ECW Hardcore TV
Encyclopedia
ECW Hardcore TV was the weekly professional wrestling
television program
of Philadelphia
-based promotion
Extreme Championship Wrestling
(ECW) composed of footage from live shows and recorded interviews.
Even after ECW gained a nationally-available television program on The Nashville Network (TNN)
, Hardcore TV was considered ECW's flagship program. The rights to the show now belong to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
. The show was voted as Best Weekly Television Show in the 1994, 1995 and 1996 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards.
releases of the events. A segment called Hype Central advertised upcoming events and ECW merchandise in a tongue in cheek manner.
Music videos from major musical acts were sometimes shown, interspersed with footage detailing the history of current feuds
, as well as spectacular spots. Frequently, the ending of the show would feature a montage of several different promos, with Dick Dale's
cover version
of "Misirlou
" as background music. These became known as "Pulp Fiction
promos". The purpose of these promos was to maximise the show's limited airtime in order to keep the fans up with all the current wrestling storylines.
In keeping with ECW's unconventional approach, episodes were not structured with a build toward a main event
as with typical professional wrestling programming. Any given week's program could feature any number or type of matches. Owner/producer Paul Heyman's
intent was to keep things fresh by providing variety for the viewers.
(including blood
), sexual frankness, and harsh language
, all of which were key elements of the ECW product itself. Due to the late night time slots, expletives and violence were not edited from early broadcasts, and this helped to get ECW noticed. After the ECW on TNN
program became available, this was a major difference between the syndicated Hardcore TV and the more mainstream program on TNN.
TNN censored a great deal of the ECW content, despite the violence and raunchiness being key features that made ECW unique. TNN did not want the ECW theme song, "This is Extreme!" by Harry Slash & The Slashtones
, because, according to Heyman, it sounded "too demonic." TNN also did not want any references to "hate", preferring the milder "intense dislike", and wanted no music videos on the ECW program. TNN's restrictions angered Heyman to the point that he actively tried to get ECW thrown off that network, and maintained the broadcast of Hardcore TV.
, and was also syndicated. Shows were broadcast on a Philadelphia local cable
sports station, SportsChannel America's
's local affiliate, SportsChannel Philadelphia
, on Tuesday evenings. After SportsChannel Philadelphia went off the air in 1997, the show moved to WPPX-TV 61
. It later moved to a former independent broadcast station, WGTW 48
in Philadelphia, on late Friday or Saturday night broadcasts.
and Northwest Indiana
market, the show traded back and forth among WCIU 26
on Saturdays, and UPN
station WPWR 50
, broadcast in both Chicago and Gary
, on Friday nights, a week behind. Meanwhile, KBS Chicago (a Korean station that also carried Big Japan
shows at midnight) broadcast Hardcore TV on Friday nights.
in Orlando
aired Hardcore TV in a very late night timeslot on Saturdays. Also, WNFM (then known as WSWF), a cable only WB affiliate in Fort Myers, aired Hardcore TV in a primetime slot on Saturday Nights. The rest of Florida
got Hardcore TV on regional sports network the Sunshine Network
very late on Friday nights. WRBW invoked syndex, meaning ECW was blacked out
in the Orlando market on Sunshine.
in New York City
very late on Friday nights. Empire Sports (western NY) and WBGT-LP (Rochester) also carried the show.
in Los Angeles
on Saturday nights, WUNI
in Worcester
-Boston very late on Friday nights, WBVC TV-61 in Traverse City, Michigan
late Friday Nights, WUCT TV-52 in Dayton, Ohio
on Saturday afternoons and late night, and WPTT TV 22
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
late on Saturday nights. It also very late on Friday nights on KTSF TV-26 in California
, and on SportsSouth in Georgia
, Alabama
, Mississippi
, Tennessee
, Kentucky
, North Carolina
, and South Carolina
.
at various times, from the websites of some affiliate stations.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
-based promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
(ECW) composed of footage from live shows and recorded interviews.
