STW #10: WWF and ECW's 1996-1997 relationship

On this episode: There has been a lot of speculation as to the WWF and ECW's relationship. Did Vince invest in it? Was it a developmental? Bruce Prichard tells all in this clip from Something to Wrestle.
Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard is an audio podcast that discusses topics, events, wrestlers and memorable moments through the lens of former WWE executive Bruce Prichard co-hosted by Conrad Thompson.
The show was launched in August 2016 on MLW Radio. The episodes typically range from 2 hours to 4 hours in length, and include discussions about previous WWE pay-per-views and former WWE wrestlers.
What happened when ECW and the WWF had a working relationship in 96-97? Find out!
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[@BishopM1]

5:46 it starts

[@ozzyisgreat4eva]

Bruce yelling out bingo numbers makes me laugh every time!

[@keithcrockett9539]

CLASSIC "HEEL" SHIT....LOL

[@bradvestby]

The joke got old once you realized he's never actually looked at a bingo card and spent two hours calling out the wrong letter/number combinations.. Lol..

[@johnjandoh6732]

​@@bradvestbyKeep crying punk

[@SyndicateSuperman]

Brutus Beefcake theme during the $ shave club ads made me lol

[@t.booker4084]

I always thought it would have been awesome if Vince had brought ECW in 97 and do two things. 1.Let Paul heyman still run it. 2. replace shotgun Saturday night with ECW programing and calling it WWF sat night extreme.

[@robertshay9235]

I lived in Pgh and saw quite a few live ecw shows when they came through, such great shows, amazing energy. I miss ECW for sure

[@butchvito]

I love how Bruce's numbers don't even match up with the letters when bingo calling. It makes it every bit funnier!

[@yallevereatenbeans2723]

I got an ad for online bingo

[@bdr113080]

I don’t always agree with Bruce but I have to agree with him 100% about the match quality in ECW. I had friends that would get the VHS tapes and a lot of it from what I saw and what they showed me, was kind of like just a highlight reel and I thought it looked pretty bad ass. I live in the south so it’s not like I got to see ECW every week but one of my friends was just a diehard ECW fan and he ordered a PPV one night and I remember I was excited to go over to his house and watch it and man when you’re not watching a highlight reel of ECW and you’re actually watching all of those matches that are 15 to 20 minutes long. Outside of the high spots and doves your average ECW match was horrible. It look like me and my friends doing backyard wrestling. I know a lot of ECW fans will hate me for saying this but I honestly think the best to ECW shows I ever saw were the 21 night stands that WWE produced.

[@johnjandoh6732]

You sir are correct. But that shows how much Vince appreciated them that he wanted to produce those shows to show how much better it could have been with more money. He even resurrected the brand show for another 4 years until 2010.

[@genxtasy9914]

Matt Bourne got fired from the WWF when he was in ECW His Bourne Again gimmick was right after getting squashed by 911 in the NWA World title tournament when he actually wrestled as Doink.

[@vapeymcvape5000]

God, Conrad is so good. It's great to have the voice of the listener represented.

[@adambrianhughes6242]

Yeah it’s not like other co hosts that just kiss ass

[@evilsWa]

More like the voice of Dave Meltzer and the IWC. Good at what exactly?

[@marcleon1513]

evilSWA - beyond pandora films What isn’t he good at exactly?

[@stevenkunzer9027]

Yokozuna was like the Man of War gimmick that worked

[@josephboza7448]

This was a funny episode. I loved the impressions and the odd O-32 callout. I think this relationship was very unique. To me, it was a move based on the fact that Vince was scared of Eric and WCW. Yet, there was no developmental terriority for guys to get in ring shape or to work off the rust due to time off. Hence ECW!. There needs to be a biography about ECW and the relationship during this time cause its very interesting that is for damn sure.

[@JoeyMartz]

That's a great deal in regards to Leather by Dan... I checked out his website and was impressed by his work. And that's a savings of almost 500 bucks!

[@hattorihanzo2275]

ECW was fucking great. I had the chance to travel to Philly by bus to go to an arena show. Passed it up and regret it to this day.

[@cryptomnesiac]

ECW definitely helped usher in attitude era. During that time period I thought ECW was something fresh and exciting with it's adult leaning themes.

