ECW on TNN
Encyclopedia
ECW on TNN was a weekly American
professional wrestling
television program
that aired on The Nashville Network
(TNN, now Spike) from August 27, 1999 to October 6, 2000. Created by Paul Heyman
, the owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling
(ECW), it presented original ECW matches on Friday nights and was the first (and only) national television exposure that ECW received.
Despite the high ratings
that the ECW broadcast generated for TNN, relations between ECW and TNN were strained from the beginning. TNN's demands that ECW tone down more controversial aspects of its broadcasts and that it produce a high-quality show on a limited budget were large stumbling blocks to the success of the program. Almost immediately after the show's debut in 1999, the network began negotiations with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now World Wrestling Entertainment
or WWE) to bring that promotion's flagship show, RAW is WAR
, over to TNN from the USA Network
. The negotiations were successful, and RAW is WAR aired its first episode on TNN in late September 2000. Although there was brief speculation that ECW and WWF programming could co-exist on TNN, ECW on TNN was cancelled shortly thereafter. The promotion itself met its demise few months later, and all ECW footage is currently owned by WWE.
had brought to the network. Into 2000, the network claimed a vast improvement in the young male demographic on Friday nights due to ECW's addition.
(WCW). On WWE's The Rise and Fall of ECW
DVD, Heyman alleged that the requests from TNN to tone down ECW's content, including the removal of references to hatred ("intense dislike" was preferred) and objections to the show's theme music on the grounds that it sounded "demonic", were excessive.
The first episode of ECW on TNN was broadcast on August 27, 1999, five years to the date that Shane Douglas
threw down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
and rechristened ECW (then known as Eastern Championship Wrestling) as Extreme Championship Wrestling. The first episode of ECW on TNN also became a source of contention, since it did not consist of original programming. Unsatisfied with the first TNN shoot, Heyman instead 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 before heard of it or seen it. ECW commentator Joey Styles
said that "the network crapped on" this episode, and ECW wrestler Tommy Dreamer
's recollection supported this assertion. 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 lucrative deal with ECW. Instead, the deal fell through and Taz signed a contract with the WWF just months after the show's premiere. His departure, coupled with that of the Dudley Boys (who also joined the WWF), forced the company to build storylines around new champions only weeks after starting their first, and only, national cable television 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 WWF RAW is WAR. This expectation irritated Heyman, due not only to the difficulty of meeting the standards, but also because he felt the more bare-bones ECW "look" was part of its appeal. Heyman also took umbrage with what he felt was a lack of promotion of the show by the network specifically and by its parent company Viacom in general, as well as the fact that almost immediately following ECW's debut on TNN, the network began negotiations with the WWF to bring RAW is WAR
over to its lineup from the USA Network
. 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 an on-air promo in which he made known his disdain for the network, as well as in a running storyline
in which manager
/commentator Cyrus
portrayed a 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
, which continued to air and was regularly used as a back-up program to display anything TNN removed from the show.
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 third Guilty as Charged) in January 2001. The company folded soon afterwards, and Heyman appeared in the WWF shortly thereafter, with the WWF incorporating 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 World Championship Wrestling
(WCW) to the WWF only weeks after ECW collapsed.
TNN eventually rebranded itself as Spike TV in 2003 (and again as simply Spike in 2006) and featured WWF/E programming until late September 2005. Immediately thereafter, it began airing Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
's Impact!
program. Since ECW on TNN's debut, the network has consistently featured professional wrestling on its schedule.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that aired on The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
(TNN, now Spike) from August 27, 1999 to October 6, 2000. Created by Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
, the owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
(ECW), it presented original ECW matches on Friday nights and was the first (and only) national television exposure that ECW received.
Despite the high ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
that the ECW broadcast generated for TNN, relations between ECW and TNN were strained from the beginning. TNN's demands that ECW tone down more controversial aspects of its broadcasts and that it produce a high-quality show on a limited budget were large stumbling blocks to the success of the program. Almost immediately after the show's debut in 1999, the network began negotiations with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
or WWE) to bring that promotion's flagship show, RAW is WAR
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, over to TNN from the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
. The negotiations were successful, and RAW is WAR aired its first episode on TNN in late September 2000. Although there was brief speculation that ECW and WWF programming could co-exist on TNN, ECW on TNN was cancelled shortly thereafter. The promotion itself met its demise few months later, and all ECW footage is currently owned by WWE.
