Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW)

"Gonna leave only comments on promotions since its too hard to rate promotions, personally, due to a variety of reasons such as how every company has its highs and lows (for the most part) and it's hard to balance out. Before I start, I want to make it clear that I don't consider myself a supporter of promotions as I think that support should be directed towards the talent no matter what, tribalism is lame. Positives: Was a very successful Indy promotion in the 1990s and actually got a cable network deal, Paul Heyman (despite his flaws) was a great booker who had an eye for talent, he had/made some amazing in ring pairs (Masato Tanaka vs Mike Awesome, Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn, Dean Malenko vs Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Juventud Guerrera, etc.) that gave us countless great matches, some of the best matches, promos, PPVs, storylines, etc. are from ECW, it's gritty nature and aesthetic was cool and screamed 1990s, was a revolutionary promotion in America (unless you think the company is an "FMW ripoff"), Heyman gave the boys a lot of freedom to do whatever they wanted. (I'm sure there's more, but I'll add them when I remember) Negatives: tons of aspects that have aged horribly like the "political incorrectness" vibe was unbearable and those Bubba promos were god awful where he'd resort to homophobia and misogyny, Paul Heyman was a scummy promoter who bounced checks and jumped ship the moment he knew ECW was plummeting, they have their fair share of controversies such as the Mas Transit Incident, I normally don't target fans, but the ECW crowds were HORRIBLE, some of the most vile human beings you could ever assemble, etc. (Again, I'll add more when I can think of more) Overall thoughts: While I can totally get the hate for ECW, I can't personally hate on this company as it was once my favorite promotion back in the day and I do still love elements of this company as it did have an amazing talent roster with the wildest cats you could ever hire who did the craziest, most gnarliest shit you could ever see in wrestling. While it does leave a toxic influence on todays wrestling, I think the positives make it easy for me to view it as balanced (for the most part)."

[3.0] "The good: ECW was bringing more grounded stories and wrestlers in an era where the cartoon, over the top types were still being presented. It helped launch Stone Cold Steve Austin as we came to know him. Helped propel Mick Foley, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, et al. There's too many to name. Paul Heyman was a great motivator and had a great eye for talent. He was also a con artist and made sure he had a golden parachute by being on Vince's payroll while not paying his own roster. The style and raw presentation of ECW is what gave birth to WWF "attitude" which helped propel them to new heights. The fans were the worst part. I can't believe a niche group of "hardcore" fans had zero issues with beating up women or hoping the wrestlers would take greater and greater risks for their appeasement, like when Bubba Ray Dudley told women they suck cock but oh no, not putting Sandman on a fake cross! Very, VERY soft. Heyman was responsible for growing ECW into a national product but equally responsible for letting it continue to sink because he didn't understand that mass appeal requires some changes. When he didn't compromise and then saw there was no hope, he intentionally let it bankrupt. Now he's celebrated for being a sleaze, rape (alleged) apologist, and having the mind of a 15 year old."

[10.0] "E-C-DUB! E-C-DUB! This promotion had it all, a bunch of crazies, nutcases, whackos, and a bunch of hardcore, degenerate knuckleheads who revolutionized the wrestling business. They were the catalyst for any other promotion that came afterwards, Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, WXW, BJW, WSX etc. Led by the Mad Genius Paul E. Dangerously and Tod Gordon (TOD IS GOD! TOD IS GOD! )"

[10.0] "This promotion left a lasting mark on wrestling history. Even though it was shut down years ago, people still remember it and it will never be forgotten, because it's far too important a part of hardcore wrestling history. The unforgettable rivalries, wrestlers, moments, and spots if I tried to name just a few, it would feel unfair for leaving others out. That's what makes it almost immortal in a way, and in my opinion, it's the greatest promotion that is no longer active. The final speech by Tommy Dreamer before Extreme Championship Wrestling closed down showed just how much the promotion meant to him, the fans, and the wrestlers who like Tommy gave everything they had for it. It proved that ECW was more than just a promotion it was a home for so many people who would love to return to it. And as I write this and think about it all, I can't say I wasn't moved. ECW was truly something special something that will probably never be repeated in the history of wrestling."