[@joshtamagi159]

Conrad is by far my favourite interviewer. I’ve really been getting into the shoot interviews the last few months and I’m absolutely addicted to this podcast. Always asks the hard questions and calls Bruce on his shit to keep him honest. Keep up the great work man! I would highly recommend this to any wrestling fan 👌👍🥇

[@StanStacks]

With Conrad it is a great host and interviewer asking pertinent questions while keeping the flow going. Then there is the sideshow bob weasel Sam Roberts.

[@hgonz14]

The only thing about conrad that sucks is he is so on Dave Meltzers nutsack it's sad.

[@chrishowe4009]

It's one thing to be an interviewer and another to disagree with Bruce like he knows what he's talking about. Conrad is an idiot

[@MarLenBo]

From The Night The Line Was Crossed until November to Remember '96, ECW had the best product in wrestling history. Matches, Angles, promos, TV. I miss those days-and I'm someone who is a Southern Wrestling Fan, loves Mid-South and CWF and Dallas and Amarillo and Georgia and Crocket and Memphis.

[@cwa8485]

Low intelligence post.

[@gothchicksbongrips5712]

That tazz impression 😂

[@DeamionYoutubeArchives]

I feel like ECW was underrated, and now people are seeing them for who they are, i actually never seen any of ECW ppvs or shows, but i thought it was very different

[@RetroMediaLibrary]

"I'm ready to shoot, brotha!"

[@DPop1979]

The part about exposure vs. respecting a champion title is probably the biggest disconnect with fans and North American companies. We want the titles to matter.

[@cptnmrgnkid]

DPop1979 that's your opinion.

[@comeonmaaan4288]

cptnmrgnkid It's pretty much everyone's subconscious opinion. Drama is based on characters working towards goals. When the ultimate goal means nothing, the drama is empty. Which is why the only people that watch are small children and adult marks that can't let go and derive ironic enjoyment from the show.

[@majikos]

Bruce really didn't have an answer but "muh exposure"

[@evilsWa]

ComeOnMaaan dude you’re on a fucking podcast talking about wrestling from over 20 years ago don’t come with the condescending attitude… No way you got here without being exactly what you’re talking shit about. Please stop speaking for everybody just speak for yourself. Some of my favorite story lines have nothing to do with the title because guess what it’s a fake fucking title. Look at nearly every single undertaker storyline it had nothing to do with the title. So shove your subconscious speaking for me bullshit

[@williamflowers9435]

Triple H getting over on Taz was the point. The best guy from the big leagues who’s carrying the company at the time is obviously gonna beat Taz

[@drew.reviews]

Can you guys do a show on USWA and the developmental deal there?

[@williamflowers9435]

Conrad makes no sense thinking Taz losing to Triple H was a bad idea... it puts Triple H over when he was carrying the company

[@davidedelman2984]

The best damn podcast going today!

[@MattSingh1]

Prichard is a conman, fraud and liar, as proven by Dave Meltzer.

[@chrishowe4009]

Dave Meltzer is a buffoon just like this idiot Conrad

[@dennismarie6599]

so much hate

[@davidedelman2984]

Matthew Singh-Dosanjh Meltzer the mark who’s never worked in the wrestling business but is a self professed “expert” LOL GET A CLUE!

[@Difrentstyles]

Doesn't matter what Bruce is there are only a few people that worked close to Vince don't like him don't listen, nobody is 100% truthful its called being human. Stories are great tho for the older fans.

[@sabercrosby8128]

even the episodes i think will suck end up blowing me away. wow. can't believe wwf and ecw were in cahoots the whole time

[@BigEvan96]

It's not news that Paul E sold out and didn't tell the boys.

[@eddymunster3938]

Need some SABU SABU SABU!!! Episode

[@addi543]

G32! BINGO!

[@kingoffarts8352]

Have you guys done a Von Erich's episode? Not a WCCW per say, but a episode about their personal lives and and their relationship with Fritz. considering the fact that Bruce is from TX, he most likely knows alot about them outside of wrestling .

[@gothchicksbongrips5712]

They did a Houston wrestling episode. Talked about the von erichs a little bit. But nothing extensive

[@pinnacleproductions6275]

Is there a Mick Foley episode???

