The ‘net has been abuzz today with rumors and speculation concerning this blurb on WWE.com:

WWE.com has learned that several meetings have taken place between Acting SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero and ECW General Manager Armando Estrada that, if ratified, would allow SmackDown and ECW Superstars to compete on Tuesday and Friday nights.

While nothing is signed as of yet, locker room sources say that this open door agreement between Vickie and Estrada will be discussed tonight, live on ECW on Sci Fi. No further details have been released, and when pressed for more information, Estrada was tight-lipped (a rarity in its own right).

Is this announcement just laying the groundwork for another deadend story arc, or is WWE management making preparations for the ECW roster in anticipation of losing the Tuesday night slot on The Sci-Fi Channel? Is this a last ditch effort to save the ECW brand, or the final nail in the ECW coffin?

Bryan Alvarez speculated on www.f4wonline.com that Vince McMahon is trying to make ECW more appealing to Sci-Fi Channel execs since they have not yet extended the ECW deal beyond the end of 2007. I would be surprised if that were the case since ECW pulls in higher ratings for the Sci-Fi Channel than most of their other programming.

In fact, ECW’s strong performance on The Sci-Fi Channel probably helps to make some of their other programming possible. A show that lacks a hardcore science fiction influence may not be popular with diehard sci-fi fans, but it ensures they’ll be able to keep watching all those low-budget Sci-Fi Channel Original Movies that make life worth living.

Tonight’s ECW on Sci-Fi may give us more insight into this ECW/Smackdown merger. Right now, I’m all for it since it will allow for different combinations of talent in the ring and if we’re lucky, we’ll see other ECW originals (like Rey Mysterio and Edge) back in the ring for extreme rules matches.