Origin
In 1999, Heyman signed a three-year contract with TNN in the hopes of expanding national awareness of his company. Prior to ECW on TNN, ECW shows were only televised via syndication. For its part, TNN added ECW to its "Friday Night Thrill Zone" lineup in an attempt to help build on the increase in teenager/young male viewership that RollerjamRollerJam
RollerJam was an American television series featuring roller derby that aired on The Nashville Network from 1999 to 2001. It was the first attempt to bring roller derby to TV since RollerGames....
had brought to the network. Into 2000, the network claimed a vast improvement in the young male demographic on Friday nights due to ECW's addition.
ECW–TNN differences
Early signs of a rocky relationship between ECW and TNN came when TNN president David Hall implied that the program would be "toned down" from the usual ECW fare – which featured more violent matches and explicit content than that offered by the two leading professional wrestling companies of the day, the WWF and World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
(WCW). On WWE's The Rise and Fall of ECW
The Rise and Fall of ECW
The Rise and Fall of ECW is a documentary DVD produced by World Wrestling Entertainment, now known as WWE. It chronicles the history of Philadelphia-based professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling...
DVD, Heyman alleged that the requests from TNN to tone down ECW's content, including the removal of references to hatred ("intense dislike" was preferred) and objections to the show's theme music on the grounds that it sounded "demonic", were excessive.
The first episode of ECW on TNN was broadcast on August 27, 1999, five years to the date that Shane Douglas
Shane Douglas
Troy Alan Martin is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name "The Franchise" Shane Douglas. In the course of his career, which has spanned nearly three decades, Douglas has wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling and briefly...
threw down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
and rechristened ECW (then known as Eastern Championship Wrestling) as Extreme Championship Wrestling. The first episode of ECW on TNN also became a source of contention, since it did not consist of original programming. Unsatisfied with the first TNN shoot, Heyman instead 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 before heard of it or seen it. ECW commentator Joey Styles
Joey Styles
Joseph Carmine Bonsignore better known by his ring name Joey Styles, is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator and former professional in the field of advertising sales...
said that "the network crapped on" this episode, and ECW wrestler Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer
Thomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
's recollection supported this assertion. The network also had reportedly placed a great deal of importance on ECW retaining top star Taz
Tazz
Peter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
, and initial publicity indicated that this helped him sign a lucrative deal with ECW. Instead, the deal fell through and Taz signed a contract with the WWF just months after the show's premiere. His departure, coupled with that of the Dudley Boys (who also joined the WWF), forced the company to build storylines around new champions only weeks after starting their first, and only, national cable television 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
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
and WWF RAW is WAR. This expectation irritated Heyman, due not only to the difficulty of meeting the standards, but also because he felt the more bare-bones ECW "look" was part of its appeal. Heyman also took umbrage with what he felt was a lack of promotion of the show by the network specifically and by its parent company Viacom in general, as well as the fact that almost immediately following ECW's debut on TNN, the network began negotiations with the WWF to bring RAW is WAR
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
over to its lineup from the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
. 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 an on-air promo in which he made known his disdain for the network, as well as in a running storyline
The Network (professional wrestling)
The Network was a professional wrestling stable that was formed in 1999 when ECW began to broadcast nationally on TNN.-ECW incarnation:The Network was a professional wrestling stable that was formed in 1999 when ECW began to broadcast nationally on TNN.TNN did not give ECW much money to produce...
in which manager
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
/commentator Cyrus
Don Callis
Don Callis is a Canadian former professional wrestler and manager, known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as The Jackyl, and Extreme Championship Wrestling as color commentator Cyrus.-Early life:...
portrayed a 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
ECW Hardcore TV
ECW Hardcore TV was the weekly professional wrestling television program of Philadelphia-based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling composed of footage from live shows and recorded interviews....
, which continued to air and was regularly used as a back-up program to display anything TNN removed from the show.
Cancellation and aftermath
ECW on TNN's run would only last thirteen-and-a-half months. As part of its effort to rebrand itself The National Network, TNN acquired WWF programming as part of an extensive WWF-Viacom agreement. The WWF's RAW Is WAR 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, ECW on TNN was canceled only two weeks thereafter.Having lost a significant part of its national exposure and left with various contracts to fulfill, ECW ran its final pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event (the third Guilty as Charged) in January 2001. The company folded soon afterwards, and Heyman appeared in the WWF shortly thereafter, with the WWF incorporating 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 World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
(WCW) to the WWF only weeks after ECW collapsed.
TNN eventually rebranded itself as Spike TV in 2003 (and again as simply Spike in 2006) and featured WWF/E programming until late September 2005. Immediately thereafter, it began airing Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
's Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
program. Since ECW on TNN's debut, the network has consistently featured professional wrestling on its schedule.