World Wrestling Entertainment
As everyone knows by now, the WWE bought ECW years ago. The WWE has capitalized on ECW with various video releases and last year's One Night Stand PPV. This year's One Night Stand PPV was no exception and served as the launching point for the new ECW show on the SciFi channel. For those not familiar with this channel, this is a science fiction channel owned by NBC Universal, which also owns the USA Network. The new ECW is by no means like the original ECW under Paul Heyman, but it tries to be. The first ECW show (06.13.2006) had all the lights on during the matches and too much like RAW or Smackdown. The introduction of a gimmick wrestler by the name of the Zombie did not help. The WWE played too safe that children even would watch it. The original ECW was for adult males although I remember seeing two little boys with their father present when I saw ECW at Elk's Lodge in Queens, NY (April 2004). The second ECW show (06.20.2006) felt a bit more like the original ECW with lights on only over the ring during the matches although it still lacks the thirst for blood and pain of the Philadelphia days. Nonetheless, ECW is back, not as a separate promotion but as a brand, with Rob Van Dam as the ECW champion who also holds the WWE championship (RAW title).

Triple H and Shawn Michaels are back together as Degeneration X (DX) after Triple H getting on the wrong side of Vince McMahon for several weeks (RAW, 06.12.2006). This reincarnation of DX seems weak without Chyna, New Age Outlaws (now known as The James Gang in TNA) and X-Pac (Sean Waltman). Then again, it is too early to make assumptions.
 

Total Non-Stop Action
TNA Impact moved to Thursdays at 11:00 PM on 04.13.06. Impact will not be at 9:00 PM as indicated in February in a press release because that time slot was given to The Ultimate Fighter 3 (UFC), which I have not cared to watch this time. Impact will continue to be aired again on Saturdays at 11:00 PM. The first match of that night (Impact, 04.13.06) was probably one of the best that I have seen in years, Samoa Joe winning the X-Division title from Christopher Daniels leaving him in a bloody mess. I do not care about the blood, but the match was technical yet fast and almost brutal. Sting's first match on national television in five years (when WCW was bought by the WWF) was not as exciting. Of course, it was great to see Sting back in the ring, but the match was mediocre. That same night, Brother Runt (formerly known as Spike Dudley) joined Brother Ray (formerly known as Bubba Ray Dudley) and Brother Devon (formerly known as Devon Dudley). Team 3D (formerly known as the Dudleys in ECW and WWE) is once again complete.

During the Slammiversary PPV (06.18.2006), Jeff Jarrett won the NWA world heavyweight championship during the King of the Mountain Match against Christian Cage (the title holder at the time), Sting, Abyss and Ron Killings. New management director Jim Cornette took the NWA title from Jarrett. On that same night, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels defeated America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) for the NWA world tag team championship and X-Division Champion Samoa Joe also defeated Scott Steiner.