[8.0] "I wonder what ECW would have been capable of achieving as a wrestling company if the bankrupcy never came. ECW was a revolutionary wrestling company that was ahead of its time, just to mention some innovations that ECW brought I say the introduction of cruiserweight wrestling with all the young and unknown talents that Heyman took from Japan like Tajiri Mexico like Rey Mysterio Psicosis and Super Crazy but also from USA like Chris Jericho. It would have been really interesting to see what ECW could have been able to achieve. In my opinion a big what if in wrestling history"

[6.0] "I used to love ECW as an edgy kid and they're still a very important company in the history of professional wrestling, but looking back on it with the benefit of hindsight it was also a promotion with many mediocre to bad to outright horrible aspects. I'm not gonna give a massive historical write-up here as it's been wringed absolutely dry by countless books, official and unofficial documentaries, and YouTube essays in the twenty-five(! ) years since the company's demise and I literally cannot add anything meaningful in that sense. This is more of a loose collection of thoughts and honestly I'm only really writing this because I'm laying in bed on my phone while unable to sleep and needed a six out of ten rating to diversify the scores on my account. Anyways, there was a lot of stuff to like about ECW throughout its existence as Extreme Championship Wrestling. When he wasn't screwing over hard-working wrestlers putting their bodies on the line out of the money they deserved- and currently advocating for (alleged) sexual predators, unfortunately- Paul Heyman was a very forward-thinking booker that could utilize workers with limited talents to their absolute strengths without overly exposing their flaws. It's very obviously not a secret and I'm really just echoing what's been said before, but seriously, what other promotion could someone as awful as New Jack get over? Fuck New Jack by the way, I hope he died in immense agony. Anyways, people like Balls Mahoney, Sandman, and Tommy Dreamer were never going to get over in any other promotion but they were bonafide stars for their audience thanks to Paul Heyman. Dreamer has even successfully managed to parlay said clout into a career helping to book TNA into absolute oblivion. But I digress, there were actual talents like Rob Van Dam, Taijiri, and Raven that were quite big in the company as well. They also did a great job at showcasing wrestlers from Japanese and Mexican promotions to introduce an American audience to a wider world of professional wrestling beyond the confines of the WWE and NWA/WCW stuff that was probably eighty-five percent of what people would see as the platonic ideal of wrestling by the mid-90s. It helped expand a lot of peoples' perspective on what wrestling could be in a largely positive way. There were, however, quite a lot of long-lasting negatives that ECW brought to the flaming, barbed wire-wrapped table as well. Underpaid and undertrained wrestlers took excessive risks to entertain an audience rapidly pushing them to the point of, well, extremity. The long-term consequences of this have been absolutely dire, helping to perpetuate and exacerbate the issues of head trauma, drug abuse, and generally carny attitudes that this industry has only really been able to start truly recovering from since the mid 2010s. Once again, Heyman absolutely screwed a lot of these people out of money and basically got off completely scot-free and with the benefit of being a major player in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world with a cushy paycheck where he can promote (alleged) sexual predators. Meanwhile, a lot of wrestlers either ended up desperately riding off the goodwill from their glory years to make money even to this day, burning out due to injuries and drug abuse, or in a depressing amount of worst-case scenarios, dying from either CTE complications, drug overdoses, or suicides. Not to mention the wave of ECW clones that would pop up in the post-2001 wrestling environment in an attempt to replicate the lightning in a bottle by pushing the extremity even further to increasingly diminishing returns. Still, despite all of this the promotion does have a bit of a soft spot in my heart. It was my first real exposure to Japanese wrestling even if I never actively sought out specific promotions until my return to the fandom in 2014. Mick Foley cut absolutely incredible promos that endure to this day as some of the best worked shoot style stuff in wrestling history (eat your heart out CM Punk, you hypocritical fuck). I ragged on Tommy Dreamer earlier but his feud with Raven was incredibly compelling stuff. Joel Gertner still makes me laugh with his crude-yet-clever ring announcements. Heatwave 1998 is still widely- and accurately- regarded as one of the greatest wrestling PPVs of all time. The list goes on. I can't really give it higher than a six because of a lot of the influence the company had on the wider wrestling world did unfortunately turn out to be a bad one over time, but it's also hard to even conceptualize a wrestling world in 2026 where ECW never existed. I salute ECW and the people that worked hard to make a small little Philadelphia company go from undesirable to undeniable. Except New Jack. Fuck New Jack."

