that he felt were inappropriate. TNN muted the audio during Heyman's promo and ran a crawl across the bottom of the screen that poked fun at Heyman's sanity. The full promo, with audio and without the news crawl, was featured on ECW's syndicated programming, which continued to air and was regularly used as a back-up program to display anything TNN removed from the show.
Cancellation and aftermath
ECW on TNN's run would only last thirteen-and-a-half months. As part of its effort to rebrand itself The National Network, TNN acquired WWF programming as part of an extensive WWF-Viacom agreement. The WWF's RAW Is WAR debuted on TNN on September 25, 2000. Despite brief rumors that the two shows might co-exist on TNN for an extended period of time,[7] ECW on TNN was canceled only two weeks thereafter.
Having lost a significant part of its national exposure and left with various contracts to fulfill, ECW ran its final pay-per-view event (the third Guilty as Charged) in January 2001. The company folded soon afterwards, and Heyman appeared in the WWF shortly thereafter, with the WWF incorporating the ECW brand into its Invasion storyline later that year. Heyman has speculated that a new television deal would have left ECW a strong #2 in North American wrestling due to the sale of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) to the WWF only weeks after ECW collapsed.[5]
TNN eventually rebranded itself as Spike TV in 2003 (and again as simply Spike in 2006) and featured WWF/E programming until late September 2005. Immediately thereafter, it began airing Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Impact! program.[8] Since ECW on TNN's debut, the network has consistently featured professional wrestling on its schedule.
References
- ^ Hoping to Put a Hold on Viewers, TNN to Air Friday Night Wrestling, Daily News (New York), July 1, 1999, p. 110
- ^ Wrestling has choke-hold on cable fans; WWF, WCW, ECW score with young male target market, Advertising Age, April 10, 2000, p. S20
- ^ Fighting Words From a Bantamweight, The Washington Post, July 2, 1999, p. C07
- ^ Forever Hardcore (DVD). Franchise Promotions, LLC. 2005.
- ^ a b The Rise and Fall of ECW (DVD). World Wrestling Entertainment. 2004.
- ^ TNN PINS DOWN TAZ: Cabler secures grappler on eve of ECW debut, Daily Variety, August 13, 1999, p.4
- ^ TV Show Was a One Shot Deal, The Toronto Sun, September 30, p. S15
- ^ Get Ready for a Little TNA, The Toronto Sun, September 25, 2005, p. SP14