…in a business based on the suspension of disbelief.
As the WWE prepares for the relaunch of the ECW brand, there may some conceptual hang-ups with a cable outlet making it’s first foray into professional wrestling. From the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer.
The project got trickier in the past wek as the Sci-Fi Channel people had a meeting with Vince McMahon. They made suggestions including Martians and Vampires as characters. They also suggested storyline ideas including one where ECW wrestlers would go into other dimensions. Some compromises were reached and the Martians won’t be invading ECW this summer, but there will be a Vampire group. At one poine, Sabu was to lead the vampire group, but that has also been changed. David Heath (formerly Gangrel) wife Luna Vachon (above) and Dennis Knight (Mideon) were all contacted to be part of the group.
Paul Heyman is supposed to be a TV character, unlike the old ECW where he worked more behind the scenes. In fact, as things currently stand, he’ll be on the road full-time as he’s advertised as one of the lead stars on ECW’s house show tour. His character is supposed to be something more believable than Sci-Fi, but palatable to Sci-Fi, as they’ve been told he’ll play a cult leader of sorts.
The Sci-Fi Network marketing people are said to be starting to understand they can’t go too outlandsih, but also want to appease the complaining hardcore Sci-Fi fan base that is so negative over the ECW show being added. The Sci-Fi people, as a concession, liked the idea of an on-air authority figure very different from Vince McMahon, who played the part of a cult leader who has people drinking his Kool-Aid.
I don’t mean to tell the experts what to do, but I think I’ve selected the right look for Paul E.’s character :
(left to right : Heyman, before and after)