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| ECW Hardcore TV | |
|---|---|
 WWE Network Logo | |
| Created by | Tod Gordon Eddie Gilbert |
| Starring | SeeExtreme Championship Wrestling alumni |
| Narrated by | Joey Styles |
| Opening theme | "Closer"/"Thunderkiss '65" mix byNine Inch Nails &White Zombie (1994–1997) "This Is Extreme!" byHarry Slash & The Slashtones[1] (1997–2000) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 401[2] |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Paul Heyman (September 1993–2000) |
| Production locations | ECW Arena,[3]Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Burt Flickinger Center,Buffalo, New York |
| Camera setup | Multicamera setup |
| Running time | 58 minutes (with commercials) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication[4] |
| Release | April 6, 1993 (1993-04-06)[5] – December 31, 2000 (2000-12-31)[6] |
| Related | |
| ECW on TNN | |
ECW Hardcore TV is an Americanprofessional wrestlingtelevision program that was produced by thePhiladelphia basedpromotionExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) composed of footage from live shows and recorded interviews. It ran in syndication from April 6, 1993 to December 31, 2000.
Even after ECW gaineda nationally-available television program onThe Nashville Network (TNN),Hardcore TV was considered ECW's flagship program.[citation needed] The rights to the show now belong to theWWE. The show was voted asBest Weekly Television Show in the 1994, 1995 and 1996 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards.
Hardcore TV was edited from footage of ECW's live events from theECW Arena and otherhouse shows. It also included backstagepromos andvignettes, which were not shown to the live crowd or included onhome video releases of the events. A segment calledHype Central advertised upcoming events and ECW merchandise in atongue in cheek manner.
Music videos from major musical acts were sometimes shown, interspersed with footage detailing the history of currentfeuds, as well as spectacularspots. Frequently, the ending of the show would feature a montage of several different promos, withDick Dale'scover version of "Misirlou" as background music. These became known as "Pulp Fiction promos". The purpose of these promos was to maximize the show's limited airtime in order to keep the fans up to date with current wrestling storylines.
In keeping with ECW's unconventional approach, episodes were not structured with a build toward amain event as with typical professional wrestling programming. Any given week's program could feature any number of matches or match type. Owner/producerPaul Heyman's intent was to keep things fresh by providing variety for the viewers.
Hardcore TV showedgraphic violence (includingblood), sexual frankness, andharsh 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 theECW on TNN program became available, this was a major difference between the syndicatedHardcore TV and the more mainstream program on TNN.[7]
Hardcore TV aired in permanent time slots in ECW's home territories of Philadelphia andNew York City, and was alsosyndicated.[8] Shows were broadcast on a Philadelphia localcable sports station,SportsChannel America's[9] local affiliate,SportsChannel Philadelphia, on Tuesday evenings at 6pm until January 9, 1997 when the show moved to Thursdays at 11pm. In April 1996, the ECW SportsChannel airings were upgraded to 6pm and 11pm on Tuesdays, with a late night Friday replay at 2am. After SportsChannel Philadelphia went off the air in 1997, the show moved toWPPX-TV 61 on Wednesdays at 9pm. It later moved to a former independent broadcast station,WGTW 48 in Philadelphia, on late Friday or Saturday night broadcasts.
In theChicago andNorthwest Indiana market, the show traded back and forth amongWCIU 26 on Saturdays, andUPN stationWPWR 50, broadcast in both Chicago andGary, on Friday nights, a week behind. Meanwhile,KBS Chicago (a Korean station that also carriedBig Japan shows at midnight) broadcastHardcore TV on Friday nights.
WRBW inOrlando airedHardcore 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 ofFlorida gotHardcore TV on regional sports network theSunshine Network[10] very late on Friday nights. WRBW invokedsyndex, meaning ECW wasblacked out in the Orlando market on Sunshine.
Beginning on January 8, 1995, ECW Hardcore TV aired on theMSG Network inNew York City and the surrounding area at 1 am (late Saturday night/early Sunday morning). From 1997 to 1998, the show also aired onWPXN-TV channel 31 in various late night slots each week on Saturday nights.Empire Sports Network (western NY) and WBGT-LP (Rochester) also carried the show.
WPTT-TV inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania airedHardcore TV late on Saturday nights. The station, now known asWPNT and owned by theSinclair Broadcast Group (which at the time operated the station on alocal marketing agreement with sidecarGlencairn, Ltd. alongsideWPGH-TV, which Sinclair owned outright), now airsRing of Honor Wrestling from Sinclair-ownedRing of Honor, which is often seen as thespiritual successor to ECW.[11]
Shows were aired onKJLA inLos Angeles on Saturday nights,WUNI inWorcester-Boston very late on Friday nights,WBVC TV-61 inTraverse City, Michigan late Friday Nights, WUCT TV-52 inDayton, Ohio,The Cat inCleveland andAkron,Ohio late Friday nights, WPEN inHampton Roads,Virginia on Saturday evenings, and WGMB Fox 44 inBaton Rouge, Louisiana on Saturday afternoons and late night. It also aired very late on Friday nights on KTSF TV-26 inSan Francisco, California, on Fridays at 11 on KGMC 43 inFresno, California, KCNG-TV and UPN25 inLas Vegas, Nevada at 1pm on Saturdays, and onSportSouth inGeorgia,Alabama,Mississippi,Tennessee,Kentucky,North Carolina, andSouth Carolina.[12]
Episodes were at one time available for download on the websites of some affiliate stations.[13]
All episodes are available for streaming onPeacock in the U.S. and theWWE Network internationally.
