The True Story Of ECW One Night Stand

Of all the feel-good wrestling reunions that have ever been pieced together, few have been as celebrated or heralded as the one held in front of an intimate yet vociferous "Big Apple" crowd in mid-2005. ECW One Night Stand was a night of rediscovery, brashness, controversy, and a familiar blend of violence that one might consider "quaint".
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Cultaholic provides video coverage of professional wrestling - including WWE (including WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, NXT and 205 Live), AEW, IMPACT Wrestling (formerly TNA), NJPW, ROH, and more with daily news updates, reviews, lists, highlights, predictions, reactions, podcasts and much, much more.

[@michaelreich4827]

ONS was like a 5-year high school reunion, where everyone still pretty much looks and acts the same, some friends were lost along the way, and the memories were greater than the events themselves.

[@MohamedAli-xu3uw]

Its like having a swimgers from the glory years.

[@djtrankilo231]

It definitely happened at the right time.

[@andrewlynch1754]

It was a microcosm of ECW itself.

[@pauliewalnuts829]

The Awesome vs Tanaka match at ONS is one of my favorite matches ever. They beat the shit out of each other. Hardcore doesn't always mean blood and broken glass. The Jericho and Lance Storm match is kind of underrated I think.

[@damonodell9125]

They had better matches in 99 ecw

[@dareason7581]

i just finished watching Awesome vs Tanaka... that ending was crazy FAM!!!! Man awesome bomb tanaka on the table outside of the ring... tanaka seemed like he hulked the fuck up then awesome flys to him lmfao shit is nuts!

[@bigjoeofthe707]

Did you hear the alternate commentary for the event? Lmao. Oh man. They mic’d up the anti-ECW coalition led by JBL, Kurt Angle, & Eric Bischoff. Man the commentary during the Awesome-Tanaka match. JBL called Tanaka his limo driver.

[@bnrso]

@@dareason7581 that dive comes out of fucking nowhere too lmao

[@LTKK]

@@bigjoeofthe707 I never knew that. Now I want to watch the whole show again but with alternate commentary lol

[@zacheatsworld]

Growing up in the Ruthless Aggression era, I never heard of ECW til the Rise and Fall of ECW dvd. As a kid, I had no idea this kind of wrestling exist and it was a sight to behold. ONS 2005 was a great event.

[@angel.hernandez6669]

Poser

[@Peerocka]

Same here, class of 96

[@thomascolella8341]

How old were you?

[@zacheatsworld]

@@thomascolella8341 I was 10 when I got the dvd.

[@Oldschool1943]

@@Peerocka ecw existed since 92 and appeared in wwf shows twice before going out of business with wcw. hold that L mr. class of 96.

[@nikobellic8627]

i love that vince loved the jbl joke heyman made.

[@blackcountrysmoggie]

In 2005 I was weaning myself of wrestling as I was about to head to uni and knew I wouldn't be able to follow it like I would want. This show was perfectly placed for me and was exactly what it needed to be. It provided a real blow out nostalgia trip for the late 90s gritty feeling product that hooked me in through my adolescence. It will always hold a special place in my heart 🙂

[@FrostWazowski]

What an event to see as sort of a "final farewell" to your following of the wrestling world. While I could say it's one of the greatest wwe ppvs of all time (I'll never call it a "premium live event" because it sounds stupid) I could just as easily say that it's not REALLY a wwe ppv, especially when compared to it's sequel the following year.

[@matthewsales8983]

Saw this in the movie theatre (when that was a thing.) Unbelievable memories from that time. I graduated high school in '05, and this PPV was huge in keeping me interested in my late teens/early 20's. Now, I don't care what is "cool" or not and am back being a huge wrestling nerd. But, it really was an awesome time and kept my passion ablaze.

[@intuitivelymagician2076]

Graduated grade 8 in 05

[@Ivantheterrible81280]

This PPV was a perfect example of Vince playing the political short and long game. Give the fans a little “moment” let them feel like they have their victory, but in the meantime crush the brand and everyone involved in the long run. He made money, made ECW a joke, and buried it. Total victory.

