why the wwe needs smackdown, raw & ecw

i am fed up with talking politics and real news.
the world is full of numpties anyway, so lets talk soap like fantasy tv.

last weekend, a company with a staggering market cap, wwe, did a "one night stand" special ppv for a brand of wresting it picked up a few years ago from the liquidators.

ecw had a small but loyal following. not one big enough for the stars of the mat that it hired, and as ever one that had more to do with the politics of a tv slot than its actual entertainment quality.

the wwe, with a huge back cat of ecw matches available to exploit either on dvd or via its 24/7 ppv system needed to get the brand back on peoples agendas. that it did fantastically with the best wwe ppv for some time.

the small, loud crowd appeared to be close to rioting, the wwe used its top names from its smackdown and raw brands to ensure interest was as wide as possible, and the return of some big names from the past, but missing a contract in the current main players tv time (wwe shows) such as the sandman made for one hell of a "fresh" show.

the reviews have been so good that many on the net have been suggesting the wwe replace smackdown with "ecw" - but i dont think that is a good idea. 1st, ecw is too "bloody" for a smackdown tv time slot. 2nd, there is room for raw (that at one time was likely to become wcw raw -another wresting brand the wwe bought out) and smackdown as well as a 3rd player, and one that doesnt just have "acceptable 9pm" wresting storylines.

the interest in ecw and the way stories are worked means i would be shocked if there wasnt some continuation of several pushes seen in the ecw event. the wwe would be stupid to boost the profile of wrestlers not on their tv product. but one of the greatest was the sandman. someone who had an electric 10 minute (it seemed) entrance. however a man drinking and sharing a can or two of beer while smoking walking through the crowd is unlikely to be peak time tv friendly. smoking in buildings also has "legal" problems these days.

so the wwe would be daft to replace smackdown with ecw. the wwe would be stupid not to add to its ecw momentum. perhaps a new slot, late at night would suit a reborn crazy ecw, with a 3 times a year ppv (leaving say 5 for smackdown, 5 for raw and 2 combined shows such as wrestlemania) would be viable too.

it would be nice to see wcw given a reunion relaunch too, if it could be done as well as ecw. but with too many of its stars either in the wwe, or working for the rival tna etc its very unlikely the talent could be found that wouldnt damage the wwe or boost the opposition.