Thought I read something about the WWE trying to bring back ECW for good (with Heyman and Dreamer in charge) by the end of the year. May have been just a rumor though.
The Piledriver Report 4.24.06: The Rebirth of ECW and the Winner of the Ultimate WrestleMania Tournament Posted by Ronny Sarnecky on 04.24.2006 "WWE may be bringing back ECW as a full time entity. The plan looks to be for a September launch, but nothing is for sure. It is possible that the new ECW could take over the current OVW territory and that it will get "exclusive matches" on Raw and SmackDown. Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer would be in charge of the venture. WWE is currently contacting former ECW names and sending them contracts. These talents are being offered three-year deals, which consist of a series of one-year contracts, with rollover clauses. WWE has been in contact with many performers, the Sandman, Francine and Balls Mahoney included. More should be available in the coming days on this latest news." I then logged on to the Wrestling Observer website, and read, "In a story reported on earlier today by Pro Wrestling Insider, WWE is indeed bringing back the ECW brand name for merchandising purposes as well as some form of weekly television and house shows. The decision appears to have been finalized in the past week as several former stars were offered three-year contracts. Paul Heyman will be in charge of the brand. It is believed this will be a mix of both former ECW wrestlers and new WWE developmental wrestlers. It is expected this will lead to some significant changes in the WWE television product as well. The company is not looking to add a third day of television taping. It would likely be handled similar to the Superastros deal in the late 90s, with weekly matches taped before either the Raw or Smackdown tapings." http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/columns/40093