[@vampirascoffin870]

What's also crazy Shane was going to own ECW have Paul as the booker , make ecw a internet exclusive company and have mma/shoot mix with wrestling basically become nxt before it became cool & Vince was hating quickly cutting the legs off

[@MarvinT0606]

ECW died when it went bankrupt and got sold. Vince just gave it a proper funeral. It was awesome while it lasted.

[@TheMoonsmith]

There is nothing as exciting as a lunch break with a fresh cultaholic video!! Much love and thanks y’all 🥳

[@adamadkins4028]

I remember watching this on PPV with my lapsed wrestling friends who kind of lost their passion after ECW and WCW closed. I won't forget how hard we popped for Heyman's promo on Edge and JBL It was a fun, nostalgia-fueled night

[@venomousnate7263]

ECW: One Night Stand 05 is one of my all time favorite shows. I didn’t watch the original ECW when it was around, but this a neat little piece of what it was all about.

[@Topeq_Fiasco]

Still give me chills when i remembered Awesome vs. Tanaka match.

[@SegaCDUniverse]

I didn't see this live, but it's good and boy did I love OG ECW. Great, great memories!

[@curlybizkit5384]

Still remember watching this Live free on Channel 4 here in the UK,was amazing

[@jackmackakaheavyguyhaiku545]

ANY time I can revisit the halcyon days of ECW, I'm a happy camper. I miss the good feeling I used to get watching the original. I've felt that a few times since, most notably the first times I saw RoH in 2013 and when I finally discovered AEW on KZbin. For a number of weeks and even months, I felt the spirit of ECW as "the little show that could".

[@benespinosa6725]

ECW One night stand 2005 was awesome and it was a whole lot better than the 2006 event even though that gave us RVD Winning the WWE Title was awesome and the crowd singing Enter sandman @ one night stand 2005 was great sucks that it's Dubbed on the DVD and peacock even though Heyman used it without permission this was an amazing PPV from Beginning to end.

[@Thor-Orion]

Metallica is the one band guaranteed to sue you.

[@benespinosa6725]

@@Thor-Orion Bingo!

[@nathan1234537]

06 one was too much more like wwe turn 05 which had that old school ecw feel

[@lucaslonchampt613]

Ah seeing the former WhatCulture guy going back to the well of Meanie-JBL is making me nostalgic

[@Thor-Orion]

20:05 that chair shot receipt was SO necessary. I hear a lot of different things about Stevie being a little bit of a strange character personally, but he's still respect by most of his peers. I would definitely want him on my side with how loyal he proved himself to be.

[@richardtherichard26]

Steven Richards is a swell guy. I was a huge wrestling fan as a kid, including a fan of Stevie, one time he had to have a surgical consultation from the dr my mother worked for. He took a picture with her and left a voicemail on my phone. This would’ve been around 2008, so I’d have been about 14 and to hear THE Steven Richards on my voicemail was quite a moment. He’s a decent enough guy outside the ring. At least in my book

[@Thor-Orion]

@@richardtherichard26 I never heard anything overtly negative, just that he can be a little bit of an oddball and has a unique sense of humor. Everyone gets on with him in the locker rooms he's been in, fans have nothing but good experiences with him. So I already figured he's a good dude

[@danbauer3669]

I remember watching this PPV and afterwards I phoned the Toronto wrestling radio show that was covering it to tell them that they were wrong, and the matches were awesome actually and then closed out my talk by telling them that the Leafs suck. Nailed it! Great PPV! I had never seen Super Crazy before and his moonsault into the crowd lives rent free in my brain forever. Mike Awesome power-bombed his opponent through 3 different tables, and the Dudley's went through a fire table. Benoit and Guerrero always great. Psychosis unmasked unceremoniously. RVD didn't wrestle but did some crowd work on the mic. If you just ignored the WWE guys in the crowd trying to ruin the show, it was great.

[@MrBanchiniOfficial]

Fantastic video yet again, Well done Jack and everybody involved👏

[@SIMOLAMBOTZ]

Heyman in 2001: "I declare bankruptcyyyyyyy!!!"