[@williammitchell4417]

Connie Shaun ( David's brother) was also a pop singer and actor

[@JonathanHassingerChannel]

best Paul E. impression

[@Dredsed]

Would love an episode on the Prichard brothers

[@BigDaddyKing632]

I want a timestamp of all the bingo numbers lol

[@shonuff0330]

It's funny seeing Russo and Cornette in the same scene during the Bruce from Connecticut segment on Livewire

[@Schooner316]

I get what Bruce was saying about having Taz vs. HHH on Raw. ECW was a small, new company that needed exposure. Neither WWE or WCW needed that, they were simply competing for eyeballs.

[@RodPower78]

I would love to hear Bruce tell a story or two about his nights at the China Club with Paul Heyman.

[@hgonz14]

Rick James used to frequent the China club. I would love to know if they ever ran into him.

[@michaelchristopher8541]

I love that the beer drinking thing just gets completely glossed over by Bruce. I'm sure he's not aware of it, but when Steve Austin was in ECW, he was working an angle with Mikey Whipwreck... and The Sandman. I don't have an issue with Austin swiping that character trait, it happens all the time in wrestling, but to suggest that it wasn't inspired by Sandman, is just disingenuous. Same as Undertaker crucifying Steve Austin was a total rip off of Raven crucifying Sandman.

[@cryptozoomauler5505]

Sometimes things happen organically that have already happened elsewhere....I have no particular reason to suspect Bruce is lying when they said they weren't following the ECW storylines to that degree.....but anything's possible.

[@the6footplustree75]

@ElectricFeedBack i dont know about that. getting your neck broken and coming back stronger then ever says otherwise

[@evilepisodespodcast]

@@cryptozoomauler5505 I think it is more that Austin himself likely saw something in The Sandman's gimmick to swipe. Which is not a huge deal, things are borrowed all the time, but I find it funny that in ECW Steve Austin tended to mock The Sandman for his beer drinking but then used it as a trait in WWE once he was freed from the awful "ring master" gimmick.

[@luv2eatpuss79]

this and killing the town are my favorite wrestling podcasts

[@kinggold5378]

Actually Borne Again a.k.a Evil Doink (The Best Doink Ever)..came in ECW in spring of 1994....He debuted against 911 in the NWA Title tournament..🤷🏽‍♂️😉👍🏽

[@Kayfabe-226]

Somebody tell Prichard that ecw shows were still drawing and merch was selling like crazy so fans did support them.. what killed ECW was they couldn't get a national TV deal...without tv no wrestling promotion including WCW or WWE could survive.. remember that Bischoff and his investors had deal to buy WCW but when Turner org cancelled the wrestling program Bischoff group pulled out of deal...Vince was aided by someone at Aol/time Warner to sell WCW at cheap price and put it on his tv station because they just wanted to dump it...if you doubt that then listen to Kevin Sullivan interviews back then and he lays it all out...

[@cptnmrgnkid]

Joseph Carrino that's not entirely true. They could have continued promoting under the ECW banner but they would have had to cut costs and get rid of some talent. Just selling tickets and doing live events wouldn't cost much of anything and they could have shopped around for a new tv deal.

[@kingoffarts8352]

OK ECW did have 2 TV deals. In 1996 they were on Prime Sports network [Sports South] Friday nights at 2 am, then on TNN Friday nights during primetime, in the late 90's early 2000's. ECW was on cable tv and had PPV's prior to Vince taking ownership in 2002 or whenever he purchased it. So that;s not true at all.

[@IA78__]

What ECW did for wrestling is equilevant to what Nirvana did for music

[@GlennTwiddle1]

Brutus the Fucking Barber Beefcake's music over the shave club. Deep cuts !!

[@williammitchell4417]

WWE's relationship with ECW was totally different from OVW. Corny and Danny Davis worked out a working relationship with WWE. Paul was still trying to make his promotion work as a stand alone company. OVW was a wrestling school that worked as a promotion to help develop talent.

