The Rise And Fall Of ECW

[@full6330name]

Is interesting how small arenas usually make the product look cheap compared to WWE but ECW's small arenas made it look more special. It made it look private,intimate and you could feel the exctiment,apprication and love in the air both from wrestlers and fans.

[@dolosavage6295]

Me and your wife were intimate yesterday

[@aegaeon117]

ECW were the most loyal fans ever.

[@clintdeangelis5082]

Wow....

[@BobSaysWhat22]

Best pro wrestling shows (njpw) i watched in Japan were all smaller venues 2000-4000 capacity. On the other hand, big arena shows feel less energetic if it’s not full house.

[@ZeeWolfgang]

Appreciation *

[@wgdavidson9669]

Paul Hayman also pioneered the corporate idea of "How long will people work if we continue not to pay them?"

[@Whogrl16]

which Dixie Carter and TNA also managed to do

[@BoboMcBooboy]

It was actually worse 😅 - beyond not paying - can we get them to dip into their savings as well?!?

[@shashanknegi7647]

That's a Jew, 🤣

[@andrewramsdale]

@@BoboMcBooboy the only one that I know of that used savings was dreamer but he also helped run a few things in ecw I know he paid a few people out of his pocket

[@dionruffin3996]

That’s a paddlin

[@kenbadman4603]

I miss the ECW arena soooooo much! Even in the middle of winter it was hot, crowded and cramped, and stunk like piss, stale beer and pot smoke. But when you were there you were with family. There was nothing else like it or at least anything I've ever seen before!

[@MrZappaman420]

RVD was the reason for the pot smoke smell! LOL

[@andrewramsdale]

@@MrZappaman420 also fans probably

[@D-Fens_1632]

I'd attribute all three odors to Sandman lol.

[@blackcountrysmoggie]

The abrupt ending to this vid was an awesome reflection of the abrupt ending of ECW itself

[@nille_fca6689]

The similarities between ECW and ROH are huge. Especially acting as a feeder system for a „war“. Hopefully ROH‘s story isn‘t over yet.

[@MentalLiberation]

Agreed

[@RickC28]

Fun fact. Paul Heyman has said if they weren't have been bankrupt they would have gone into a Shoot-Style wrestling company like ROH would be. He was planning on bringing CM Punk during this time.

[@vixenofthedead]

aged like milk

[@FishHead84]

Gabe sapolsky, one of ring of honors founders and original bookers worked as an assistant to Paul in ecw so no surprise there.

[@supersasukemaniac]

ROH was originally founded as a spiritual continuation of the wrestling/Non-deathmatch side of ECW.

[@jvstice56]

If ECW had good financial power, chances are it'd be still alive today as the #2 promotion in North America. Paul Heyman may have some crazy ideas, but he knew how to make stars. Give him creative freedom with *some restrictions* and he can work magic. All one has to do is look at the "normal" matches as proof. Many classics helped make ECW strong. It's love for Hardcore made it legendary. After all, people don't chant WCW. ECW is, was, and forever will be a once in a lifetime company. Many aspire to become it, but that is one hell of a legacy to live up to and a massive shadow to escape from. Excellent work Ross and Cultaholic.

[@hobnobbob8006]

ECW was a garbage company that appeared to and employed jackoffs and idiots. Hence why it is dead

[@jb03hf]

Paul Hayman actually with the closure let it limp on for long enough to ensure that the bankruptcy court couldn't claw back some payments to the talent.

[@Green_Ranger05]

1995 & 1996 are such underrated years in ECW

[@marbin1991]

💯

[@Santiago11200]

Naw real ones know y’all just finding out

[@chadconery8284]

100 percent

[@Thor-Orion]

1994-1997 were there best years by a long shot.

[@KingJadInfiniteHope]

@@Thor-Orion 1995 - pre tnn

[@davidgarcia0604]

Literally was just watching the rise and fall of TNA

[@marbin1991]

Link ? ☺️

[@leftwingdragon6235]

@@marbin1991 Just search fall of TNA Cultaholic.