Even after ECW gained a nationally-available television program on The Nashville Network (TNN)
The Nashville Network
The Nashville Network, usually referred to as TNN, was an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming included music videos, taped concerts, movies, syndicated programs, and numerous talk shows...
, Hardcore TV was considered ECW's flagship program. The rights to the show now belong to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. The show was voted as Best Weekly Television Show in the 1994, 1995 and 1996 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards.
Format
Hardcore TV was edited from footage of ECW's live events from the ECW Arena and other house shows. It also included backstage promos & vignettes, which were not shown to the live crowd or included on home videoHome video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
releases of the events. A segment called Hype Central advertised upcoming events and ECW merchandise in a tongue in cheek manner.
Music videos from major musical acts were sometimes shown, interspersed with footage detailing the history of current feuds
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
, as well as spectacular spots. Frequently, the ending of the show would feature a montage of several different promos, with Dick Dale's
Dick Dale
Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Misirlou
Misirlou
Misirlou , is a popular Greek song with popularity in five styles of music: Greek rebetiko, Middle-Eastern belly dancing, Jewish klezmer, American surf rock, and international orchestral easy listening .- History :...
" as background music. These became known as "Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
promos". The purpose of these promos was to maximise the show's limited airtime in order to keep the fans up with all the current wrestling storylines.
In keeping with ECW's unconventional approach, episodes were not structured with a build toward a main event
Main Event
Main Event is Australia's only pay-per-view channel. It transmits through Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar, which jointly own the channel...
as with typical professional wrestling programming. Any given week's program could feature any number or type of matches. Owner/producer Paul Heyman's
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
intent was to keep things fresh by providing variety for the viewers.
Censorship and content
Hardcore TV showed graphic violenceGraphic violence
Graphic violence is the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as literature, film, television, and video games...
(including blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
), sexual frankness, and harsh language
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
, all of which were key elements of the ECW product itself. Due to the late night time slots, expletives and violence were not edited from early broadcasts, and this helped to get ECW noticed. After the ECW on TNN
ECW on TNN
ECW on TNN was a weekly American professional wrestling television program that aired on The Nashville Network from August 27, 1999 to October 6, 2000...
program became available, this was a major difference between the syndicated Hardcore TV and the more mainstream program on TNN.
TNN censored a great deal of the ECW content, despite the violence and raunchiness being key features that made ECW unique. TNN did not want the ECW theme song, "This is Extreme!" by Harry Slash & The Slashtones
Harry Slash & The Slashtones
The Slashtones are an American musical group, formed in 1993 by New York native Harry Slash under the name "Harry & The Slashtones"...
, because, according to Heyman, it sounded "too demonic." TNN also did not want any references to "hate", preferring the milder "intense dislike", and wanted no music videos on the ECW program. TNN's restrictions angered Heyman to the point that he actively tried to get ECW thrown off that network, and maintained the broadcast of Hardcore TV.
Philadelphia market
Hardcore TV aired in permanent time slots in ECW's home territories of Philadelphia and New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and was also syndicated. Shows were broadcast on a Philadelphia local cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
sports station, SportsChannel America's
SportsChannel America
SportsChannel America was a cable television network operated by Cablevision. It was the country's first regional sports network, and thus an important ancestor to many of the United States' regional sports outlets, especially Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. SportsChannel New York was the...
's local affiliate, SportsChannel Philadelphia
SportsChannel Philadelphia
SportsChannel Philadelphia was a regional sports network that served the Philadelphia area during the 1990s. The network was owned by Cablevision along with its sister-network PRISM and was part of SportsChannel America. Games from Philadelphia's sports teams were split between the two networks...
, on Tuesday evenings. After SportsChannel Philadelphia went off the air in 1997, the show moved to WPPX-TV 61
WPPX
WPPX-TV is the Ion Television network affiliate for the Philadelphia area, broadcasting on digital channel 31. It is owned and operated by ION Media Networks, formerly Paxson Communications...
