Tommy Dreamer Says WWE Offered Him "A Lot Of Money To Close House Of Hardcore"
Tommy Dreamer recently took part in a media call to help promote his upcoming match against Eddie Edwards at Impact Wrestling's Slammiversary event on July 22nd. He was asked about balancing all of the various promotions he works for and whether he has signed a contract with anyone. Dreamer revealed he hasn't signed a deal even though WWE offered him one in 2015 when he returned to team with The Dudley Boyz in a six-man tag match against The Wyatt Family.
"I learned a lot of lessons in my life. Everyone talks about ECW and the greatness that was ECW and it was. But none of us ever knew that Paul Heyman was in bed with WWE the entire time. I had to live with those effects for a long, long time. I would not sign a contract with anyone. WWE asked me to sign a contract when I went back with The Wyatts and they offered me a lot of money to close House Of Hardcore and I refused."
Dreamer was asked if ECW would be even more successful if they existed today and had social media as a tool. He didn't seem too hopeful that a promotion like theirs would be able to survive in today's world. Several things have changed that would make it extremely difficult to remain the extreme rebels they used to be in today's litigious culture.
"Honestly, I think we'd be out of business and here's why," Dreamer explained. "Everything we did in ECW, most of it was illegal. Music, which was such a huge part of ECW we wouldn't be able to use. If you want to talk about conflicts and drama — I mean we would have riots all the time.
"Now think of the era of the cell phone camera. Now think of we would after shows party with fans. Or have fights in bars. Or think about if stuff went down with the owner not paying people or even writing bad checks — that's illegal. I said it on the WWE Network, most people want to b—h about Paul Heyman but most of them chose to stay."
If you use any portion of the quotes in this article please credit Wrestling Inc. for the transcription