Is ROH the next ECW?

[JMA]

If you want to compare ROH wrestlers to ECW ones:

Homicide is Dreamer

CM Punk is Raven

Low-Ki is Sabu

Samoa Joe is Taz

Danielson is Shane Douglas

[samachine]

Whitmer is Awesome, maybe?
Corino is.. Corino, or Chris Hero is part-time Corino
Cabana is Stevie Richards

I see Jimmy Jacobs more as Sabu, but that's just me.

[WHATAMANOOOVER]

None of those comparisons make sense I don't see the sense in making any since the only real one you could make is Joe and Taz and even then it's a loose comparison.

ECW revolutionized pro wrestling. ROH hasn't done so. Will they? Who knows.

[bigHEADinc]

Personally, I do think ROH is in the process of revolutionizing wrestling... Well, maybe not revolutionizing it, but reinventing it yet again... The amazing workmanship of all these guys has not been ignored by either TNA or WWE... It's pretty much boiled down to when the 'E will let the former ROHers work a harder style...

[CM Putnam]

they're not the new ECW. They're the first ROH

[JMA]

sidewinder572 said:

they're not the new ECW. They're the first ROH

I wondered who would say that line first.

But that begs the question: If ROH isn't the new ECW, then what is?

[maxx420]

jma said:

sidewinder572 said:

they're not the new ECW. They're the first ROH

I wondered who would say that line first.

But that begs the question: If ROH isn't the new ECW, then what is?

New ECW is the new ECW, you big silly.
And it's better 'cause this version has Bobby Lashley!

[chibidiablo]

bigheadinc said:

jma said:

I don't see Danielson as Dreamer. Dreamer was more like Dusty Rhodes while Danielson is more like Ric Flair. I'd say that ROH's Dreamer is Homicide.

The only reason I made that comparison is because Danielson seems to be one of the most well thought of wrestlers who hasn't been signed to either the 'E or TNA... Like his dedication to ROH is holding him back, know what I mean?

I just figure that if ROH were ever to go under, Danielson would be the last one in that ring...

For some reason this reminded me of seeing Dragon job to Cena on Velocity, I wept.

[suntannedsuperman]

Absolutely not ROH is not the next ECW its American Japanese wrestling and definitely not a bunch of rebels as ECW was ROH hasnt done anything innovative in a long while im hoping they turn around for now their just an indy company with money

[antimcmahon]

I've been saying ROH was the new ECW since I found out what it was.

In fact just the other day i realized that in actuality although Vince basically owns the American wrestling industry. He always has some form of the NWA trying to compete. And some strong indie group(AWA/ECW/ROH) creating stars for them to feed off of.

[Big DSR Energy]

empirewf said:

None of those comparisons make sense I don't see the sense in making any since the only real one you could make is Joe and Taz and even then it's a loose comparison.

ECW revolutionized pro wrestling. ROH hasn't done so. Will they? Who knows.

ECW was the American FMW. I love ECW like crazy, but they're not as revolutionary as people think they are.

[Joekishi]

I hope ROH isn't a haven for druggies, bounces checks to its wrestlers, and well goes out of business.

[odanobunaga]

And I still prefer the FMW wrestlers, but I like the ECW one as well.

[Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby]

On this subject, I think that both ECW and ROH did things that were needed at their particular point of conception in pro wrestling. ECW was a dark, gritty brand of wrestling that emerged after too many years of Dudley Do-Right babyfaces facing off against Snidely Whiplash heels. Sure, there was some progress on that front before ECW really rose to prominence, but not to the same extent.

ROH, on the other hand, seemed to be a needed step in wrestling evolution that went in the exact opposite direction from ECW. ROH stressed clean finishes, logical booking, and smaller wrestlers; things that were missing from US wrestling at the time thanks to WWE's recent monopoly. While WWE and TNA after it have continued the tradition of cheating heels and cheap finishes, ROH has been moving away from that one way or another (note how foot-on-the-ropes pins have ALWAYS been hot nearfalls in ROH, but never finishes). Plus, ROH has had a lot of success in using foreign talent as main-eventers thanks to cooperation with Japanese promoters - one could argue that this could be a major step in changing American wrestling.