. It later moved to a former independent broadcast station, WGTW 48
WGTW-TV
WGTW-TV, digital channel 27, is a Trinity Broadcasting Network-owned and operated television station licensed to Burlington, New Jersey, and serving the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area...
in Philadelphia, on late Friday or Saturday night broadcasts.
Chicago/Northwest Indiana market
In the ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Northwest Indiana
Northwest Indiana
Northwest Indiana, also known as the South Shore and The Calumet Region or simply The Region, comprises Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana. This region neighbors Lake Michigan and is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...
market, the show traded back and forth among WCIU 26
WCIU-TV
WCIU-TV is an independent television station located in Chicago, Illinois. It operates on UHF digital channel 27 and is Chicago's oldest UHF station, signing on the air in 1964. WCIU-TV is the flagship station of Weigel Broadcasting, a locally-based broadcaster which has owned the station since...
on Saturdays, and UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
station WPWR 50
WPWR-TV
WPWR-TV, channel 50, is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Gary, Indiana, and serving the Chicago, Illinois area. WPWR-TV is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network outlet WFLD-TV...
, broadcast in both Chicago and Gary
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
, on Friday nights, a week behind. Meanwhile, KBS Chicago (a Korean station that also carried Big Japan
Big Japan
Big Japan is a four-piece indie rock band from Los Angeles, featuring Nathanial Castro on vocals and guitar, Brad Babinski on bass, guitarist Bret Harrison and Adam Brody on drums...
shows at midnight) broadcast Hardcore TV on Friday nights.
Orlando market
WRBWWRBW
WRBW is the MyNetworkTV owned and operated station serving the Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, Florida television market. It is owned by the Fox Television Stations Group, along with Fox station WOFL Channel 35. Known on-air as "My65", the station offers sitcoms, cartoons, court shows, and...
in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
aired Hardcore TV in a very late night timeslot on Saturdays. Also, WNFM (then known as WSWF), a cable only WB affiliate in Fort Myers, aired Hardcore TV in a primetime slot on Saturday Nights. The rest of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
got Hardcore TV on regional sports network the Sunshine Network
Sun Sports
Sun Sports is a Florida sports broadcasting network, with its headquarters in Orlando. Launched in 1988 as Sunshine Network, the station is now affiliated with virtually every cable company throughout the state of Florida and can be picked up by some satellite providers around the United...
very late on Friday nights. WRBW invoked syndex, meaning ECW was blacked out
Blackout (broadcasting)
Blackout usually relates to the broadcasting of sports events, television programming, that is prohibited in a certain media market.The purpose is theoretically to generate more revenue by obliging certain actions from fans, either by making them buy tickets or watch other games on TV...
in the Orlando market on Sunshine.
New York State
Shows were aired on the MSG NetworkMSG Network
The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
very late on Friday nights. Empire Sports (western NY) and WBGT-LP (Rochester) also carried the show.
Other markets in the United States
Shows were aired on KJLAKJLA
KJLA channel 49 is a digital-only multiplexed full power television station, licensed to Ventura, California, with studios based in West Los Angeles, California. It is a multilingual television station with programming in Spanish, English, Korean, Vietnamese, and Mandarin, and is the home of LATV...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
on Saturday nights, WUNI
WUNI
WUNI, digital channel 29, is the Univision television affiliate for the Greater Boston market. Licensed to Worcester, Massachusetts, the station runs general Spanish entertainment programs as well as news and information programming...
in Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
-Boston very late on Friday nights, WBVC TV-61 in Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
late Friday Nights, WUCT TV-52 in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
on Saturday afternoons and late night, and WPTT TV 22
WPMY
WPMY is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 42 from a transmitter located in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, WPMY is the sister station of...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
late on Saturday nights. It also very late on Friday nights on KTSF TV-26 in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and on SportsSouth in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
Additional networks
- America One Network
- Bravo (UK TV channel)
- Empire Sports NetworkEmpire Sports NetworkEmpire Sports Network was a regional sports network on cable television which served upstate New York from Buffalo to Albany, parts of northern Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio...
Episodes available online for download
Episodes were also available download from the internetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
at various times, from the websites of some affiliate stations.