[@Gabenfinn]

Never really watched ECW but remember loving ONS. Great video

[@ShawnMcClurg]

Just watched the whole show for the first time a few months ago, and wow, I’ve missed so much. I thought the Benoit/Guerrero match was pretty emotional considering what’s happened since.

[@Thor-Orion]

Yeah, almost foreshadowing. So sad.

[@wbcwinnipegbeltcollector]

Possibly the best time I ever had as a wrestling fan truly amazing being In a theater with so many other ECW fans we screamed and chanted and erupted in a rendition of enter Sandman during the entrance truly surreal

[@MichaelMiller-tm2os]

Sandman's entrance that night was the greatest thing I have ever seen in wrestling. It was amazing. Also, Chris Benoit had a killer match that night. He just murdered it in the ring. He just put everything on the line, like he was trying to kill himself.

[@Thor-Orion]

That's uh... not really funny at all.

[@ObliqueVisualsNz]

Kek

[@miguelnewmexico8641]

@@Thor-Orion it's a little funny. more unfunny than funny, but still a little. admit it, come on.

[@Biffo316]

Great to see these videos again especially with Jack doing the voice-over

[@verbal_backflips9493]

Think it just a reupload

[@arrozconeverything]

Being a Philly native, it was WWF/E, WCW, and ECW. We were spoiled.

[@Meatman8089]

Man I remember staying up until 1am to watch ECW. Jerry Lynn vs RVD was insane! Lynn cracked his skull

[@richardhogenson594]

Too bad that they can’t do a WCW reunion event in Atlanta Georgia.

[@intuitivelymagician2076]

I was new to wrestling at that . Eventually watched it on wwe 24/7 subscription Boy what a show it was. Everyone in class was talking about ut

[@honestreviewer7788]

Most important thing that ever happened was ecw forming and it is the #1 reason wrestling had it's resurgence and it's largest crowds ever

[@timloss87]

Mike Awesome is the biggest What If in wrestling

[@MrAmazing951]

I hated John Cena as a kid. Always wanted RVD, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, or Edge as the top guys. ONS 2006 is probably my favorite match of all time

[@gamez4420]

I grew up with the tail end of the ruthless aggression era into the pg era. stopped watching wwe almost altogether from probably 2015-2018, but curiosity for ECW, and in turn binging all of it, reignited my love for wrestling just in time for the indies to really start popping off again for someone just getting back in again, and aew just a year or two away. Without ECW, I probably would've been to lapsed to even give AEW a thought, let alone get into RoH and PWG. One Night Stand has a special place in my heart in a different sense, because I feel like it was a good send-off in a retrospective sense. I loved the first show, because it felt like what WWE could've done with ECW. Slightly toned down, and could've served as great late night programming to give an hour slot too after raw or smackdown. ECW could've stayed as a 3rd brand and filled that superindy void that NXT created well after WWECWs death.

[@pk_1]

ONE OF THE BEST PPVS EVER!!!!!

[@johnytwotimes4072]

I was 12 or 13 when I visited my brother and sister from my Dad's side of the family and I was flipping channels looking for a WWF or a WCW show on cable around Charlotte NC and I saw a show from a wrestling organization that I heard a few fellow die hard wrestling nerds talk about and also one I had read about in PWI and it was called ECW. I can't fully tell you how much this show blew my young wrestle loving mind. It was like you played Atari for years and loved it but then you play Super Mario Bros

[@MayheM_72]

Big fan of the original ECW, and I've been following the indie promotion Game Changer Wrestling, or GCW. I've been to 4 shows (taped for pay per view broadcast) in Atlantic City, NJ, and I'm going to another show this weekend (10/8/22). The big fan chant it this brutal indie promotion is "Gee See Dud!" and it captures the raw energy of ECW with lots of dangerous high spots and bloody death matches.

[@CobraSaboteur]

Fantastic video, more ECW content please! 😀

[@DamanKingBear]

Hard-core homecoming hitting it out of the park 🤣

[@jb888888888]

+1 for the proper use of the word "alumnus." So many people get that wrong.

[@Nbflowers1989]

Love this series!

