Credit: PWI Insider

The next ECW DVD that World Wrestling Entertainment will release will be titled "Blood Sport: ECW's Most Violent Matches." The DVD will feature the famous Terry Funk vs. Sabu barbed wire match as well as introductions to each bout by ECW booker Paul Heyman. There's no word on a release date yet for the title, or any other matches scheduled for the DVD.

I admit to being in awe of this stuff five or six years ago, but these are the kinds of matches I've typically been the most uninterested by anytime they've popped up on recent WWE releases. A more shaped card for the release will help me get off the fence, but this'll be a release that has most ECW mideons going, "OMG BEST DVD EVAR!~"

This strikes me as odd, seeing as though they can't even say the word "violent" on WWE programming anymore. I wonder how they'll pimp this on TV, call it "ECW's Most Physically Intense Matches"?

I hate that Funk/Sabu match with a passion. Just an awful awful match. It's funny that they could string together a couple of DVDs filled with great matches if they'd just give WCW a chance but we have to settle for a couple of garbage fest ECW DVDs.

Something tells me we'll be seeing a lot of Ian Rotten vs. Axl Rotten stuff, such as their Taipei Death Match.

 

And a lot of New Jack too... (ugh)

Knowing Vince, this is probably an attempt to convince newer fans that WWE is the best promotion ever by releasing a DVD of bad ECW garbage matches.

I doubt that, but I do think they're only hurting the future marketability of ECW by releasing and marketing footage that has done anything but withstand the test of time.

And with that said, it will probably be the next biggest selling WWE DVD of all time.

I think it pisses off Vince, or at least people that have his ear, that there's people who think ECW offered a better product than WWF/E. If they release DVDs that only have garbage (figuratively and literally), they probably think that will prove that WWE product is better.

The New Jack matches will be weird without his trademark theme playing throughout the match, since you know Vince won't shell out for the rights.

I don't think this has anything to do with Vince trying to prove WWF was better than ECW or anything. It's just that Vince or no one else in power ever watched ECW and this is what they think the promotion was about. To be fair, Paul marketed the "hardcore" aspect more than the "good wrestling" aspect so this is what ECW was to a lot of people.

This strikes me as odd, seeing as though they can't even say the word "violent" on WWE programming anymore. I wonder how they'll pimp this on TV, call it "ECW's Most Physically Intense Matches"?

I thought the 'no violence' thing was a Viacom/Spike TV deal. I assume that USA doesn't have the same rule in place.

I think WWE still goes by the policy since Smackdown is still on a Viacom network and they do so much inter-brand stuff.

The other odd thing about it is they're essentially bringing out a DVD showing you all the things that they won't show you on their own programming. "wow, look at this promotion that does all these things that we won't anymore, look in amazement and wow at all the blood and violence, but rest assured that if you're buying this and enjoying it you can piss off because we're not going to give you anything like that, instead you get to watch another 15 minute Triple H in ring promo"

I don't think this has anything to do with Vince trying to prove WWF was better than ECW or anything. It's just that Vince or no one else in power ever watched ECW and this is what they think the promotion was about.  To be fair, Paul marketed the "hardcore" aspect more than the "good wrestling" aspect so this is what ECW was to a lot of people.

Heymen had really no choice. Getting garbage wrestlers is cheap and easy. Getting good wrestlers is neither.

I think us in the UK are "blessed" because all the ECW ppvs and a ton of house shows and TV comps got official UK releases on DVD. This is going to suck though. An easy way to make a great DVD would be a "When They Were Hardcore" thing with current workers in ECW- have an RVD v. Jerry Lynn match, Malenko and Guerrero, Jericho, Benoit, Steve Austin (although his one match wasn't that amazing, if memory serves) and you've got a DVD or two full of genuinely good wrestling matches.

I don't think there is really that much of an agenda behind the release of this. WWE released a DVD called "Blood Bath" featuring steel cage matches as well. The ECW brand through the pay-per-view and DVD's has proven to be something WWE can make a lot of money on, so that's what they are trying to do.

 

Seeing that around 5% of ECW matches are even remotely watchable in 2005, this one shouldn't be pretty. The Sabu vs. Funk match was bad even back then, as it's basically two guys rolling around at the speed of mollasses covered in barbed wire for what seemed like two hours.

And with that said, it will probably be the next biggest selling WWE DVD of all time.

It would be the greatest of all time if it included Awesome vs Tanaka matches. There is nothing more violent than Tanaka taking a Awesome Bomb thru a table outside the ring or Tanaka no selling chair shots. But that won't happen and what can be expected will be some lame Baldie matches with Spanish Fly or New Jack doing staple gun spots.

 

How can they name the DVD Bloodspot and not include a Rob Van Dam match?