Shell cash in on Rhea ripley and win the championship and Liv Morgan will return and beat her on surprise and win that championship and have a rivalry. This entailed high-profile matches with A.J. After being taken over by Paul Heyman, ECW became much more than an independent wrestling promotion that booked talent not contracted to WWF or WCW. As of late, he has been touring very actively with his band Fozzy. Lance Storm still maintains a vocal presence in wrestling to this day, but if he were currently active, he would likely be a major player in any organization. Without question, RVD is the best athlete the company ever saw, and his feats of balance, coordination, and flexibility are still hard to surpass, even 15 years after ECW folded. Rhyno made his return to WWE in 2015, first as an occasional NXT competitor, then as a full-time competitor in 2016. Funk was ECWs legend, and he elevated so many members of the roster that the feat deserves its own list. Jazz recently had another strong run in Impact Wrestling and other promotions before officially retiring from the industry. Since returning, Rhyno has been a SmackDown Tag Team Champion, reigning alongside Heath Slater. The final year of ECW featured more talents getting a chance in the company with Paul Heyman looking for new stars. Possessing a subtle charisma, small in height but impressive physique, Candido was a student of the business in every way. And, finally, some tag teams were considered as one entity if they rarely wrestled apart. However, that retirement was called off in 2016. WWE used Rhyno for a couple of years as part of a tag team with Heath Slater. The slim Mamaluke was brought into ECW as a member of the F.B.I., and he and tag partner Little Guido had some excellent matches with Mikey Whipwreck and Tajiri, especially in the finals of the Tag Team Title tournament. Before joining ECW -- then known as Eastern Championship Wrestling -- in 1993, Dreamer had wrestled the likes of Tony Atlas, The Iron Sheik and The Brooklyn Brawler. There were a lot of acts in ECW that were over, but it can be argued that Stevie Richards and his Blue World Order a comical send-off of WCWs New World Order was perhaps one of the most over things in the promotions pantheon of talent. Van Dam made a one-off appearance with WWE in 2007, but he stayed on the independent circuit until debuting with TNA in March 2010. The list of his stellar matches is endless: the Stairway to Hell with Sandman; the barbed-wire match with Terry Funk; any number of matches involving Rob Van Dam, The Eliminators, and Taz. WWE and/or its related entities own most of the video library and trademarks. Of the 9 cards in the set, which backs of the 1997 ECW Japanese trading cards featured the ECW Arena crowd fans in the background? After leaving WWF the first time, he performed at The Vampire Warrior in ECW. Before Brock Lesnar, Mike Awesome was the original 21st century athlete. The thing is, everyone also has a bit of a dark realization when they go back, the realization that ECW wasnt as amazing as they seem to think. Related: 10 Things Wrestling Fans Should Know About 2 Cold Scorpio. These ECW wrestlers would have fit in well on the modern wrestling scene. Be the first one to comment on this story. 4 ) Bring in 8 or so original ECW wrestlers. ECW realized that there was an audience out there who wanted an edgier side of wrestling with vulgar promos, violent matches, and generally more adult content. Still, with the little time that he did spend there, Cactus Jack cut some of the most memorable promos of his career, and his program with Mikey Whipwreck where they won the ECW tag titles was a highspot in the companys history. The Michigan native joined ECW in 1999 as Rhino, quickly forming an on-air partnership with Steve Corino. Wrestling as Gangrel on the indies, he was recently seen participating in the AIW The J.T. Lynn was never the most charismatic, charming, or magnetic human being to step inside the squared circle, but damn could the guy give you great in-ring action. Extreme Championship Wrestling, putting the "EXTREME" in "EXTREME" from 1992 - 2001 (Arguably the most EXTREME timespan in recorded human history. Visit here: Harry Slash. One of the more infamous characters to come from the original ECW, New Jack was a 3-time ECW World Tag Team Champion. Shortly after leaving WWE in 2015, Mysterio returned to the independent circuit, wrestling for the likes of AAA, Lucha Underground and other promotions. Stupidity: Sheamus, Bayley, Michin, Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and Cameron Grimes are not Latino/Latina at all and therefore would not fit in the LWO. As Paul Heymans bodyguard, 911 wasnt as much