10 Precise Moments Wrestling Bookers Lost Their Minds
3. Paul Heyman
The story of ECW is a sad tale of the plagiarism at capitalism's rotten heart.
When things become cool, they become ubiquitous, diluted. Just as two Stone Temple Pilots albums outsold Nirvana's 'In Utero', the WWF and WCW - who between them stole so many Paul Heyman innovations - ECW's identity had been subsumed by a more commercial imitator. It was an ironic conclusion to Heyman's inspired drive to change wrestling. He waned to be the Nirvana to the dated hair metal of the early '90s mainstream. In response, the WWF simply became radio-friendly grunge.
ECW peaked before its first pay-per-view from a creative standpoint. The Sandman feigning blindness; the dated but fascinating at the time Raven Vs. Tommy Dreamer storyline; Mick Foley's vastly influential anti-hardcore 'interloper' schtick: these were mid-90s masterpieces penned at the peak of Heyman's powers.
However, the descent into deep waters - helped by McMahon and Bischoff forcing Heyman's head into the tides - didn't really become untenable until ECW debuted on TNN. The product was bereft of both stars and ideas, and Heyman, sensing that TV had arrived at least two years too late, petulantly threw in the towel by debuting an ostensible clip show.
This was a bizarre political move - the move of a man who had perhaps lost the heart for the fight, as opposed to his mind.