[@bostonsportsfan9128]

Bruce randomly calling B32 fuck had me rolling

[@Difrentstyles]

Come on Bruce we've been waiting years for the details lol i bet it was around 1000 what do i know right

[@FozzQuaker]

1:02:30 A scenario where the fans can't call the outcome... Me and my friends called it while we watching it...Tazz was never going over HHH

[@jankyone179]

Bruce does the best impersonations

[@realityorfiction]

I know right! I wanna hear him do a brother love impression!

[@seeyouinhellyeowie3865]

Jake the snakes macho man is scary how gd it is like macho is with us watch vice land

[@donceres1862]

Shit they should rename this podcast something to bury with Bruce Pritchard.. lol just kidding love the podcasts

[@urbanexplorer6994]

I have to admit the bingo jokes were funny. If conrad is upset about that then he needs to relax.

[@the6footplustree75]

@@urbanexplorer6994Parker words like bingo will always be thrown at ECW fans, it's like non-wrestling fans calling wrestling fake. it's barely an insult at this point

[@evilsWa]

The6FootPlusTree That’s what makes it funny because no one was ever saying it as a joke… The fucking fact is ECW ran out of fucking bingo halls and small venues. That’s not a joke or an insult that’s what happened. You literally can’t tell the story without it and if you ECW fans are going to be proud of that fact then they can’t also be butt hurt about the fact that it gets brought up whenever ECW is talked about…Congrats on Being so extreme that you now don’t consider it an insult anymore though…

[@RyanDMoore]

Rumor and Innuendo with Bruce Prichard, Whatever the Fuck with Jim Cornette.

[@hotwatermanifesto4180]

I've been watching old WWF episodes. Alot of high school gyms being used... Early 90's, which means that WWF had existed much longer than ECW. I'm not sure what the difference between a high school gym and a bingo hall is... But either way, Starting at the bottom is NOT something to be ashamed of! O75

[@evilsWa]

Hot Water Manifesto it’s true it’s ECW fans trying to act like WWF and ECW were ever on the same level that they should be ashamed of… Like the WWF now fills up entire stadiums...ECW never graduated past bingo halls… WWF has managed to pay their employees for like 100 years… ECW still… Still…owes people money… That’s what they should be ashamed of. So see how telling the whole story is completely different than what you did?

[@evilsWa]

Also the Raw episodes you are talking about were when Raw was GOING for that small gym vibe. This was 1994 eight full years after Hulkamania. The WWE was running Stadium ppvs at that point. So no that is not at all the same. They CHOSE to shoot in a small venue. ECW HAD to do shows in those small venues. See the difference yet? I mean in a way the WWF was trolling ECW by putting on a far better show in the exact same type of venue that shitty ECW was putting their shows on. Sorry the truth hurts.

[@calamaty9963]

@@evilsWa small correction: the mid 90’s had WWF performing in small gyms because business was down. They couldn’t fill arenas with paying customers they had to give tickets away. As a matter of fact when WCW was beating them Vince wanted to run the New York area territory again. Not completely shut down but only work that area. The WWF got stronger and secured an IPO on Wall Street and that helped them in the long run. They most certainly didn’t want to get the “vibe” to perform in gyms they just had to make money.

[@joedaniels9802]

good god the most disrespectful thing you can do is ask about someone's income in any business what a man/woman makes for a living is nobody's business but theirs and who's writing the check

[@dariog36th]

Even Vince McMahon admitted that having hhh beat taz was not the best thing to do to help ECW and that they dropped the ball on that one.

[@urbanexplorer6994]

Dario Gomez Vince was a fan of ECW and the Product. So I don't get the notion of some ecw fans saying Vince wanted it dead.

[@dariog36th]

Peter Parker watch the rise and fall of ECW he says it in that documentary. He says " it doesnt say much about me trying to help that company" when talking about hhh beating taz but he said "but at the time I thought it was the right thing to do "

[@urbanexplorer6994]

Dario Gomez Yeah I watched it many times great doc and at least we have the network to relive ecw and wcw :)

[@rainman11985]

Vince wasn't a fan, he never watched any other wrestling than WWF, it was just business.

[@pikkon899]

@@urbanexplorer6994 Because those same ECW fans believed Paul's lies and they still do to this day. Vince help with finances, wanted to use it as a training grounds, borrowed ideas etc.. but to the ECW fan base, Vince sucks and he wanted to kill ECW despite the fact that their leader Paul was a big factor in it's demise.