[8.0] "Doesn't age well. Revolutionized the industry. Gave televised wrestling the shot in the arm it desperately needed. The technical wrestling they had was extraordinary. Created some very interesting NEW characters. Full of fresh ideas, full of "all in" talent. I'm bothered by things like the crowd being too well lit and the mat being too deep of a blue ...yes, things like this matter because the presentation looks too washed out due to this (not easy on the eyes). WAY TOO MUCH OUTSIDE OF THE RING BRAWLING. All of the "trash in the ring" hardcore matches are rancid. Some of the storylines were beyond cutting edge. WWF and WCW would have gone out of business early if not for ECW. ECW made American wrestling exciting/intriguing again and was THE catalyst for the second boom. I love the Blue World Order probably TOO much but for real, DOES NOT AGE WELL. The bell to bell, the legitimate grappling action is lessoned considerably after the first WCW raid, from there - the bell to bell never recovered until close to the end of the company. This one drawback - is severe. 7.5"

[9.0] "The original ECW was great and it had something for everyone if u wanted a hardcore match you would get terry funk vs cactus jack or the dudleys or new jack. if you wanted something technical you would get benoit guerro Malenko and many other great junior heavyweights from around the world. they had a decent tv show for the budget they had and a cult following as long as u seperate this from wwecw"

[10.0] "A company where I can easily say, used everybody to the best of their ability, and always did right by everybody on their full time roster. They really were ahead of the business and its time. Even when things weren't going well in late 2000, Television and the booking was STILL on point. I really, really miss ECW."

[10.0] "My all time favorite promotion. The grungy attitude is what is really special to me. Yeah most of the wrestlers are pretty mid in the ring but I can't help but love them"

[7.0] "ECW was the rebel promotion of the '90s, the underground movement that changed wrestling forever. They pushed hardcore wrestling, edgy gimmicks, and a DIY presentation that felt punk in spirit. Paul Heyman worked miracles on a shoestring budget, spotting talent before anyone else and packaging it in a way that made WCW and WWF take notice. Without ECW, the Attitude Era doesn't happen. That said, people gloss over the negatives. ECW shows were often wildly inconsistent, behind every classic there were matches that looked like pure bush league. Some workers were outright terrible in the ring. Heyman's creativity was undeniable, but his financial mismanagement and habit of not paying talent tanked the company. In the end, ECW was revolutionary but flawed. It was lightning in a bottle, and its cultural impact outweighs its actual in-ring consistency. The legacy is secure, but the product itself was never as uniformly great as nostalgia suggests."

[9.0] "ECW wasn't just a promotion--it was a movement. It felt like the underground heartbeat of pro wrestling in the '90s. The energy, the unpredictability, the passion from both the wrestlers and the fans was unmatched. Paul Heyman took a shoestring budget and turned it into a platform for future legends. Whether it was the technical brilliance of guys like Dean Malenko, the wild chaos of New Jack, or the emotional storytelling of Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven, ECW had a raw authenticity you couldn't find anywhere else. Yeah, it had flaws--some stuff hasn't aged well--but the impact it left on the business is undeniable. Without ECW, the Attitude Era doesn't happen the way it did."

[9.0] "I might be biased because ECW is what made me fall in love with wrestling but there isn't to much to hate, it really changed wrestling for better or for worse, inspired a plethora of wrestlers in the industry, bassicly pathed the way for the Additude Era. The list goes on and on. Very good promotion that collapsed due to financial issues. Also gotta knock off some points of ECW up untill 96 was abit rough to rewatch"

"ECW is a legend. The company was way ahead of their time. I am sad that they went out of business but I am happy that WWE signed many of their superstars."

[8.0] "ECW was very good, with good matches, stories and wrestlers. ECW's appeal was very attractive. The Extreme Matches was a little seen in the USA (because in Japan this idea was already used from before) and if they knew how to bring this idea to execution. Although the last years of the ECW are the most remembered because there they had the best roster in its history. The right time lasted, it fell in bankruptcy at its best time in content but in the worst economically. Extremely legendary all the legacy of the ECW."

[7.0] "Legendary promotion fondly remembered by fans all over the world responsible for creating the Attitude Era thanks to their success achieved with edgy content. Some great wrestlers, some fantastic stories, but also a lot of crap that people seem to forget due to nostalgia."