of a wrestler as he was an attraction, but he was very over with the crowd and his finisher remains one of the most devastating uses of the maneuver. Remember how we discussed that New Jack was a different kind of over? Well, The Sandman was even more over. When WWE invaded ECW with the help of Jerry Lawler, it was Dreamer on the frontlines as the heart and soul of the promotion. Only the likes of The Dudleys and Rob Van Dam could be classified as true stars of the industry who managed to thrive past the ECW days. Much deliberation happenswithin wrestling circles as to what the greatest promotion of all-time was, and for many of those debates, Extreme Championship Wrestling is right at the top of the list. This commment is unpublished, pending moderation. In January 2001, Rhino went on to win ECW's World Heavyweight Championship from Sandman. 6 Chris Benoit - 8.89. Going back to the idea of dedicated ECW stars, many of them really werent incredible in the ring. By 1999 however, the magic carpet ride was over. Daniels has had several runs with Ring Of Honor, first in 2002. Althoughhis time in the promotion was limited, Austin made each appearance a much-hyped affair, and he cut his teeth on the Stone Cold character that would make him an international phenomenon. ECW utilized Kimona Wanalaya in the role of eye candy when Paul Heyman wanted risqu segments involving some of the women. Douglas wasnt just good on the mic, though he was damn fine at just about every aspect of the business. He could often be counted on to dive off of the Hammerstein Ballroom balcony with a perfectly timed moonsault. The ups and downs of Tammy Sytch have led to her post-wrestling career falling apart. He has since been back for several more runs beyond one-off appearances on The Edge & Christian Show and on the 15th Anniversary WWE Raw special. RVD competed earlier this year as part of a 5 Star Wrestling tournament. With a 6'6" frame and at 280 pounds, Awesome was outperforming most crusierweights with his incredible aerial assault. Worth remembering arehis three-way bouts with Super Crazy and Tajiri, which usually stole the show on whatever card it was placed on. New Jack vs David Arquette pic.twitter.com/QNjJrPAVnt. From 1992 to 2001, ECW was home to the fearless risk-takers and the best wrestlers in the world. The violent displays put on by the company forever altered both the bodies and lives of individual performers on more than a few occasions. When looking at people like Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, or even Taz, these men never garnered the kind of star power that many others did, even if some had controversial gimmicks. Every once and a while, everyone relives the glory days of the original ECW run. Scorpio's athleticism was seemingly limitless, and he had a naturally entertaining and engaging personality. The legacy of ECW is really about taking wrestlers without much of a track record, mixing in some legends and up and comers and turning it into something on almost no budget. The company had plenty of dedicated deathmatch-style wrestlers, but there werent many of them who were able to put on expertly told stories in the ring. He has since won the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, making him the first wrestler to have held both the WWE and IWGP's International Championships. Van Dam stayed with ECW from 1996 through the company's demise in 2001. Mysterio is scheduled to appear at the All In event in September, so no one is certain as to what the future holds for Rey Mysterio aside from in-ring activity. With green mist and a variety of lethal kicks at his disposal, Tajiri was so electrifying to watch that it was hard to keep him a heel: the crowd just loved him. Enigmatic. If this list were based on the inherent athletic talent of an ECW superstar, RVD would have placed at the top, easily. The list also includes those who helped to promote ECW such as previous writers for this website, TV and music personnel and more. Like many wrestlers on this list, Benoit's time with . As an undersized guy, Kash was able to lightthe crowd on fire with his high-flying moves, specifically his flipping dives to the outside and a top-rope hurricanrana that was just majestic to watch. Francine is the top pick for the most important woman in ECWs history when looking back at her long run. That 1989 debut was prior to his 15th birthday, meaning that he was in his early 20s while performing in WCW. He didnt stay around that long before getting plucked by WCW, but hes involved in some of the most breathtaking bouts in the companys history. For that, the ECW fans made him their God, and praying at the alter of The Sandman was just another