ECW will become a whole new monster

Paul Heyman's future vision of ECW doesn't so much include thumbtacks, folding chairs and burning tables.

That would be way too simplified for a guy who has proven he's somewhat of a visionary. And on this day over the phone, he's bursting with enthusiasm.

"Look at the hottest stars of (mixed marshal arts). The hottest college wrestling stars. Muay Thai. Jui jitsu. That's what I'd like to see as part of ECW. Wrestling is not just bodybuilders and ex-football stars anymore," Heyman said.

Oh, and about the whole current perception of ECW ... it may be a bit off, too.

"We very rarely use thumbtacks," Heyman said. "The Dudleys use them in Detroit, with flaming tables. Then it was The Big Show and Ric Flair.

"When we used barbed wire, there was a six-month storyline behind it."

Heyman is on board with the new ECW product. And he's excited about it.

"It's not just like I'm a proud papa," he says. "I'm Dr. Frankenstein with his monster. Before the show goes on, I'm like a cliff diver the moment before he plunges ...

"With the enormous success of The Rise and Fall of ECW and the blowaway success of One Night Stand, I thought this may have happened a year ago. But my reaction this year (when I found out ECW was returning) was twofold. First, it was oh s--t ... here we go, back into the ECW business ... it's life changing. You have to live it, breathe it and crave it. One the other hand, it was okay ... we're in this for the long haul. It's not just going to be a couple of months. My children's children will be entertained by a product named ECW."

- Thanks to some "dirt" from tongue-wagging Lita, wwe.com revealed that Trish would be leaving WWE after Unforgiven. Oh, it's true. In real life, Toronto's blonde bombshell will get married on Sept. 30. Still waiting for my invite.