"a little overrated, sure, but Paul Heyman's vision and booking practices clearly seemed to be timeless."

[2.0] "We can give ECW credit for being a super-indy that eventually caught on at a national level (albeit briefly) while setting the tone for the Attitude Era. But financial mismanagement shortened the lifespan of the promotion while the out-of-control locker room shortened the lifespan of a lot of the workers who appeared for the promotion. While it may have seemed exciting at the time, watching many of the workers take horribly dangerous bumps in that era before finally understanding trauma of CTE makes it hard to watch (even GCW workers are better protected by comparison.) I'll always consider the talent and titles to be equal to TNA's and pre-AEW era ROH since those are their successors of sorts, but the promotion ultimately failed because they couldn't compete against WWE and a dying WCW - Outlasting the latter by a single day (and the less said about WWE's attempt to resurrect the company as a brand, the better.)"

[10.0] "I can't help but rate ECW a ten, despite it's many inconsistencies and behind the scenes crises that plagued it's later years due to WCW and WWF snagging all the talent, and Paul Heyman just being incredibly tight with cash, because this promotion was ultimately a game changer. This was a true alternative to what the big two were doing, especially in the beginning of Heyman's reign as booker when both of the big companies were still dabbling deep into kid friendly and overly gimmicky and cartoony gimmicks and storylines. This was violent, this was controversial, a true envelope pusher, and it answered a growing pulse of grunge and counterculture. It gave a start to many future legends, top stars, and many great dependable midcarders, as well as new lives for many wrestlers who came from bigger promotions. And hell, even at ECW's worst, there was still good work to be had by it's roster. Has a lot of it aged poorly? Absolutely, hell a lot of shit from all three of the big companies aged like milk due to better sensibilities and and a constant progression of in ring work. But you can't deny the influence ECW has had in wrestling as a whole. If it wasn't for ECW, WWF wouldn't have found it's identity, hardcore and deathmatch wrestling wouldn't have reached popularity in America, indie promotions like ROH wouldn't have existed, and ultimately the professional wrestling world would be a different place."

[8.0] "Good promotion with shades of true greatness but honestly widely inconsistent. Will always have a soft spot for me but it is highly over rated by many imo."

[8.0] "ECW while it may not have had the longevity, what it did do was capture a moment. ECWs impact on modern wrestling is undeniable. It gave birth to many great wrestlers, characters and stories. And allowed old wrestlers a new beginning. Unfortunately couldn't survive the financial issues it faced. 4 stars."

[7.0] "ECW is the imperfect, brilliant rebel of 1990s American wrestling. Lots of ECW absolutely sucked and lots of it absolutely ruled. The cultural legacy of ECW in pro wrestling is massive and unprecedented, you never hear "WCW" or "AWA" chants at WWE events but you hear "ECW" all the time because they had an identity and they left a mark. As I've got older I enjoy ECW less and since watching FMW I do find ECW slightly lacking in the extreme division but still, ECW was good."

[10.0] "I get the hate, but it's a 10. Due to importance and influence alone. Is this the peak of grappling? No. Was it a train speeding towards certain doom? Oh, absolutely. But this promotion is insanely important to where wrestling is as a whole even to this day. Austin, Pillman, Rude, Cactus, Funker, Mysterio, Guerrero, RVD, Taz, Raven, The Dudleyz... All had moments here. Not just moments, but moments of importance. If you don't like ECW, that is truly understandable. But to just say the same old s*** like "mudshow", "carnies", or my personal favorite "nothing but addicts" is laughable. Boy, do I have some news for you about locker room culture and what went on in 80s/90s WWF. It's a damn shame that Heyman ran it the way he did, followed by Vince's purchase then the following steps to make the brand and it's talent look absolutely foolish."

[8.0] "I think it's a fair assessment to say that ECW got quite a lot out of what they had - which certainly wasn't as much as the other 2 big players at the time. ECW went through some phases of having luchadores/cruiserweights and other overseas talent compete in showcase matches, before settling into 'their style' which was ultra-violent, weapon-filled and often bloody matches, often seemingly trying to push the envelope further. Obviously these type of matches weren't good for the talent, or I'd arguably say for it's fans either, as this is what they'd come to love & expect all the time, and they'd be most vocal & unimpressed if their needs weren't satisfied, which can drag down "good matches" and ruin the viewing experience somewhat. ECW was quite a different alternative to weekly Wrestling shows at the time, that many promotions have long since tried to imitate. Definitely a promotion and style of wrestling that isn't going to be for everyone, but there's something undeniably quite magical about ECW that is truly difficult to explain."

