If ECW Lived, Any Chance TNA Still Gets Born?

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Gots ta know.

[Deleted]

Probably, yeah. It'd be more likely to impact the rise of ROH if anything.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

No way. If ECW survived it would've been on tv, and no way AJ and Low Ki pass on the national exposure over working weekly ppvs. That would left Jarrett with the has beens and Cheex and the Johnsons.

[chazraps]

Definitely. Regionally and stylistically speaking, there was still room for a family-friendly WWF-alternative.

There's no way in 2002 that ECW or ROH curbs the raunchiness. I know, both promotions are more than that at the time, but that element is part of indie-wresting niche culture that just couldn't be divorced from that era.

TNA, horrible name, wrestling penises and all, was still the one that could be bankrolled and pointed to as a "let's not go with WWE but go with this," hence why it was able to pop up in things like that Chris Rock movie with under a year of existence under its belt.

[Mayonnaise]

Absolutely. TNA was about Jeff and Jerry having something to do. Now it would not look anything like early TNA did since a lot of early talent were scheduled to start with or get a look from ECW. There would still be a lot of talent out there but the X Division taking off or the tag scene being so rich would not have happened.

I think the real question is does Panda Energy save TNA or does TNA fall on the pile with XWF, MLW, WWA and the others that came and went?

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

Probably. The roster would have been a bit thinner of the jump, but yeah, there definitely would have been room for a "rasslin' good ol' boys" show.

[The Barber]

Dec 18, 2016 22:16:36 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

I think the real question is does Panda Energy save TNA or does TNA fall on the pile with XWF, MLW, WWA and the others that came and went?

That's a good point. Does Dixie invest in ECW instead of TNA? I don't know.

[beatlefreak909]

TNA would have existed if ECW stuck around. However, if WCW never folded, TNA wouldn't exist.

[Mozenrath]

It would have still became a thing, though I wonder if XPW would have been, or CZW for a less trashy example.

[A Platypus Rave]

Dec 29, 2016 3:57:35 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

It would have still became a thing, though I wonder if XPW would have been, or CZW for a less trashy example.

XPW existed before ECW folded... but it probably wouldn't have gotten bigger.

I'm not entirely sure RoH would have if ECW existed still.

[animalfurious]

I always felt that long term ECW would've moved more toward an ROH type model where workrate and "realism" would've become the "Extreme" in ECW. I think ROH would've been hit hard AND while I think TNA would've still launched, the X-Division might've been a very different thing as a lot of the ROH/X-Division guys would've opted for main event roles in ECW. Joe, Styes, Daniels, Low Ki etc, would've been working at the top of ECW, and guys like Sabin, Kazarian, Shelley would've been great mid carders/Tag guys as well.

[thetower52]

Dec 29, 2016 11:37:52 GMT -5 animalfurious said:

I always felt that long term ECW would've moved more toward an ROH type model where workrate and "realism" would've become the "Extreme" in ECW. I think ROH would've been hit hard AND while I think TNA would've still launched, the X-Division might've been a very different thing as a lot of the ROH/X-Division guys would've opted for main event roles in ECW. Joe, Styes, Daniels, Low Ki etc, would've been working at the top of ECW, and guys like Sabin, Kazarian, Shelley would've been great mid carders/Tag guys as well.

Hasn't heyman said as much ?

[animalfurious]

Dec 29, 2016 12:36:09 GMT -5 thetower52 said:

Dec 29, 2016 11:37:52 GMT -5 animalfurious said:

I always felt that long term ECW would've moved more toward an ROH type model where workrate and "realism" would've become the "Extreme" in ECW. I think ROH would've been hit hard AND while I think TNA would've still launched, the X-Division might've been a very different thing as a lot of the ROH/X-Division guys would've opted for main event roles in ECW. Joe, Styes, Daniels, Low Ki etc, would've been working at the top of ECW, and guys like Sabin, Kazarian, Shelley would've been great mid carders/Tag guys as well.

Hasn't heyman said as much ?

I dunno, if he has I haven't heard about it, but it sounds like something he'd have thought about for sure.

[Deleted]

ROH is the one that wouldn't have existed. It was literally created so that RFVideo had tapes to sell without ECW around.

[Deleted]

Without question, TNA would have still been formed. TNA was formed by the Jarretts, for the Jarretts. Neither Jeff nor Jerry had anything to do with ECW at any point. It was also formed to test the concept of weekly PPV. The existence of ECW would have had no bearing on either of these things.

[Deleted]

Dec 29, 2016 11:28:49 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave said:

Dec 29, 2016 3:57:35 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

It would have still became a thing, though I wonder if XPW would have been, or CZW for a less trashy example.

XPW existed before ECW folded... but it probably wouldn't have gotten bigger.

I'm not entirely sure RoH would have if ECW existed still.

ROH wouldn't have existed because Rob Feinstein was selling ECW Tapes with RF Video and Gabe was groomed to be Heymans Right Hand Man.

Dec 29, 2016 11:37:52 GMT -5 animalfurious said:

I always felt that long term ECW would've moved more toward an ROH type model where workrate and "realism" would've become the "Extreme" in ECW. I think ROH would've been hit hard AND while I think TNA would've still launched, the X-Division might've been a very different thing as a lot of the ROH/X-Division guys would've opted for main event roles in ECW. Joe, Styes, Daniels, Low Ki etc, would've been working at the top of ECW, and guys like Sabin, Kazarian, Shelley would've been great mid carders/Tag guys as well.

Hell the ECW fans really appreciated long workrate wrestling chain matches. They embraced guys like Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Benoit, Jericho, the luchadores. Hell the ECW crowd loved Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero in a 30 minute 2/3 falls chain wrestling match back in 1995!

[Welfare Willis]

Dec 18, 2016 22:16:36 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

Absolutely. TNA was about Jeff and Jerry having something to do.

Man, Imagine the alternative reality of Jeff Jarrett in ECW. I have to think that be the only time where Jeff Jarrett was actually entertaining to watch.

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

probably. TNA never really felt like it was filling in for ECW, it always felt like the afterbirth of WCW instead.

[blackmegaman]

Dec 18, 2016 22:16:36 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

Absolutely. TNA was about Jeff and Jerry having something to do. Now it would not look anything like early TNA did since a lot of early talent were scheduled to start with or get a look from ECW. There would still be a lot of talent out there but the X Division taking off or the tag scene being so rich would not have happened.

I think the real question is does Panda Energy save TNA or does TNA fall on the pile with XWF, MLW, WWA and the others that came and went?

I would love to see a book or documentary about all the Wrestling promotions that popped up after WCW folded that somehow had enough capital to get a lot of big names (at the time whre boom period was over ,but the fumes where still there)

[benstudd]

Dec 19, 2016 10:04:16 GMT -5 beatlefreak909 said:

TNA would have existed if ECW stuck around. However, if WCW never folded, TNA wouldn't exist.

Exactly. Companies like TNA and WWA came about to replace WCW. Most of ECW was a 100% pure homegrown or guys that reinvented themselves. On the first TNA show you had Scott Hall, Bryan Lawler, Jeff Jarrett, Ken Shamrock and many other former WCW/WWE guys would join later on.