10 Biggest "What If" Scenarios In WWE History
8. What If ECW Hadn't Gone Out Of Business?
Saying that Paul Heyman was an excellent booker but a terrible businessman has almost become cliché. By the time ECW died, the company’s liabilities dwarfed their assets by a colossal $7.5 million, and with hundreds and thousands of dollars owed to talents like Tommy Dreamer and Rob Van Dam, they were in deep trouble.
The company closed by failing to secure a new national television deal after losing their Monday night spot on TNN to WWE. Vince McMahon eventually purchased ECW’s remaining assets and the brand played a pivotal role in the ill-fated Invasion angle, but what if they’d been able to secure a TV deal? What if they’d stayed afloat on their own accord, and not had to succumb to the McMahon wrestling machine?
There’d obviously be no “One Night Stand” PPVs, and WWE’s terrible ECW brand would’ve never come to fruition. Instead, ECW and their cult fanbase would’ve likely continued at the cutting edge of pro-wrestling. It’s unlikely that they’d have ever mustered the financial might to challenge WWE, but their blend of hardcore and pure wrestling styles would’ve provided a genuine alternative to WWE’s sports entertainment stylings.
Remember when TNA wasn’t terrible? That’d likely be where ECW would be today: a genuine second option with their own identity, and not just another homogenous WWE clone.