[10.0] "The stepping stone so to speak of WWF and WCW wrestlers in the 90s. ECW will forever be one of the top wrestling companies ever. Guys like Dreamer, Dudley Boys, Sandman, Sabu, Benoit, Malenko, Scorpio, The luchadores, etc. made ECW so unique. ECW had great technical wrestling while throwing in hardcore, Lucha libre, and Japanese wrestling. Even though incidents like Mass Transit, Danbury Fall, and the TNN situation, ECW pulled through to pay-per-view and to entertain the blood thirsty fans around the world. ECW! ECW! ECW!"

[10.0] "I'm an ECW mark, so I know my vote is biased. But ECW, for what it was, pound for pound the best wrestling company ever. Listen to Tom & Eric go back and watch from the very beginning by searching "Extreme Timeline" on Spotify, YouTube and all podcast apps."

[5.0] "I've not seen the entirety of the promotion, but I've been watching it from start to finish on the WWE Network and I'm in late 1995, which is supposed to be the peak year for ECW. Being honest, I don't see why this promotion has such a cult following. The wrestling is borderline atrocious. The commentary by Joey Styles's screeching is insanely annoying. Raven is probably my favorite, though Rob Van Dam is great, too. But it just seemed like they grabbed a couple of guys off the street in Philadelphia and started a promotion based on them. It's cheap-looking and the fans are so over-the-top about being part the show, it can turn some off to the product. There's a reason this company died."

[10.0] "10 in every way. Had a little bit of everything every week and the best music and production and bang for the buck."

[8.0] "Not a huge extreme wrestling fan but ECW did it well. Made superstars out of wrestlers who were not top tier with their booking and storylines. Rebel spirit of the show guaranteed a hot crowd. Had amazing matches with great talent like Sabu, Lynn, RVD, Dreamer, Tazz and Raven to name quite a few. Now several issues with this promotion going too far or being too carny but it was still very entertaining majority of the time."

[10.0] "The third biggest company in the time of wcw and wwf. They tried their best to survive and they survifed for a long time which is impossible without the efforts of heyman. One of my favourite wrestling company and still missing it."

[10.0] "Paul Heyman and ECW made the promotion work, and got near the top without having top stars to draw in money for them, almost all the talent was made by Paul, and Eastern Championship Wrestling was seen as a stepping stone in the eyes of many of the talent in the 90s. With talent like Shane Douglas, RVD, Taz, Sabu, The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer and Raven within their title devision it was hard to dislike anything coming out of this company. Wrestlers had their feeling expressed in this company and it was an intersting show, the wrestlers were obviously given more freedom and though they werent allways payed, gave the fans what they wanted. It was either violent or halarious depending on the match, with people like the BWO, and The Duddley Boyz, and everything felt like it had a meaning, this promotion is why I view Paul E Dangerously as one of the greatest to stick their toe in the watter of this beuiness. Thank you Paul"

[10.0] "Whilst ECW isn't for everyone, I will say that the matches may have been extreme, but there was great storytelling in each match. Raven-Sandman, RVD & Jerry Lynn, Raven & Dreamer, etc. Those were the feuds that made ECW great."

[9.0] "ECW was the place to go if wanted to see the underbelly of wrestling. Blood, weapons, more surriel characters were all present here unlike the big two that were growing stale so much that they copied ECWs hardcore style. There will never be another ECW."

[7.0] "ECW was definitely a jettsetter. The company was highly influential, it influenced modern-day independent wrestling and All Elite Wrestling. It was revolutionary, it was iconic, it had the craziest fanbase ever and prior to AEW marks, there were the ECW marks who literally hated the bigger leagues (WWF and WCW). There's literally no denying of it's influence, but ECW had a very big flaw: money. ECW was infamous for Paul Heyman being the biggest liar reasoning out his wrestlers to keep wrestling in a physically-demanding wrestling environment and receive bounced checks. The company maybe influential and all, but we're not gonna deny that Heyman, the creator, also led his own creation into it's downfall."

