The Rise and Fall of ECW

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Movie
Original title The Rise and Fall of ECW
Country of production United States
original language American English , Canadian English
Publishing year 2004
length 300 minutes
Rod
Director Kevin Dunn
script Paul Heyman
production Paul Heyman

The Rise and Fall of ECW is a documentary film about the wrestling league Extreme Championship Wrestling , which was dissolved in 2001 . The film was shot and produced in 2004 by the market leader World Wrestling Entertainment , which has held all rights to the content of the promotion since its dissolution, under its WWE Home Video brand . Paul Heyman , CEO of ECW from 1996 to 2001 , acted as screenwriter, producer and contributor . With the help of interviews, reports and video material, the film sheds light on the promotion to the third force in North America alongside WWE and World Championship Wrestling , but also goes into the reasons for its end. The work was released on a double DVD and is also included in the video-on-demand offer of the WWE Network , although this version is shorter.

In addition to Heyman himself, many alumni like Tazz , Chris Benoit , Eddie Guerrero , Chris Jericho , Lance Storm as well as the former competitors Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon have their say.

content

Part 1

  • Early ECW - the beginning days
  • Public Enemy - Paul Heyman and Tazz discuss the Public Enemy tag team ( Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock )
  • Tazz - Tazz (since the end of ECW with two such written) talks about his beginnings in ECW
  • Sabu - Heyman explains how he startedorganizingshows around the popular highflyer
  • The Night The Line Was Crossed - a look at the first three way dance between Sabu, Shane Douglas and Terry Funk
  • Paul Heyman vs. WCW - Heyman talks about his time at WCW, his dismissal and how he instilled an anti-stance on his roster towards the competition; Tommy Dreamer describes that WCW in Heymans eyes with the Taliban was the same as during which boss Eric Bischoff to Satan personified
  • Tommy Dreamer - the debut of the longest-serving ECW actor
  • The Sandman - Heyman describes Fullington's incursions, ringing attitude, and popularity that made his wrestling almost secondary
  • Sandman and Tommy Dreamer Feud - the then revolutionary feud between The Sandman and Dreamer; it was maintained for a while even in the backstage area as well as outside the ring
  • ECW Evolution - Dreamer talks about the more serious gimmicks used at ECW back then and the overall style of the emerging league; unlike its competitors, it aimed exclusively at adults
  • Cactus Jack - Mick Foley explains how he came out of the WCW as part of a supposed "talent swap"
  • Mikey Whipwreck - Heyman explains how a boy originally hired as a crew member became a fan-respected wrestler
  • The Extreme Begins - Heyman talks about overcoming the “old school idea” and the key moment when Shane Douglas threw the then NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt on the ground on August 27, 1994 , the heavyweight title from Eastern Championship Wrestling to Extreme Championship Wrestling World heavyweight Championship declared and for a renunciation of the ECW from the National Wrestling Alliance made
  • Philadelphia - Heyman speaks of the Pennsylvania cityas an ideal location for the ECW
  • The Technical Wrestlers - The examples of former employees such as Chris Benoit , Eddie Guerrero , Dean Malenko , 2 Cold Scorpio and Ron Simmons make it clear that ECW has always provided a platform for good technicians
  • Production Value - Ron Buffone , longtime producer of the ECW shows, explains how ECW tried to compete with the other two promotions, which had a lot more money and could afford high-impact shows and elaborate matches, using varied wrestling or interviews
  • The Fans - Heyman addresses the connection with the fans, who have always been actively involved in the action
  • Raven / Tommy Dreamer - Heyman says no one at ECW has internalized his character like Scott Levy aka Raven
  • Sabu Gets Fired - Tazz shares his troubles outside the ring with his former tag team partner Sabu; a well-rehearsed scene shows Heyman in the ring, who publicly fires Sabu after he failed to show up for a scheduled match to instead wrestle for the Japanese NJPW
  • Tazz Breaks His Neck - Tazz recounts how he broke his neck in a tag team match in 1995 and continued to be paid a minimum wage by Heyman until his return
  • Monday Night War - besides Bischoff and Heyman, Vince McMahon also has a say; As part of the competition for ratings on Monday evening, both competitors are said to have used ideas from ECW and also poached talented wrestlers
  • Lucha Libre ! - With the help of Konnan , Heyman was able to briefly call Rey Mysterio jr. and Psicosis , establishing representatives of this Mexican subspecies of wrestling in North America for the first time
  • Austin Comes to ECW - after his release from WCW, Heyman took on Austin, who in the shadow of the Sandman became the beer-drinking redneck Stone Cold Steve Austin and would later become one of the most popular actors in the WWE
  • Promos - Both Buffone and Heyman refer to Austin's and Cactus Jack's previous promos as the best in professional wrestling history
  • Cactus Jack Leaves ECW - Foley's farewell to the ring towards WWE
  • Tazz Returns - Tazz's return from injury, his transformation into a heel and his development into a "human suplex machine"
  • Sandman / Raven - the legendary feud between the two wrestlers, which also involved Fullington's wife Lori and their son Tyler
  • The bWo - the Blue World Order as one of many parodies by ECW
  • Beulah and Dreamer - the pseudo pregnancy of Dreamers manager and later wife as well as their homosexual storyline with Kimona Wanalaya