[@supersasukemaniac]

It is so weird seeing the evolution of Tommy Dreamer,seeing his first match against Tazmaniac where he was booed out of the building from the first bell. Then earning the crowds respect with his resolve and fighting spirit. By the end of the match, Dreamer lost, but the reactions he got from the crowd surprised everyone, even Joey Styles on commentary said "Maybe this kid will make it in ECW after all." He cemented his legacy when he lost to Sandman in match where the lower would receive 10 hits from a Singapore Cane, after each hit everyone was pleading for Tommy to give up, each time he got up, looked straight at Sandman and said,"Thank you sir, may I have another."

[@talonthehand]

Ross has a fantastic booming voice for this

[@ViraL_FootprinT.ex.e]

Man I remember hearing rumors of this ultra violent "real wrestling" promotion that only came on one of the public access channels after midnight on the weekends where I lived. That was normally the time when I'd be up all night playing _Mortal Kombat II_ or watching the _Spawn_ cartoon, but I made it a point to tune in this one night, and that's when I became hooked on ECW. The crowd. The matches. The gore. The absurdity of it all... It was like nothing I'd ever seen, and perfect for a middle school aged kid like me.

[@chadconery8284]

I lived in Ohio in the 90s and the early 2000's and I would stay up past 4 am just to catch ECW sometimes it was on sometimes it was not . I was such a fan I found a t shirt from ECW at a flee market . It was 2 sizes to small. I bought it and lost weight just to wear it at a show I skipped school to go see. Thank you for the video !

[@WrestleKrysti]

Imagine if other documentaries covered this with official footage and interviews from ECW wrestlers? That.. phew.. thank God it didn't happen. You are the top guys now, pioneering ECW content in a world where there is none. Encore! Encore!

[@Marc_Araujo]

I still remember when I was 12 and discovered ECW on a random PPV I stumbled upon on my cable hotbox. It was a weird and eye-opening experience and I was equally confused and enthralled...it was glorious. RIP E-C-f'n-W!!

[@Spetia]

The Sandman, as Brian Zane says, is a cane type pokemon, he is immune to the kendo sticks

[@sadetwizelve]

I was around for ecw,i can honestly tell you it was cooler than aew

[@GregBurch]

Yeah. Aew has lost a lot of steam quickly.

[@Connor-zl8gi]

@@GregBurch It's all because of one man, two words: Tony Khan

[@thomasmb3552]

No idea how you managed to fit all this into a short video, great work everyone

[@jackmackakaheavyguyhaiku545]

I love ECW. I do think that there are two companies that managed to capture some of their magic. Ring Of Honor- when they started on TV in my area, Hampton Roads, VA, they had that energy. AEW- they made a seismic shift to the the world of pro wrestling that is still being felt today and will be for years to come.

[@jackmackakaheavyguyhaiku545]

@Samuel Giam I was just talking about the vibe they capture, their respective energies are similar. Plus they all have garnered a similar loyalty from the fans.

[@reesebecker4838]

I’m also from the 757!

[@bls8959]

Aew could be something special if Khan wasn't bookng

[@sicknickmondo16]

@Samuel Giam But ROH History is a major part for the evolution of AEW . If it wasn’t for a few events and if different decisions were made with ROH , There wouldn’t of been a need for AEW .

[@majinnando6711]

I like your comment, reminds me of how TNA recaptured some of the WCW magic for me. Of course there were problems with the product but the X Division, ex WWE stars having a second platform to get back into relevance, and stars like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, James Storm, and more made TNA that much more special for me, especially being a local show close to me. Props.

[@PapaSmurf11182nd]

ECW One Night Stand 2005 still is one of my favorite ppvs in my time.

[@justincase5583]

Yesssss

[@joh7538]

I was lucky enough to attend 4 ECW shows. It was AWESOME!! we have introduced our kids to ECW and they love it. I miss it.