"EDIT- Sorry, I didn't realize that it condenses your comment into a single paragraph. I didn't mean to make this review the longest paragraph ever written. Anyway, I'm a new user, so I can't rate things officially yet. That being said, it would be difficult to rate ECW anyway. On one hand, it introduced an edge to the wrestling business, which WWF would imitate to a ridiculous degree of success. I never went to an ECW show on account of being a toddler when they were at their peak, but from everything I've seen, it was almost like a party atmosphere that made this rinky-dink little promotion seem so much bigger than it was. When they had pure wrestling between greats that were better known from other promotions, they had some of the greatest matches of all time. And some of the character work, particularly that of Cactus Jack, was revolutionary. However, like many of the other comments, I think that the brand of hardcore wrestling ECW popularized has caused more damage to wrestlers than anything else you see on the actual show. I do realize that there was some degree of hardcore matches for a long time before ECW and there were worse offenders as far as violence goes, but ECW was the most visible hardcore promotion at the time. Not only did many ECW wrestlers die quite young, it inspired a whole subgenre of "wrestlers" that senselessly injure themselves for a crowd of a dozen people, and many of those wrestlers will meet the same fate. The context of why hardcore matches work seemed like it was sometimes lost in ECW, and is definitely lost on the deathmatch-style wrestlers that emerged in the company's dying days. It's supposed to be that you do those types of matches because you hate the other guy so much, you want to kill him. It loses meaning when that's the same style of match you'd have against Joe Indie in his first match. Getting speared in mid-air at one of the biggest shows in the history of the industry is one thing. There's nothing meaningful about taking a giant bump against some fat guy in jorts and a Papa Roach T-shirt, all while a bunch of drunk guys yell "wooo" then forget it happened by the next match. There were also the little problems of rampant drug use and being encouraged to work through head injuries, otherwise you wouldn't be hardcore. Again, seeing how many of their workers have died since they closed shows you where that attitude gets you. If I could rate ECW, I'd probably give it a six. It had many unforgettable moments and storylines and its influence is undeniable, but much of that influence is extremely negative to the business and its workers."

[7.0] "In many ways, ECW was sort of the father of the modern-day independent scene. A lot of what we see now can be traced back to the time Paul Heyman and his crew carved a cult-following of hardened, 'smart' wrestling fans who were tired of the programming put out by WWF and WCW. To them, ECW was their haven. To be fair, this way of thinking is justified as there was a lot of high-quality storytelling, thanks in large part to the booking of Paul Heyman. Also, contrary to the name, ECW was not all blood and guts. ECW was responsible for introducing lucha libre and cruiserweight action to America before WCW helped bring it on a national scale. They also hosted a fair share of excellent workers who would go on to have great careers in other promotions, most notably Chris Jericho, Rob Van Dam, Raven, The Dudleyz, and Tommy Dreamer. With that said, ECW isn't perfect. A lot of the hardcore matches and angles ECW hosted have not aged well and the sexualization of the women played a role in setting women's wrestling back several decades. On the whole though, ECW was a landmark organization of professional wrestling because it showcases the very beginnings of the independent scene we know today and that, regardless of your opinion, has to be praised."

[6.0] "The legacy it left was...I think mostly left a negative vibe on that country's wrestling scene. From the juvenile content, to the jaded fans, the effects of their rudeboy nature still permeate wrestling cultures to this day in a way I don't think the industry can recover from. The hardcore crowds were rambunctious, when it worked, it worked well and was honestly a cool vibe if you're into that thing. However, that came at the cost of the drug-addled roster bleeding and killing themselves every night; plus, the fans were unreasonable and could never get enough. This set the standard for rowdy fans to expect the impossible and get upset when it doesn't happen. ECW had a mix bag of wrestling styles: some were quite good, and others...not so much. I felt less into it after the move to cable, then it died. Anything called ECW after that was a lie."