[@stevenkunzer9027]

Someone needs to make an ECW movie

[@the6footplustree75]

I'm guessing you aren't very old if you haven't heard of Forever Hardcore The Documentary.

[@stevenkunzer9027]

I didn’t mean documentary, I meant a movie centered around Heyman more like

[@jaserogers997]

Don't put a T in HIS NAME, put a T on YOUR BACK!

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

It's hilarious that Conrad spoke as if Sandman invented the concept of drinking beer. I suppose it was a ripoff for more than one guy to ever wear wrestling boots too.

[@pisserplunker]

A little disappointing to hear Bruce say something like "If ECW were the greatest thing they'd still be in business." Most true wrestling fans I talk to don't understand how WWE is still in business since their product has sucked for years. Oh, that's right, sponsors. Yay! It's like saying Nickleback is an amazing rock n roll band just because they have sold millions of records. Doesn't always work like that, buddy.

[@codystrader7594]

Because you more out of touch than the WWE is.

[@pisserplunker]

I don't think that's why, lol.

[@evilepisodespodcast]

Yeah, this is the prime example of the old adage that "the winners get to write the history books" WWE was a billionaire business, it was pretty easy for them to pick at smaller companies and find the trends and tendencies that were going over well and incorporate them into their own product but a little bit more sanitized to go over with the masses. This is exactly what the WWF/E "Attitude" era was. People are kidding themselves if they think Vince came to the conclusion that the product needed to change on his own tuition, the man was pushed into it. If it was up to him he'd have still been running the circus-like show from the early 90's, THAT Is what Vince always envisioned Pro-Wrestling should be.

[@freedom2084]

Bruce yelling the bingo stuff is hysterical,laughed every time but Ecw changed pro wrestling.Ecw created the attitude in the “attitude era” No fans chant Wcw or WWF and never will but still in 2018 Depending where you are in the country ECW ECW ECW

[@thedude4672]

"ECW changed pro wrestling." "ECW created the attitude in 'attitude era.'" You're so naive. ECW was an arm of the WWE (then WWF) and Paul Heyman was a sycophant of McMahon. SMH

[@cobrakaiisback4709]

@Rory Madden I feel an ECW in 2018 away from vince mcmahon in the current internet era would be huge. I hope this is what AEW becomes a ECW/WCW hybrid (the good parts of wcw not the shit parts)

[@BigDaddyKing632]

O-32!!

[@BonesBrigader]

We just thought ECW was a fresh alternative back then. I know it's an old vid but damn I wish Bruce would get over himself. So what if we thought it was the greatest thing ever. What's it to ya? Go eat a sammitch

[@philliptompkins4064]

I find it confusing that a mogul like Vince didn’t just buy ecw and wcw and utilize them...

[@JokerCarnageYT]

ECW the original developmental organization.

[@joshuabowen6589]

The more i listen to Bruce a small amount of dislike creeps up on me

[@deckarobinson2768]

HHH vs TAZZ Was in 2000 when WWE had already won the Monday Night War So to Vince it would have been like FUCK IT bury ECW

[@scottfleenor2036]

It's the Macho Warrior Ric Hogan OHHHHH WOOOOO BROTHER!

[@MarkoAnzio]

Haha. That part has me dying

[@johnbishop4641]

The more I listen to Conrad the more I realize that he represents A LOT of the current wrestling fans today....a bunch of milky white, self centered, loud, attention grabbing, snowflake trolls. And I should know because I'm a fellow troll!!!.-the Troll

[@urbanexplorer6994]

Rory Madden Conrad gets offended over every single thing.

[@evilsWa]

Rory Madden Yeah just like that… It actually is pretty fucking condescending and loudmouth and self-centered to think that because you don’t agree with somebody’s answer that they’re pretending not to know things. It makes you come off as a person who thinks that they know more than they actually are able to since you’re not in the brain of Bruce Prichard. And since your comment is one long question the total doucheist the way to reply to someone, Then I’d say the OP is pretty spot on that that’s who Conrad represents. Condescending self-centered assholes who think that they already know all the answers to the questions.