part of the show. working with Raven, the Impact Players, and the Blue World Order as a manager. His initial match with Psicosisis onmany top-ten lists of best ECWbouts, and every time little Rey-Rey took to the skies, fans gaspedwith delight. According to Harry Slash (producer and writer of This Is Extreme aka the ECW theme song), which musician on ECW music has also performed and worked with The Rolling Stones, Tom Waits, James Brown, Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Iggy Pop, and Buster Poindexter? The promotion's reputation remain infamous, and the product certainly wasn't for everyone. Someof their best moments occurred while feuding with Shane Douglas. He was also an alluring attraction with torn jeans and tattered tank tops, Balls was known for leveling his foes with a chairshot, but when it cametime to perform, Balls always brought the goods. Sandman main evented multiple ECW PPVs . Sabu, 3. Stars like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson admired him for his work as a wrestler. Funk was already in his twilight when he wrestled for ECW, but he still adopted a moonsault into his repertoire the use of the move proved that Funk was unwilling to let time pass him by. Only The Dudley Boyz surpassed their record of four tag title runs, and the duo evengraced the rings of WCW and WWE. Since then, Dreamer has popped up in Ring Of Honor, Lucha Underground, and Impact Wrestling. Anderson would have likely been a major player. the wrestling org. While there were some memorable voices on commentary for ECW, thats about the most that can be said about that commentary. A four-time ECW TV champ, Scorpio put on high-flying clinics against Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, and other masters of the mat. Originally a member of the colorful Dudley Family, Spike would have more success in ECW . Kash had some fine matches against Rhino, and he was embraced by the tough ECW crowd by being a no-nonsense performer who risked life and limb to entertain. Van Damn had amazing matches with a variety of opponents like Sabu, Lance Storm, and Jerry Lynn, and no matter who he was facing, RVD put 100 percent of his talent into thecontest. Possibly the best in-ring talent that ECW ever saw, Benoit was fearless and fearsome, and his ability to dish out violence was a beautiful spectacle. In the latter days of the company, hewas a top hand, and his placement at the forefront of The Network helped drive the final narratives of ECW. He was part of the ECW invasion angle within WWF, quickly placed into storylines alongside The Rock, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and Chris Jericho. Gutirrez was .more 3 Chris Jericho Age: 52 716 votes List of the best ECW wrestlers of all time. When thinking about all of the great creations to come out of the mind of Paul Heyman, youd be remiss not to mention Taz. Levy was part of the stable known as "The Cartel", along with Cactus Jack, Makhan Singh, Rip Rogers and Max Andrews. Missy was one of the first women to make the valet position a pivotal one. There are few talents as exciting as Tajiri was in his prime while in ECW. For a big man, Balls Mahoney was an agile fellow, incorporating top-rope splashes and super kicks into his repertoire. Before Sid invaded ECW and chokeslammed and power bombed everyone in sight, there was 911, whose primary gimmick was chokeslamming the sh*t out of someone every night in the ECW arena. A relatively small promotion with a fiercely loyal following, ECW launched the careers of future legends like Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero and Rob Van Dam while changing the trends in professional wrestling through innovations like Tables Matches. Scott Levy Actor | WCW Monday Nitro Few antagonists in the history of sports-entertainment have stirred as much controversy in the squared circle as the man from The Bowery called Raven. It's been . His feud with The Sandman took him to the top of the card, and his battles with Raven made him a legitimate sensation. Thanks to Harry for this piece of ECW trivia! })(document, "script"); Copyright 2023 ECWwrestling.com - All Rights Reserved. The ultimate underdog, Whipwreck was notable for his runs as a ECW World Champion and Tag Champion. Terry Funk defeated Steve Keirn in the 2nd round. Corino was great as a face or heel, but he was best when he played the bloody foil to the top good guys in the organization. Truly scary with his featsof strength and flight, Awesome was a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Wrestlers who used more than one ringname while in ECW will be listed under the ring name for which they used the most or were best known in order to clean up the