[9.0] "The groundbreaker. The reason I am the wrestling fan I am today. It was so much different than anything I had seen in professional wrestling and getting into the history, the cast of characters that have come through, made their mark and headed to bigger things, is remarkable. I am a Deathmatch ghoul, so the early stages of my bloodlust were born in the feuds and moments. An incredible company whose renegade spirit is still paving ways to this day. E C FUCKING W"

[7.0] "Besides all of its flaws, ECW had the most crazy loyal fanbase ever and that is a success in itself. ECW was revolutionary in many aspects, represented the 90's era very well, (later) had a grungy/underground atmosphere which was very unique for a wrestling promotion. In it's earlier years involved many great talents but later with the change in it's image had garbage wrestlers like Balls, New Jack. I don't like hardcore wrestling and the names that i just gave but i really liked the atmosphere in it's last years and the talent it had in it's earlier years."

[8.0] "One of the most influential promotions of all time. It's known as a 'hardcore' promotion that had 'garbage wrestling' but it was a pretty well-rounded company at the time, featuring all different types of styles. For people who gave it a chance, there was something for everyone. Heyman was brilliant during this time, making a big deal of wrestlers who, for the most part, were not very good. He hid their weaknesses and flaunted their strengths, which worked out because where one group was weak, there was a strong group there. They did a bunch of bad business towards the end of their run, there was a whole ton of drugs in the locker room, and the promotion never really was that much over regional level of popularity. The wrestlers who were good, were very good and most of them ended up being prominent in the business afterward. ECW's legacy is cemented, and will never be understated."

[10.0] "I like hardcore style, unique personalities, no PG bullshit, crazy stuff and incredible promos, so for me, ECW was the greatest wrestling promotion ever. Their last years were atrocious, after Vince bought them. However, I like to go back in time and recall these great matches with my favourite wrestlers: Raven, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, 2 Cold Scorpio, Cactus Jack, Sandman, Justin Credible, TAZ, Terry Funk, The Dudleyz, New Jack, RVD and many more. Their product was revolutionary. It completely changed the world wrestling scene. Nobody ever seen before as crazy and insane matches as these guys did. Paul E. Dangerously was a brilliant promoter. This company was his life and he put his heart into it. Everything ends someday. ECW died but it lives in our hearts forever."

[10.0] "My all time favourite promotion, yeah some early ECW from 1993 - 1994 is hard too watch but about 1995 - 2001 it's the best promotion ever, wish it didn't shut down."

[9.0] "ECW wasn't perfect by any means, but it revolutionized wrestling. And it did so at a time when the business needed it desperately."

[10.0] "best wrestling promotion ever just finished watching the last episode and I'm absolutely heartbroken because I know I will never find something like ECWWWW"

[10.0] "Absolutely love ECW, they had a real good thing going. Lots if great matches and storylines. Just recently started watching the years I remember 97-99"

[6.0] "ECW was a mixed bag. On one hand, the promotion's revolutionary vision and long-lasting impact is still felt today, making it one of the most important promotions to ever exist. On the other hand, there were a ton of painfully bad to average matches. ECW was well known for its hardcore style but had some great wrestling as well, as is well known. Yet, most of the time I found some events to be a chore to watch, whether it was a one match show or a full event. I will say that their weekly shows were definitely enjoyable as they pretty much got the good stuff in the earlier years."

[9.0] "A consistently fun showcase of quality upcoming indie talent combined with homegrown hardcore wrestlers. Combined with a fanbase that can only be adequately described as "rabid" this makes for one hell of a memorable promotion."

[10.0] "From the moment I sat in the Hamburg Fieldhouse and watched Axl and Ian Rotten against The Public Enemy, I was hooked on ECW. The first major American promotion to highlight Lucha Libre, Puroresu, Strong Style, and Hardcore. ECW, whether or not people want to admit it, changed wrestling forever. Often imitated, never duplicated. ECW will always be my favourite promotion ever. It was a family. In the ring, in the lockerroom, and in the seats. I live a few miles from ECW Arena and every time I walk past it, the memories come flooding back."

[10.0] "I miss the original ECW more than anything else in pro wrestling. It was edgy, fun, innovative, and unpredictable, basically every thing wrestling has been missing since 2002. Even the worst ECW shows were supremely entertaining, and their influence on the industry is unmatched. WWE's Attitude Era (and much of what has survived the PG Era) was brought to American shores by ECW (and then homogenized and made safe) by WWE. Wrestling as it is today owes much to ECW."

[9.0] "Early ECW was my favourite promotion of all time. Every event was perfect and had killer feuds. Once they got popular and started touring is when the promotion started to dip in value. Between better production quality and losing all their big names, they last few years of ECW were pretty hit and miss."