Twilling's Blog Twilling's Blog: Despite the solid track record of ECW, how long can the show continue to live? By Rich Twilling Jul 1, 2009 - 05:00 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Wednesday, JULY 1 – 4:39 PM (CT) -Nine days after WrestleMania 25, WWE held their partially annual draft to, in theory, strengthen weaknesses, shake things up, freshen the product, and infuse new life by showcasing feuds that either have never been seen, or have not been seen in a long time. Well, we all know what happened. Raw became a stale show, ECW became a solid show, and Smackdown became the best show. I am guessing the huge trade, spearheaded by Donald Trump, was not planned a few months ago, but was brought to the forefront out of necessity. Raw and Smackdown both benefitted from the trade, while ECW was left virtually dry. The question I ask is this: should WWE continue with ECW as a third brand? ECW lost middle to top level veteran talent in Mark Henry and Finlay. More importantly, on a show that pushes young stars, they lost Jack Swagger, Evan Bourne, Natalya, Tyson Kidd, and David Hart Smith. Out of that group, Swagger is ready for the move, but the others (minus Natalya, who should be women’s champion) could use some more seasoning. In theory, ECW is a graduation from Florida Championship Wrestling, but not yet a step onto one of the two top shows. It is a place for young stars to cut their teeth and acclimate themselves to life on the road. Most importantly, it affords them the opportunity to hone their on screen characters. In those aspects, ECW should stay. However, how often can you go back to the well? Earlier on in ECW’s infant stages, C.M. Punk, Kofi Kingston, and Mike Adamle really made names for themselves before moving to Raw. Okay, of course I am kidding about that last name. The track record has been very good and more times than not, the Tuesday night show has been a very good hour of wrestling television. However, what if this current batch of FCW stars does not produce a talent like Swagger or Bourne? What if the B-level veterans that were not getting pushed on Raw or Smackdown continue to get crammed onto this show? If that turns out to be the case, will the show itself provide any reason to believe it is not a current day version of Sunday Night Heat? Don’t get me wrong, I love Christian and William Regal. I think they should both be main eventing. However, they are not going to be anytime soon. They deserve better than this show. Of course, Sheamus and Abraham Washington may turn out to be the next big stars traded to one of the more prestigious shows. I just wonder how many times WWE thinks they will catch Kofi Kingston in a bottle? HELP SUPPORT DOT NET! BECOME A MEMBER AT OUR CHARTER RATE OF JUST $5 A MONTH - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO SHOWS, MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AD-FREE MAIN LISTING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO) GOT AN IPHONE OR IPOD TOUCH? THEN BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD OUR NEW FREE iPhone APP: (click here!) (or SEARCH "pro wrestling" in iTunes App Store) FOR MORE BREAKING WWE & TNA NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE PWTORCH.COM (click here!) FOR MORE MMA & UFC NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE MMATORCH.COM (click here!) CLICK TO RETURN TO DOT NET MAIN LISTING OR SELECT A LINK BELOW FROM THIS CATEGORY Twilling's Blog Latest Twelve Articles Twilling's Blog: If you haven't heard yet, Hulk Hogan has signed with TNA and that is a good thing Twilling's Blog: Looking at Shane McMahon leaving WWE, Nigel McGuinness going to TNA, where the best place for Nigel and Bryan Danielson is Twilling's Blog: Less is more; why the WWE Raw guest host gimmick is watering down the overall product Twilling's Blog: Did Chris Jericho make the Tag Team Championships so relevant that DX finally wants them? Twilling's Blog: Was Hulk Hogan's 80s run as bad as John Cena's current run? What was different about the times and why Chris Jericho is so valuable Twilling's Blog: Why are the fans accepting decent as good or great? Why finding the next Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin or The Rock cannot be forced