[@natethenub6595]

That VHS intro was dope

[@hughman1356]

Jack! I'm still waiting on your next weird episode.... episode. That was the best thing I've ever seen.

[@HeD502]

I remember the late 90s. Staying up to watch ecw on regular TV. Shout out Gary horn

[@Thor-Orion]

4:40 Paul Heyman specifically told Vince not to book the bingo hall but to book Hammerstein instead. Much better venue while still being intimate enough for the classic fan feeling for the event. The ECW "arena" would have been plagued with over crowding and poor production value.

[@jamiefawcett1089]

ECW one night stand is one of my favourite ppvs ever

[@tonythesuperperson]

Enjoyed this, what a crazy moment in wrestling history.

[@littlemacisunderrated412]

19:39 oh god damnit. And here i was thinking I’d make it through an ons video without hearing about this story

[@thomasmeyer6407]

You the man Jack! Keep The content coming!

[@WhiskersIsCat]

Xpw trying to move in to someone else's venue, wow, takes me back to this month

[@MrAce-lm8es]

ECW and its Franchise Player, former World Heavyweight Champion, Shane Douglas was in New York City but didn't attend One Night Stand because he was involved with "ROH Hardcore Homecoming".

[@trotskii7941]

Interesting what you say about WWE wanting to sign Awesome on the back of the show-stealing match with Tanaka. Did they forget that they'd already had him a few years previously in amongst the 'Invasion' team, and completely squandered him.... 🤔

[@tamzidmohsinkhan3333]

ECW One Night Stand 2005 is underrated ppv

[@andyneilson3301]

I wish Mike awesome signed back up that night. Might still be with us if so

[@streetteams]

Was ringside. SICK. SHOCKING. UNFORGETTABLE. THE BEST. 😁

[@jakeisking4307]

Hi jack thank you for this series

[@rickisgrate]

2 words for ya Matt freakin Hardy

[@DukesMusic84]

Paul Heyman was always highly respected by WWE's creative, even when he and vince didn't see eye to eye. They always admired the wrestling mind of the Wise Man as they do today.

[@evolgrim4139]

I have it on disk, god what an atmosphere,

[@ganglabesh]

my favorite PPV of all time

[@lpgodin2]

Mike Awesome will remain one of my favorite wrestlers ever... It baffles me that WWE(or WCW) didn't give him a manager that could talk for him and make him one of their top guys...

[@djtrankilo231]

maybe that could've saved him

[@suneater98]

We need a last ECW Called ECW one last stand

[@jackrook8715]

Great vid. Starting to feel like I've watched Jack grow from a prepubescent putz into a real journalist. Good on you Jobber.

[@anshchaudhary7456]

Awesome narration !!!!

[@dennisblackmon8773]

It's funny kevin Dunn obviously underestimated ecw's popularity which is why I think every ten years wrestling management should be replaced because of wrestling being the way it is ten years is how long it take for wrestling landscapes to change

[@omarvazquez3355]

AWESOME WORK!

[@claudekaneiii2283]

I wonder if anyone hit Blue Meanie…

[@ThrashAD720]

You left out that Awesome got hurt at the end of the match which ultimately became his last match. He suppose to go back to Japan for another tour for Pro-Wrestling NOAH later in the Summer/early Fall.

[@Rando1975]

Funk also stated that at his age, he couldn't do 2 shows in three days and perform like he wanted.

[@sibabalemdzeke]

One night stand 06 is forever 🐐 ed

[@6evil6dead64]

I grew up in a suburb of Boston. My dateless Saturday nights as a teen were spent watching Ecw and waaf real rock tv on telemundo.

[@jasonjimerson7046]

I never got the chance to enjoy an ECW show back when it was in business, but watching One Night Stand was at least the next best thing.

[@jb888888888]

Francine should have hired Snitsky.

[@herbie747]

All those idiots in the balcony totally ruined the atmosphere of ONS. The JBL reign was a dark period for WWE.

[@MrNegativecreep07]

16:27 where Angle has perhaps the worst comeback in wrestling history

[@billgober2]

Sandman did not come out to enter sandman on every replay or DVD version of the show. Fans maybe heard it live but they didn't pay for rights for it for any recordings.