list, since any performer who used multiple ring names most likely has them listed on their personal article page with their current or most used ring name in bold on said page. scar Gutirrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Posted by Greg Oliver | Mar 16, 2022 Rhino talked to SlamWrestling.net where he was first featured in 1999 on March 10, which happened to be the anniversary of his debut 27 years ago. Sandman spoke recently in a 2022 interview with WSI that the . He went on to do some work as an enhancement talent in both WCW and the WWF, competing against the likes of. Beulah became a successful childrens book author and now has a family with Dreamer after they became a real couple outside of the ring. He returned to WWE in June 2013, sticking around for almost a year before returning to the indies. The ECW fans were firmly behind Whipwreck due to his propensity to get wrecked (no pun intended)and still keep moving forward. Please remove Carlito from WWE and remove Angel & Humberto from free agent and change Channing Lorenzo's name to Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo. The legend of New Jack featured stories of him doing controversial actions that sometimes crossed the line. As influential as ECW was, many fans don't realize that The Land Of Extreme wasnt as amazing as they seem to think. Lita became a legendary star for WWE and now is a popular Twitch streamer many years into her retirement. As a part of Shane Douglas Triple Threat faction, Candido was a pure antagonistand one of the best hands ECW ever had: on any given night he could steal the show (e.g. Perhaps no one in the history of ECW embodied the spirit of the company quite like Sabu. Gillberg made a returned to WWE last year as part of Kevin Owens' feud with the returning Goldberg. ECW used Sandman for his strengths as a character that tapped into what the audience loved with his drinking during entrances and kendo stick weapon used in matches. And these ECW stars did more, so much more, than live up to the name of Extreme Championship Wrestling. It was his series of matches with Eddie Guerrero that would put both men on the map, leading to them getting signed by Eric Bischoff for the now celebrated Cruiserweight division. Wrestlers who used more than one ringname while in ECW will be listed under the ring name for which they used the most or were best known in order to clean up the list, since any performer who used multiple ring names most likely has them listed on their personal article page with their current or most used ring name in bold on said page. Rotten started off his ECW run with a blood feud with Ian Rotten, but he eventually formed a tag team with Balls Mahoney as the Chair Swinging Freaks. Breaking into the business alongside Chris Jericho, Storm eventually wentout on his own, becoming one of the top heels in ECW alongside Justin Credible. Brian Damage For all of its faults during its existence, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was for many wrestlersa last chance to redeem a fallen career. Please logout and login again. Chris Jericho is one former ECW star who is still working at the highest level of the wrestling business as a main event player in AEW, and because of that, he is still in brilliant shape. After WCW went out of business, Mysterio joined WWE, which he remained part of until 2015. McMahon and company would eventually present a series of ECW reunion-themed pay-per-views before entirely doing a relaunch of the ECW brand in the mid-2000s. Balls Mahoney, 4. In 1995, Jericho finally made it to ECW after being recommended to Paul Heyman. Home Wrestling 10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Old ECW Wrestling By Cameron Miller Published Feb 28, 2023 As influential as ECW was, many fans don't realize that The Land Of Extreme wasn't as amazing as they seem to think. In fact, Jerry Lynn would go on to have success in WWE, WCW, and even ROH. From 1992 to 2001, ECW was home to the fearless risk-takers and the best wrestlers in the world. Trained by his uncle The Sheik, Sabu had been all over the year a number of times before joining up with ECW in 1993. Tanaka won the WorldTitle off of Awesome in 1999, but lost it back to him just one week later. While ECW's original closure was well over 15 years ago, surprisingly a lot of the talent from its early years is still very active on the wrestling scene. This includes the list of all ECW Wrestlers, division between Men and Women Roster, as well as Managers, Announcers, Authority figures, Producers and other personalities in Extreme Championship Wrestling. ((((t = e.createElement(s)).async = !0))),
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