During a recent appearance on the “Stories with Bradshaw and Brisco” podcast, The Blue Meanie commented on thinking ECW was doomed from the start, WWE trying to revive the brand, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
JBL on being an antagonist for ECW: “Jerry Lawler and I were kind of the two guys that really took on ECW. It was awesome. I could’ve wrestled there every night of the year for my entire career. You know, they hated me and Lawler so much because we were the ones that really went after them hard. It was incredible to be in that environment.”
Meanie on WWE’s ECW revival: “I kind of wish, when they brought ECW back, I wish they would have done it with the original ECW. Kind of take it out of the big arena, have it in a studio with a smaller crowd and have that more of a underground feel. NXT is part WWE, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the product because it’s such a different [product]. It’s a darker building [and] heavily based on wrestling. You know, stuff like that. . . You watched the ECW they brought back, and it was really good TV. But the only thing that hindered it was the three letters, E-C-W.”
Brisco on WWE ruining the ECW revival: “We, being the WWE, really blew that, I think,” said an adamant Brisco. “I don’t think any of us really gave it the respect and had the vision that Vince actually had to make this thing work. Our early TV’s were really good ECW product. Then when we started getting at, ‘it needs to be slicker, it needs to be this.’ You know, it didn’t need to be any of that stuff except the way we started and the way you guys had it there. So, I think we blew that opportunity to really make another competition and another brand with the WWE.”
Meanie on rumors that Shane McMahon wanted to buy ECW from WWE: “There was always that rumor that Shane McMahon had wanted to buy ECW and do a web series with it. Which, I think would’ve been an awesome idea. I think this could’ve been a pre-cursor to doing something – everyone has a show on YouTube now. He could’ve done an internet-based show, keep it the way it was, and try bringing in advertising that would be generated towards that kind of product. I think ECW in Shane’s hands probably could’ve kept it a little bit more cutting edge. Because he was a younger guy and, from what I was told, Shane McMahon was a big fan of the original ECW and liked the show. When I went there, me and [Shane] would talk about ECW stuff. Like when Triple H took over NXT and that was his baby, ECW could’ve been Shane McMahon’s baby. You know, let him go off to the side.”
Meanie on why ECW eventually failed: “In my mind, ECW was doomed from the start because, again, the Attitude Era where everyone is competing for talent. You have to overpay a little bit to make sure your marquee guys don’t jump ship. And then, when ECW kind of started making money, say in [1997], they made money. They’re still paying for [1996]. So, when they go to [1998], they make money in ’98, but they’re still paying for ’97 and part of ’96. So, they’re kind of bailing water out of the boat while water is still coming in. If they could have just got a deal, if the TNN deal would’ve worked where TNN put out money for cost of production and advertising, and stuff like that, I think ECW could’ve stayed afloat. I say this all the time, if ECW would’ve survived, it would’ve become a promotion like what Ring of Honor became.”
(h/t – Wrestling Inc)