[@hobnobbob8006]

So ur kids find it awesome watching people staple each other in the head, smash each other with broken glass, carve each others skin with knifes and give each other second degree burns just for fun?

[@MSI-]

17:44 "Real Jobs" Blasphemy!!! Bollocks to Ross, Bollocks to Cultaholic

[@MasterSartorius]

Hard to think it's been gone for 20 years

[@alexa5675]

*FACTS*

[@alexa5675]

THIS is amazing, coming soon... the 'Rise and Fall of ROH'

[@royshaheer]

OK this is too soon but I want to observe after the new rebranding before we see this...

[@alexa5675]

@@royshaheer for sure. I wasn't saying I want this tomorrow, twas just "watch this space".

[@HeartlandNewsfeed]

@@alexa5675 I dunno...I think Sinclair Broadcast Group did a lot of damage to the brand. Even more during the pandemic. They have no roster and it's up for sale. I would imagine Tony Khan might put up a bid, considering acquiring the Sinclair archives of ROH and the intellectual property could boost a streaming deal in addition to TV.

[@kshinokevin]

Yes...

[@kokotheclown2588]

Well that aged like Milk

[@adityakhan5557]

Ecw documantries gives tears.. always 😭

[@Zorzu-df5mm5wb6t]

2006-2007 was the las time ecw felt like ecw

[@monitor-mindtheover-void6712]

I was literally searching this same topic today but didn't got a detailed video to watch, and here you are by some coincidence, uploaded the damn video 1 hour later. What can I say?

[@kidwaryodproduction]

2:22 - 2:27 Tommy Dreamer - Dean Malenko with Rick Martel hair. Sandman - Stone Cold Tazz - Jimmy Snuka 5:15 Why it's looks like Konnan getting high and ready to punched Heyman 😅

[@TheThird1977]

Excellent video and great narration from Ross.

[@Vesperitis]

Funded by WWE? Got its best talent constantly poached? Had a loyal fanbase that didn't translate into high ratings? Why does ECW remind me of NXT?

[@joshamous5144]

Axl Rotton talked about the Mass Transit incident and it wasn't a family emergency it was Paul Heyman fucking up his plane ticket

[@Gchildwarrior]

Holy ish!

[@ErdrickLoto86]

Nothing today can even come close to ECW did. There's that little something that's missing from wrestling today that can't be compared to the magic ECW produced.

[@Grant-dg8wp]

I discovered eastern championship wrestling late night on local TV. I got hooked cause it had guys I remembered who had left wwf or WCW. I followed it through the extreme championship wrestling til the very end. Even made myself almost a regular at Swanson and Ritner.

[@inuenndo_]

Oof two bangers on this sunday. You love it

[@benespinosa6725]

I Have a Ton of ECW DVD'S And My Favorite Angles were Shane Douglas Vs The Pitbulls Tazz Vs Sabu And Tommy Dreamer Vs Raven And My Favorite Match is the four Corners Elimination Match for the ECW World TV title at ECW Heatwave 1996 Barley Legal was an amazing PPV from Beginning to end.

[@micshork]

Amazing work. I hope you do something like this but for WCW.

[@mattbradley1202]

even though ecw would never work in the pg era its a reminder of how great a wrestling mind paul heyman actually has

[@gh0rochi363]

WWE isn't in the PG era anymore 😂

[@GracefulEloquence]

Even if Heyman had money to keep ECW afloat without stealing from his “talent,” it would have gotten shut down for being too stupid and too violent.

[@gh0rochi363]

Naw

[@Atroz7]

Being a kid from Philadelphia this hits in the pheels

[@marbin1991]

It was a blast 💥 ECW was a phenomenal wrestling show good times legendary 💯❤️

[@joeywrestling9536]

Another phenomenal video, Ross!! Completely inconsequential but I'm curious to know as to why Lawler left Raw in 2001? Unfortunately I wasn't actively watching during this time period. I think I remember hearing that Vince fired one of Lawler's (many) exes.

