ECW on TNN
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| ECW on TNN | |
|---|---|
 ECW on TNN logo |
|
| Format | Hardcore wrestling |
| 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 | |
| Location(s) | ECW Arena, South Philadelphia |
| Camera setup | Multicamera setup |
| Running time | 60 minutes (with commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | TNN |
| Original run | August 27, 1999 – October 6, 2000 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | ECW on Sci Fi |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
ECW on TNN was a weekly professional wrestling TV show that aired on The Nashville Network (now Spike TV) on Friday nights. It was the first national broadcast of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW).
Contents |
[edit] Rationale
ECW's owner, Paul Heyman, signed a three year contract with TNN in the hopes of expanding national awareness of the company. Prior to ECW on TNN, ECW was only televised via cable syndication. For its part, TNN added ECW to its "Friday Night Thrill Zone" lineup in an attempt to help build on the teenager/young male increase that the Rollerjam program 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].
[edit] ECW-TNN Differences
Early signs of a rocky ECW-TNN relationship were shown when TNN president David Hall implied that the program would be "toned down" from the usual ECW fare[3]-- which stressed more violent matches (and more explicit language) than then-leading brands WWE(then WWF) and WCW. On the WWE's Rise and Fall of ECW DVD, Heyman alleged the "tone down" requests were excessive, including instructions to remove references to hatred as well as objections to the ECW theme song on the grounds that it sounded "demonic."
The first episode became a source of contention since it was not an hour of original programming. Unsatisfied with the first TNN shoot, Heyman 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 seen it. ECW commentator Joey Styles said that "the network crapped on" this episode[4] and Tommy Dreamer 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 significant money deal with ECW[6]. Instead, the deal fell through and Taz signed with the WWE shortly after the show's premiere. His departure, coupled with that of the Dudley Boys, left the company having to build storylines around new champions only weeks after starting their first (and only) national cable 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 WWE Monday Night RAW. This irritated Heyman due not only to the difficulty of meeting the standards but also because he felt the more barebones ECW "look" was part of its appeal. Heyman also took umbrage with what he felt was a lack of promotion of the show from the network specifically and Viacom in general. 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 on-air promo in which he aired his hatred for the network, as well as a running storyline in which manager/commentator Don Callis (Cyrus) portrayed an 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.
[edit] Cancellation and Aftermath
ECW on TNN's run would only last thirteen-and-a-half months. In part of its effort to rebrand itself The National Network, TNN acquired WWE programming as part of an extensive WWE-Viacom agreement. WWE's RAW 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 cancelled shortly 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 3rd Guilty as Charged) in January, 2001. Heyman appeared in WWE shortly thereafter and WWE incorporated 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 WCW only weeks after ECW collapsed[8].
TNN eventually rebranded itself again as Spike TV and featured WWE programming until late September 2005. Immediately thereafter, it began airing TNA's TNA Impact! wrestling[9], as it still does today on Thursday nights. Since ECW on TNN's debut, the network has continuously featured professional wrestling on its schedule.
[edit] 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
- ^ Rise and Fall of ECW DVD
- ^ 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
- ^ Rise and Fall of ECW
- ^ Get Ready for a Little TNA, The Toronto Sun, September 25, 2005, p. SP14
