ECW on TNN

 ECW on TNN

Opening Theme: "This Is Extreme!" by Harry Slash & The Slashtones

Number of Episodes: 59

Running time: 60 minutes (with commercials)

Original network: The Nashville Network (TNN)

Original release: August 27th, 1999-October 6th, 2000

Related: ECW Hardcore TV

ECW on TNN, also known as ECW Wrestling, was a television program produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) that aired on The Nashville Network (TNN, now Paramount Network). Created by Paul Heyman, the owner of HHG Corporation (parent company of ECW), it presented original ECW matches on Friday nights and was the only national television program in ECW's history. It made it's debut on August 27th, 1999 - five years to the date that Shane Douglas threw down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and rechristened ECW (then known as Eastern Championship Wrestling) as Extreme Championship Wrestling. The final episode aired on October 6th, 2000. All episodes are now available for viewing on the WWE Network and Peacock (streaming service).

History:

In 1999, Heyman signed a three-year contract with TNN in the hopes of expanding national awareness of his company. Prior to ECW on TNN, ECW shows were only televised via syndication. For it's part, TNN added ECW to it's "Friday Night Thrill Zone" lineup in an attempt to help build on the increase in teenager/young male viewership that RollerJam had brought to the network. Into 2000, the network claimed a vast improvement in the young male demographic on Friday nights due to ECW's addition.

ECW-TNN Differences:

Early signs of a rocky relationship between ECW and TNN came when TNN president David Hall implied that the program would be "toned down" from the usual ECW fare - which emphasized more violent matches and explicit content than that offered by the two leading professional wrestling companies of the day, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). On WWE's "The Rise and Fall of ECW" DVD, Heyman alleged that the requests from TNN to tone down ECW's content were excessive. 

Another source of contention was the lack of original programming. Unsatisfied with the first TNN shoot, Heyman instead chose to air a compilation of promos and old ECW matches designed to act as an introduction to the company for those who had never before heard of it or seen it. ECW commentator Joey Styles said that "the network crapped on" this episode, and ECW wrestler Tommy Dreamer's recollection supported this assertion.

The network also had reportedly placed a great deal of importance on ECW retaining top star Taz. Initially, the company announced that he signed a lucrative deal to remain with the company. However, the deal fell through shortly thereafter and Taz signed a contract with the WWF just months after the show's premiere.

On "The Rise and Fall of ECW", former ECW producer Ron Buffone stated that TNN provided ECW with a very small budget to produce the program while simultaneously asking for high-quality production on par with WCW Monday Nitro and WWF RAW is WAR. Heyman and former ECW wrestlers also alleged a lack of promotion of the show by he network specifically and by it's parent company Viacom in general.

The relationship between the promotion and broadcaster was reflected in The Network stable, which became part of ECW's storylines during the period the program aired.

Cancellation: 

ECW on TNN's run lasted thirteen-and-a-half months. As part of the agreement between WWF and TNN owner Viacom, RAW moved to TNN on September 25th, 2000, coinciding with a major relaunch of the channel as The National Network. Heyman delivered a shoot promo live on air (announcing it as such). In the promo, he stated ECW hated TNN for "abandoning" them, for not putting out commercials for them, demanding they throw ECW off the air and threatened to sue. Despite brief rumors that the two shows might co-exist on TNN for an extended period of time (in spite of WWF agreement to have an exclusivity clause), ECW on TNN was canceled only two weeks later. Paul Heyman stated on the "Rise and Fall of ECW" DVD that he felt that the ECW show was aired as a test run for TNN to see how wrestling would perform on their network; former ECW wrestler Jerry Lynn would later agree with this opinion. In later years, Heyman also acknowledged that an effort he made to put ECW on the USA Network proved unsuccessful. 

However, RAW is WAR continued to air on TNN/Spike TV (renamed to Paramount Network) until 2005 when it moved back to USA Network. Spike later reached an agreement with a competitor, TNA Wrestling, to air it's program TNA Impact! on the channel instead. TNA's run would last through 2014.