[@codino97]

if Im not mistaken it was due to them firing his wife Kat it was sort of a protest

[@joeywrestling9536]

@@codino97 Good call… I think that’s absolutely correct

[@elhombremysterious8296]

@@codino97 Temp wife. LOL

[@supersasukemaniac]

The thing that made Shane Douglas' infamous "The NWA is dead!" moment work? The tournament wasn't just for the NWA title, but the ECW title as well. There was a champion going in (I think Sandman in his surfer gimmick) but all his matches where for the title, and if he lost the title was vacated and determined at the end of the Tournament, I think he lost in Round 2.

[@Hawk21480]

I was ringside at Anarchy Rulz 2000. I know that ECW was in a down turn at that time, but damn that was so much fun.

[@Johnoplata]

Great job as always, Ross

[@highergingerbeing5134]

I was born the day ECW put on their first PPV dont you dare say im old

[@brianwatchorn4968]

Absolutely fantastic work as always Ross. You're knocking these vids out the park son keep er lit ;)

[@theghostreckon316]

Vince McMahon knocks on door: Hellllllooooooo

[@marbin1991]

Haha 😂

[@RyanLBrown9396]

WWE and WCW were like Looney Tunes vs Disney cartoons. ECW was South Park

[@KenRising1996]

In a way that's accurate

[@AdamNRG316]

Listened to this in shower and it few by. Great writing and presentation Ross.

[@rcinematic]

I’m so glad I got kicked out of school in California and sent to live with my sister in Virginia because I saw this on TV and it was the wildest thing I’ve seen. I don’t think it aired in the west coast at the time. Hearing the natural born killaz theme song, foos jumping from the balcony, barbed wire everywhere, and other extreme things were all amazing. I thank KZbin for being a Time Machine!

[@KelticTim]

I’m from Boston, the local papers made the Mass Transit incident out to be a premeditated attempted murder. It was a pre med maiming if anything

[@brodydaube4136]

bit upset they dont have more documentaries on youtube about ecw, this show was a sight to see growing up

[@Hallofshame-f7x]

Do the rise and fall of ring of honor

[@TheMC1102]

You should do the Rise and Fall of Ring of Honor.

[@lilsunny7399]

except overlooking the recent events due to the pandemic (which are temporary) it never had a fall. Nor a major rise. It was always great wrestling but never close to the big leagues.

[@vagamer522]

@@lilsunny7399 the fall happened when the Elite left and made AEW and all this happened when ROH helped them make all in

[@lilsunny7399]

@@vagamer522 but were they really any bigger with the elite compared to say, the days of punk and danielson? Twinkle Toes and The Hardly Boys were more known for their work in Japan. Yes RoH helped with All in and as a result AEW happened. But RoH was never that big to begin with.

[@slimshady12345ish]

This video feels topical with what is happening with ROH which in a way was the successor to ECW an evolved version as Paul heyman once referred to as such. If ECW influenced 90s wrestling, ROH influenced today's wrestling.

[@queeflandbrown]

Fun fact. Tito Santana was my Spanish teacher in middle school lol

[@wilrivera2668]

... it sucks that it wasn't the product that brought them down; but, rather, management ...

[@raydeutschland8013]

I can’t watch “WWE” because I watched it in its “hay day” when it was WWF! After many years of NOT watching wrestling ECW made me a fan again. It was like the “Wild, Wild West” of wrestling. It was allowed to go on and you couldn’t believe it!!! and knew it would eventually be shut down. Just like our alcohol fueled street parties, if you were a late 90’s teenager. It was something special that you recognized could only happen then AND for a short amount of time. If you were 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 then you were extremely lucky and you probably realized it. Screw the teenagers of the 60’s!!! Nothing will ever beat being a teenager in the late 90’s!!! It was the last era before everyone had a cellphone and the internet! It was a ridiculously special time!