[@MC-Podunk]

It's easy to talk shit on the bingo hall until you remember ric flair wrestling in places basketball gyms and the sportatorium during his runs as nwa champion. No disrespect but wrestling is just infamous for taking place in shitholes. I loved the bingo hall and the sportitorium though

[@urbanexplorer6994]

HydroArctic Calm you're panties ecw fan. Bruce was having fun and joking with Conrad to get him riled up. I thought it was funny as hell and I loved ECW.

[@darthbigred22]

@1:23:43 Really? You had Jeff Jarrett claiming to be a big country star when half your fanbase is southerners and would know if he was or wasn't.

[@evilsWa]

Lol! “Let’s talk about some of the bigger players in ECW. Raven.” The prime example of the huge canyon between ECW fans opinions of the ECW product vs everyone else.

[@evilsWa]

Sandman Drank a beer and the crushed in on his forehead while smoking and walking through the crowd. Stone Cold celebrated after the win slamming the two cans together. But because “beer” Stone Cold “owes” sandman. This is such crap. Part of the reason they adapted to the ECW style was because ECW wrestlers were no working for the company why is that hard to understand. The “hardcore” stuff was...wait for it...mostly from that ECW alum Mick Foley. Terry Funk. So if Mick and Terry Funk have an idea that somehow means WWE is ripping off ECW? ECW fans need to get the fuck over themselves.

[@joedaniels9802]

how in the hell is HHH as wwe champion going over ever burying anyone or any belt? conrad your logic is wack on this

[@dennismarie6599]

Yo I can't with that Rooster jam I mean damn I just can't Oh I need morē of this in my life

[@henrikschmidt3964]

When talking about the Taz-Triple H fiasco, Bruce loses all credibility. And what is that deal about a Pillman retirement match (in WCW)?? Was that on a secret house show?

[@danc7251]

Triple h was always "game" to goto ecw lol

[@timmylong833]

Jerry Jarrett is a goof.

[@joshuabowen6919]

As much as Conrad can get on my nerves i think he hit the nail on the head when it comes to the HHH vs Taz. Bruce saying that it was a good match up because it could have gone either way is BS. Anybody with half a brain would have known Taz was not going over on HHH. So it was absolutely a burial of the ECW title, IDGAF what kind of BS Bruce"the artful dodger"Prichard tries selling me.

[@Jrocc811]

Ive never watched ECW at all so it always surprises me how many wrestlers ended up there at one point. I never liked Heyman Dude looks like a scumbag.

[@kyleingram3678]

Using emotions to make business decisions is a great idea, however becoming emotional about those decisions is a complete waste of time and energy. Conrad... you are WAY too emotionally involved in the business decisions and match-making XD Facts and Figures don't give a shit about the wrestlers feelings, who cares if Tazz loses to HHH, Jesus Christ, Connie, get off your Virtue Signaling Parade of 1 :P I 100% utterly and fully respect and appreciate your (Conrad **Pronouns, Pal**) knowledge of and passion for the business, but I highly doubt that you would have made it in the business from any position seeing how emotionally thin your skin seems to be. It just sets me off when you start to argue with Bruce about stupid petty shizzz when the answer to most of your concerns is almost always "We thought it was the best decision at that moment to make the most money at that moment", just like ALL of entertainment business decisions XD ::rant over:: Bruce, you have the best troll answers to pick at Conrads emotional side😂 love you both

[@thagatecityking]

Nobody wanted to watch Sabu wtf really

[@raygillin]

B-5!!!! Bahahahaha

[@DRZ23501ST]

nine one one lmao

[@chrishowe4009]

Conrad asks questions that are so irrelevant to the topic.

[@sawyersoze8104]

I love the podcast, but why he is obsessed with dollar amounts on contracts drives me up a wall.

[@marcleon1513]

Sawyer Soze Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t Conrad work in finance so naturally he’s fascinated with numbers.

[@asdfjkl5713]

Not to be an insult, But the ECW fans remind me a whole lot of the Bernie Bros. Today. Not politically, But they are extremely passionate and loud. Therefore, They think there are more out there, than there really is.

[@ozzyisgreat4eva]

Bruce yelling out bingo numbers makes me laugh every time!