12 Weeks to decide the fate of two brands.

K Jay

Ok here's a few things for you good wrestling/sports entertainment fans to consider.

1. WWE and Sci-Fi have a 12 week trial slot booked for ECW television of 1hour per week. This can be cancelled at any time by either side.

2. ECW have booked venues for 2 months.

3. First Big Show, now Rey?

WWE.com has learned that Paul Heyman has made an offer to World Champion Rey Mysterio to jump to ECW. The offer was extended in the locker room area after the WWE vs. ECW Head to Head special.

Sources close to the situation claim that Heyman is apparently trying to hedge his bets, meaning that if Mysterio accepts the offer, the World Championship would come to ECW regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s One Night Stand match between Sabu and Mysterio. Now that Big Show is an official ECW Wrestler, is Rey Mysterio far behind?

It seems to me that at this moment in time WWE are using the sci-fi network for leverage in a no-lose gamble situation. They know already that ONS will be a commercial sucess as it was last year but are throwing a bone to Paul Heyman to see if he still has the magic to run with this. In twelve weeks time when the dust has settled and the numbers tallied (viewer ratings and house show takings) WWE will then have three equally viable options and be set to take any one of them.

1. ECW and absolute raving sucess, house shows all sold out, merchandising thru the roof and ratings consistantly higher then Smackdown.

This his two options, play sci-fi off against cw for who is going to give the ECW brand two hours gauranteed un pre-empted every week, or get Sci-fi to give ECW two hours and keep CW for Smackdown with combined rosters.

2. ECW selling out buildings but not ascertaining ratings and generating heat for sci-fi network.

Move ECW to what Shane'os first vision was. A touring devolpment unit with free online coverage, hold draft lottery re-strengthen Smackdown continue with current planning of WWE brand Seperation. Hire Paul E as Smackdown booker.

3. ECW flops.

Fire Paul E. Hold draft lottery.

What I'm thinking is that the nailed on outcome here is number 1. And that by gradually weakening Smackdown to nought they are setting/have set up not just for a storyline of ECW possibly taking Smackdowns slot, but a way of showing CW that given creative freedom they can create for them a consistantly high performing show for the network. Not only this they are automatically creating a rival to CW in that if ECW does well for Sci-Fi they will try their hardest to keep it.

In a nutshell I think that the current set-up is a ploy by WWE to re-brand Smackdown as ECW, and that the short-term Sci-Fi deal is just a proving ground for that plan.

However I'd be fair intrested to know what you think of the situation.

I had a sig, once.

Crocker

KJay baby Rey makes his decision on Smackdown this week

Blitzkrieg

There's no doubt that WWE is considering a lot of different things depending on how this 12-week period works out, but I'm not sure re-branding SD! into ECW is one of them..

CW network or whatever it will be called can't televise ECW and keep the fans happy. Everyone understands that ECW need to evolve but with that they also need to take the hardcore aspect and the foul language. CW network won't go for this.. Remember they are the same people who lashed out against Hassan when the character was doing similar things all along on Spike TV..

There's a difference between PG, TV14, and A hard TV14 rating.. SD! is mostly PG. WWE could possibly work a TV14 but in no way at 8:00 at night on a week night will WWE be able to get away with a hard TV14. WWE could try but I guarantee ECW would be a failure in no time and then everyone would blame Heyman.. but you can't blame him, he needs to be given everything he had with the old ECW including the rating in his favour.

I still see this playing out where the rosters finally combine and then WWE lands a 2nd show on the USA network.. in ECW. USA could claim that they don't want to be the wrestling channel but lets face it.. If this brand lights up Sci-Fi, NBC Universal will waste no time to get the program on their larger network.

K Jay

Should he choose to stay it still leaves Smackdown with one credible champion. It seems to me Smackdown is being set-up to fail.

I had a sig, once.