  • ECW and WWE - The moment ECW fans chanted EC dub at WWE's big King of the Ring in 1995
  • The Crucifixion - the infamous incident when Raven crucified the Sandman in October 1996 and put a crown of thorns on him; Kurt Angle claims to have refrained from joining ECW due to this incident
  • The Importance of Pay-Per-View - according to Tazz, ECW had to be able to broadcast major events, so-called pay-per-views , on American pay-per-view in order not to lose touch with the competition; Fans would have big broadcasters who initially thought ECW was "real" bombarded with letters and emails
  • ECW Loses Their Pay-Per-View - as a consequence of the "Mass Transit Incident" in which the ECW wrestler New Jack was involved in November 1996, the first broadcast of an ECW PPV was delayed
  • The PPV is Back On! - Heyman and the fans successfully fought a second chance at the stations
  • WWE Co-Promotion - the involvement of WWE commentator Jerry Lawler in a real storyline with ECW means that ECW is seen in a different light by WWE fans than originally planned by Lawler and McMahon
  • Barely Legal: RVD vs. Lance Storm - Rob Van Dam , who at the time was still acting as a gap filler instead of Mr. PayPerView, and the Canadian talent Lance Storm
  • Barely Legal: Tazz vs. Sabu - Tazz on his almost a year long feud with Sabu and the resulting positive development of both wrestlers
  • The Main Event at Barely Legal - Stevie Richards , Heyman and Funk report emotionally from the first successful PPV of the doctorate
  • Raven Goes to WCW and Jerry Lawler Invades ECW - Raven's return to WCW and Lawler, who made the fans of ECW an enemy
  • A Locker Room Mole? - Gordon's death as a suspected mole who is said to have acquired new staff for WCW together with Bill Alfonso and Terry Taylor
  • The Superstars' Roles - in addition to their ring activities, some wrestlers have worked for ECW in other ways; Bubba Ray Dudley booked halls for PPVs, while his partner D-Von or Tommy Dreamer sent Taz-designed fan items
  • Paul Heyman's Creativity - Former employees praise Heyman's creativity and accessibility in designing the shows
  • WCW and WWE Imitation - Former ECW wrestlers declare that in 1998 the promotion was number 2 behind WWE; Eric Bischoff disagrees, while McMahon, in retrospect, would not have viewed the league as competition either, although he would have "borrowed some of their ideas"
  • Tazz and The FTW Title - Tazz talks about his feud with Bam Bam Bigelow and the title specially introduced for him
  • The Dudleys: "The Most Hated Tag Teamf" - the Dudley Boyz and Heyman talk about the time when the infamous tag team sometimes went so far as to insult viewers personally in the worst possible way, for example by calling them " fagots "; During HeatWave 1999 , spectators are said to have waited for the two in the arena parking lot and threatened them with real violence
  • Financial Woes - Wrestlers like Tommy Dreamer tell of the time when the promotion slowly ran out of money and salaries could not be paid for months
  • The TNN deal and Tazz Leaves - ECW's debut on the cable broadcaster TNN as well as Tazz's move to WWE in 2000, which in retrospect is described by some actors as a shame and by others as a "necessary development step"
  • The Dudleys Leave ECW - a year earlier, the team, which would later develop into one of the most successful groups, had also signed with WWE because Heyman D-Von and Bubba Ray had not been able to provide valid reasons for their stay
  • Disappointment with TNN / RVD- “The Whole F'N Show” - although ECW on TNN was the broadcaster's show with the highest ratings, the broadcaster never advertised the show publicly or within the rest of the program; In response, ECW went so far as to hand-censor all swear words or obscene gestures within each of the 60-minute episodes; Many consider time at TNN to be a determining factor in the decline of ECW
  • Mike Awesome Controversy and Tommy Dreamer Wins The Title - the criticism of Awesome and Tazz, both of whom moved to WWE as reigning ECW World Heavyweight Champions
  • The Demise of ECW - according to Bischoff and McMahon, exactly what made ECW so unique would have been their undoing, since the doctorate in its “one-dimensionality” could only ever reach a certain target group; While for many alumni a world collapsed after the end of the league, many, for example Bubba Ray Dudley, agree that on the one hand the increasingly extreme degree of violence and Heyman's increasing mismanagement were responsible for the end; Heyman himself sees the treatment by TNN and the lack of lucrative alternative partners as reasons
  • Paul Heyman Debuts on Raw - it came full circle when Heyman himself signed with WWE and described this move as "consistent", which in retrospect received high praise from Vince McMahon

Part 2 (matches and bonus clips)

  • Raven and Stevie Richards against The Pitbulls in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match for the Tag Team Championship. ( Gangstas Paradise , September 16, 1995)
  • Psicosis versus Rey Misterio jr. in a 2 out of 3 Falls match ( ECW Hardcore TV , October 17, 1995)
  • The Sandman versus Mikey Whipwreck in a Stairway to Hell Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship ( ECW Hardcore TV , October 28, 1995)
  • 2 Cold Scorpio versus Sabu in a match for the World Television Championship ( CyberSlam , February 27, 1996)
  • Raven versus Tommy Dreamer ( Wrestlepalooza , June 6, 1997)
  • Bam Bam Bigelow versus Taz in a match for the Television Championship ( Living Dangerously , March 1, 1998)
  • Jerry Lynn versus Rob Van Dam in a match for the Television Championship ( Hardcore Heaven , May 16, 1999)
  • Stevie Richards apologizes to fans for leaving ECW
  • Taz seeks Paul Heyman's blessing
  • "Paul Heyman: Travel Agent"

See also

Web links