[@KelticTim]

Unpopular opinion, 911 did a terrible choke slam. Half the time the guys landed on their sides, not their backs, and it looked like shit.

[@chriscastro5332]

I remember here in Jersey i use to sneak and wait every Sunday night at 1 am to watch ECW on MSG channel 20 on cable worth the beatings since it was a school night next day 😂😂

[@judasfire]

Vince should've never brought back ECW as a brand. The 2005 tribute show would've been enough. It should've been buried like WCW. Because the ECW brand ended it as a joke. I mean the whole thing was just a watered down PG brand , boring wrestlers and the last ECW Champion was Ezekiel Jackson , who is a jobber basically , so all that great history went down the drain.

[@jerryjanik480]

These are as good as dark side of the Ring I love these videos thank you for making them

[@yujirohanma5199]

It might not be ECW in it's Prime, but GCW is trying to produce that same energy

[@ded6142]

Not even close… ECW actually had some talent.

[@sherrix6881]

It was a product of its time. Crazier shit online now

[@querubinangeles2478]

Jan 13th? Guilty as charged 2001 took place on Jan 7, 2001. I watched Bloodsport ECW: the most violent matches and Paul E. himself said that, where did jan 13, 2001 came from?

[@StillOnFire]

I never watched ECW live at the time, but I got into wrestling around 11-13 in the late 90s - early 2000s. In the UK, I watched WWF on Sky One (I also have a memory of watching a Royal Rumble on channel 4 with a brother in the middle of the night around this time, but unlike some, my memorys fade and mingle), and a lot of WCW on (I think) channel 5, maybe 4? I was a huge Booker T and Lance Storm fan (and was upset how both were treated during the invasion angle). Anyway, ECW was always a mythical thing for me growing up, playground rumours about the crazy things that happened, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, and oddly New Jack were huge figures on the playgrounds. Sadly, while some great things, looking back on fresh eyes, ECW is rather meh. Perhaps due to the expectations and myth of it all?

[@arthurrammusa5810]

Same here. I only got wind of ECW through their Sony PlayStation 1 video game and was surprised to see WWF acts on it namely RVD, Tazz and The Dugley Boyz. It was only then did I do a search on the company and learned about hardcore wrestling. Good Times

[@AntiChannel1]

And Hayman told Vince that WCW is a dead brand, he should focus on ECW...

[@theanimal619]

3 top moments I saw first hand when they happened in ECW...The Crucifixion of Sandman...my God literally the fans were silent then a small scatter of applause happened...Dreamer finally beats Raven...the way he finally won over Raven was cheap when everyone knew Raven was leaving for WCW but was a great moment for Dreamer... Barely Legal 97... seeing that it is on PPV for the first time was so epic and seeing Terry Funk win the 3 way dance then the world title was monumental and something I'll never forget Funk's win made everyone in the arena cry because he was a God to us all E-C-Dub 4EVER ☝🏾🤘🏾🔥💪🏾👍🏾👏🏾🙏🏾🍻🖕🏾

[@denniswilliams6519]

Paul Heyman is both the best and worst thing to happen to ECW. He gave the promotion its identity and his creative energy helped make many stars. But his lack of ability to actually run a business meant ECW was always a promotion on life support.

[@D-Fens_1632]

Things like this aren't built to last, they can't. They always peak then crash and burn out before you know it and evolve into something else or fade away.

[@OkOk-dc6sq]

Hope GCW will be the successor of ECW in the future

[@luigivincenz3843]

E C DUB! E C DUB! I still remember that during (or after) the Attitude era would try to catch ECW on cable on another "outlier" network after 11 pm lol. I kinda remember there was a long pause before a Tazz and Mike Awesome match and Kimona came out for 10 minute strip tease. I was sold.

[@monjitkuch6792]

Greatest ECW champion of all time Johnny Nitro.

[@1987phillybilly]

MAN! How many hours I spent in South Philly watching this at the arena.....MAN!!

