July 10, 2000 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WWF signs Brock Lesnar, future of ECW, more

With the WWF television situation being straightened out, now all eyes are on the future of ECW, both as far as national television and the company’s survival itself.

ECW was officially canceled, as expected, by TNN effective with the show airing on 9/22. This date appears to preclude any chance of USA Network having ECW ready to go on the air the Monday after WWF leaves (which is believed to be the first week of September, although nobody has been able to confirm an official date), in an attempt to have a wrestling show ready to keep at least a small part of the huge audience that by habit tunes to USA in that time slot. At press time, ECW had not signed a deal for the new TV season.

Reports are there has been communication between ECW and USA over the past week but no deal has been finalized, nor has any decision been made by Barry Diller regarding whether USA would even want a wrestling show for the new season. Those who have been in negotiations with FOX indicate that while they have negotiated with a number of different people, what the station is looking for is a one hour late afternoon Monday through Friday show that would be provided to the network largely aimed at kids and teenagers, which the ECW product would have to be heavily modified to fit. Those who have been in negotiation with FOX about wrestling say they are mainly interested in either doing something with WCW, or doing something with Hulk Hogan, independently of WCW.

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