[@KingHayabusa384]

Although ONS was a great show, HH had more of that ECW feeling.

[@kwmusic4560]

I sat front row ringside at Hardcore Homecoming. I had no interest in the WWF event. To this day I have never seen it.

[@ianmurphy9955]

The promo Heyman gave still gives me chills to this day though it was ruined by Layfield being a dick

[@nowtheworld138]

Tanaka vs Awesome! Nuff' said...

[@anthwardle3516]

I watched this live at the time on sky I think and I can't believe I was 21 when this happened! 🤯 Amazing show though and didn't feel like a WWE show at all 👍

[@dorkbomb78]

Mike Awesome is one of the saddest, what could have been, stories in wrestling. He had the talent, size, and look to be an incredibly huge star, but, no. Horrid booking and characters killed what could have been. Still kinda pisses me off to this day.

[@rytis5432]

JBL really showed that hes not a bully by beating the shit out of the Blue Meanie

[@taurus_1977]

'Member the ECW vs WWE special that happened , I think before the 2nd One Night Stand? 🍇

[@oddishhonor]

I had the rise and fall of ecw on vhs man.

[@KylePrime_1986]

Still wish one night stand 1 had RVD

[@williamsmith666]

19:38. 65% of WhatCulture's list entries.

[@DrSlasher]

19:39 there it is!

[@David_001]

Waiting for that

[@petefrenzel7296]

I thought Tanaka & Awesome were legitimately going to kill each other. Its so difficult to watch those brutal chairshots as we know the dangers of concussions - Oh My Dear GOD!

[@bigjoeofthe707]

Man the audio for Hardcore Homecoming was bad. During New Jack’s in ring promo I could barely hear what he was saying

[@josephgleeson8122]

God these videos are awesome

[@Jimbo-wx9pu]

I was only around 5 at the time but I remember the build up to this and my mum offering to buy the ppv which never happened as a birthday present but I said no because as the big mark I was “I didn’t want to give ECW money” basically wwecw started I was convinced it was a rival promotion so I missed this and next years event. Gutted 😪😂

[@djtrankilo231]

lol

[@billgober2]

I rather have a show full of supposed 4 star matches than a show with a 5 star and a bunch of 2s. One Night Stand had 4 stars all over it.

[@michaelreich4827]

I'm sure it doesn't sit well with WWF higher-ups that the best remembered show of the last 20 years was one they had nothing to do with.

[@GabrielGarcia-zg2cq]

RVD and a handful of ECW wrestlers were entertaining to see but without the street fight rules most of them lost their identity

[@kickflipdemon]

in 05 u can go see ppv at the movies theatre for like 10 bucks and at the royal rumble i won the rise and fall dvd for answering the question who was the first person to win the rumble at the no 1 spot

[@jerranspearman3369]

good video

[@ghost.8836]

You haven't watched all of it.

[@KingHayabusa384]

Yes

[@PomptonII]

jerran spearman

[@verbal_backflips9493]

Was this reuploaded?

[@bryanmorrison2396]

A never knew there was 2 one nyt stands always knew abt every match on both shows but always thought in my head they were together n December to rambert destroyed it. So there was actually 3 ppvs n no 2 lol

[@dustinlawson317]

I will always be an ECW baby. I remember watching Tommy Dreamer get his arm smashed in a locker door by the Dudleys, from that moment I was Hooked!

[@sammacdonald3945]

What exactly did JBL do to Meanie in the brawl that made him look like that? The dude looks like he pissed New Jack off. Every time some video talks about it, they just briefly mention, "JBL went extra hard on Meanie during the skirmish" but, like, how? Did he pull a knife on him? Why is he so sliced up?

[@MopShrudel]

Meanie had a match 2 days prior, his opponents 2nd punched him in the head too hard, causing meanie to get stitches.

[@sammacdonald3945]

@@MopShrudel Oh, okay! Thank you, that explains a lot. So I'm assuming JBL just popped the stitches open or something -- he's still a dick but he's not as homicidal as the aftermath would imply.