[@realdaniz]

Every Divas champion rank worst to best

[@WrinkledPlatypus]

I'll never forget staying up late watching ECW as a teenager. So much better than WWF or WCW at the time.

[@crazyhorse9227]

ECW...ECW....ECW!!! OH MY GOD!

[@briwanderz]

I say this after every ECW (or WCW) overview like this but.. I still wonder what would have happened if ecw and WCW had actually joined forces into one show, then possibly also with roh, TNA probably would not have happened, but maybe it would have worked, if the egos didn't clash too much.

[@robertt9342]

Nothing, they were both going bankrupt.

[@alexa5675]

Why the f--- did this video suddenly end at 18:37? I suppose it's for the best.

[@tri-statePoP]

Those terry funk matches with sabu were just brutal …miss ecw

[@YallLuvXeno]

The ONLY problem I have with this vid is that he called taz UFC inspired which isn't true. The UFC wasn't around by that time but mixed martial arts technically was. Other than that great vid guys!

[@Skorpio420]

UFC started in 1993. It just wasn't the juggernaut it is now. In fact it was banned off pay-per-view for a while for being "too violent" (which it wasn't).

[@zachpm1309]

“LADIES & GENTLEMEN… MY NAME IS PAUL HEYMAN! And I Am The Special Council & Wiseman for… Your Tribal Chief… THE REIGNING, DEFENDING, UNDISPUTED WWE UNIVERSAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION… ROMAN REIGNS!”

[@DJVm4GOD1]

To be fiar to the new ECW. I don't think it was that bad. The main issue that it had, was well. It had ECW's name. If it didn't, it would've been a success. It's why NXT after the weird seasonal game show phase, was a success when it became it's own show. If the revived ECW, wasn't ECW and had a diff name, it would've worked.

[@robertt9342]

My opinion is that NXT is such an obvious WWE product, it actually undermines the WWE.

[@spockb1186]

It was a great promotion of pro wrestling without a doubt, when it comes to a graphic hardcore no holds barred anything goes type of wrestling when there's blood, weapons, and much higher risk flying moves that can land like an atomic bomb. We will never forget ECW, 4LIFE!

[@hobnobbob8006]

Except for the fact that it wasnt a pro wrestling company

[@reggiefurlow1]

I'm from CT and this used to come on a the really horrible station and I used to spend so much time adjusting my TV antenna to watch it.

[@cville991]

Man, 1997 had the Mass Trans Incident and the Montreal Screwjob.

[@ritwikjs]

i hope people realise that it's heyman's fault that ecw died. he wasn't a good businessman and didn't delegate well enough. he couldn't ride the moment forever

[@Imhim247]

1:55 background song?

[@StankyPack]

If I wasn’t 10 yrs old I would’ve done anything to go to one night stand in 2005 . I remember seeing the “if cena wins we riot” and legit getting chills that was an intense show

[@stevenlopez6645]

That was 06 you dumba*s

[@marbin1991]

Happy Halloween 🎃 👻✌️

[@oscarkoop2548]

What Vince never understood was competition is good for business.

[@kwmusic4560]

Oh good, another ECW video, telling the same stories we've all heard a million times already, made by people who weren't there to witness it themselves. At least I made one of the pictures.

[@Nbflowers1989]

Great stuff!!!

[@johnsawh1867]

Went to a few ECW shows in Tallahassee Florida

[@StillBrokeOff]

man i stopped watching wwe when ecw went away, i miss ECW !!!

[@MRJLS15]

I enjoy these in depth break downs

[@dougwhaley1734]

When ecw died wrestling died hard believe it was a 3 rd tier company but wrestling actually declined afterwards

[@sithsoldier98]

Man that dude with that straw hat was always there front and center 😂

[@andamtshintsho4454]

This is a great video.

[@mattalan6618]

even now when the WWE makes a sop in Philly the fans still chant for ECW

[@jerransperarman9411]

good video

[@misternobodysixtynine]

I suppose your channel should do a video essay on Ring Of Honor sonetime in the near future eh