[HMARK Center]

I think the only way to equate ECW with ROH is that both have filled the position of "third most prominent US wrestling company" for their times.

ROH was born out of ECW, and the feeling that the US needed a strong alternative to the (at the time) new McMahon mega-monopoly. Business-wise, ROH has basically learned it's lessons from the mistakes of ECW, which gives it a great chance for a long, healthy existence. Hell, look at it already, barely five years into it's life: they're part of a widespread partnership spear-headed by NOAH, have strong international working relationships, manage to book around the possibility of some major talent leaving for greener pastures, and, most importantly of all, they're profitable thanks to their DVD and merch business/online store.

Both ECW and ROH are reflective of their time and place, and one was born out of the ashes of the other, but I don't think they can really be equated beyond that.

In terms of being "revolutionary", it's a stretch to call either one of them that; rather, both brought styles of wrestling and booking that were new to American audiences to the forefront (ECW with chain wrestling and deathmatches, ROH with it's King's Road and Strong Style influences).

[RAW100023]

I don't think so. But I can see some comparisions. But Gabe has been very smart money wise, and like H-Mark said their online store is a big help. If it weren't for that online store I probably wouldn't have half the dvd's I do. I think both are differenet in their own ways. But I'd say I like ROH a little better than the orginal ECW.

[KingPopper]

ECW always wanted to be a major player, they had action figures, video games, tv shows, and ppvs. ROH is fine just selling dvds to their crazy loyal fan base, and putting on the best product possible.

[kitsunestar]

And from that, a question arises. Were RoH to have a national TV show, would it hurt them the same way that ECW on TNN hurt the original ECW?

[bigHEADinc]

See, I think ROH could do well with TV time, but network-wise, I wouldn't know where it would fit in. I can only really see it working on a sports network, maybe a network like Versus (the former OLN) would be able to make it fit. With most of ROH matches being simply matches, and the athleticism being through the roof, I think it could find it's niche within the sports guys.

With the major level of talent that's constantly in-and-out of ROH, alongside it's connections with Japanese feds, I do think ROH could (if they chose to) overtake TNA as the #2 fed, but I don't think it's in their business plan. I wish they were on TV (or that we had The Wrestling Channel here) because, frankly, I can't afford every ROH DVD that comes out, so I buy the jewels when I can.

I do want to also commend you guys as this has actually been a good discussion thread, first in a while...

[hollywood]

It's tricky to compare ROH to ECW because they're styles are totally different. As far as promotions go, they're polar oppopsites.

ECW was all about edgy storylines and gimmicks, as well as some pretty intense hardcore matches. ECW had angles where people were literally crucified, where Raven "corrupted" Sandman's wife and son, and more. I doubt we'll ever see angles like that in ROH (not anytime soon anyway). ECW also showcased matches like "Tai Pei Deathmatches" and spots where guys would be powerbombed through a burning table covered in thumbtacks. Again, aside the the occasional "Fight Without Honor," I don't think we'll see that in ROH.

ECW had no rules, or at least rules that were rarely enforced. ROH is ALL about strict adherance to the rules--hence the whole "Code of Honor."

However, despite the differences, ROH seems to mean something to fans similar to ECW. Original ECW fans felt like the promotion was THEIR promotion. They felt like the people in charge actually listened to and respected their opinions. They rarely felt like guys they liked got shafted, even if they weren't World Champs. That's probably what bred that intense loyalty to the product. They felt like the promoters and wrestlers cared about their opinions and really wanted to entertain them.

ROH, while going about it in a different way, has generated that feeling among its fans. You rarely hear anyone talk about their favorite ROH guy being "held down" because Gabe likes some other guy's look.

When he first won the ROH World Title, Bryan Danielson proclaimed, "This title represents wrestling freedom!" It's a little hoaky, but there's some truth to it. So far, no one has held the ROH title more than once, which gives the impression that everyone has a chance at it. And they get that chance when they've earned it in the promotion's eyes, and the fans' eyes.

It's possible that this whole perception that ROH (and ECW before it) achieved is complete bull, but that doesn't matter. People see it this way, and perception is all the matters. That's why both ECW and ROH are so beloved by many internet smarks, smart marks, and whatever other labels you might give them.

ROH is not ECW, but it's come to represent the same thing in many fans' eyes.