The Highest Rated ECW Events in History

[@SuperButcherPete]

I've always loved watching whatever ECW highlights and matches i could find as a kid. There was something about how the camera, catching the action inside the ring, would tremble with every big spot that added to the energy of what was being captured on film. Really unique

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

The Dudley promo still can't be touched.😂 Cursing out the crowd etc

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

The throwing chairs in the ring was The best.

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

Don't get me started on the ring breaking from the crowd.😂

[@rustcohle6149]

I don't like blacks, just sharing my thoughts like you asked

[@brandonmcmahon8804]

It's refreshing to see you do something ECW, I look forward to more of this especially if you cover specific events in depth

[@dandymatt]

I grew up near Philly, so I was privileged to watch on local cable channel, back before digital when you could pick up local programs with an antenna. Fond memories. And yes, please put together a RVD vs Jerry Lynn video, those 2 were absolutely amazing together!

[@TheEman590]

I second that. RVD and Lynn were perfect opponents to each other.

[@fergalstackstreams]

I still remember the channel I watched it on in Ohio, WUCT TV-52. It was basically somewhere between cable access an a regional network. They aired a lot of independent wrestling like USWA and SMW.

[@zemox2534]

Bam Bam bigelow vs Taz from heatwave 98 was a great match. The fall through the entrance ramp was so unexpected and shocking. The fact both men still got up afterwards really shows how tough they were. I always wanted to watch ECW in the 90s, but sadly, it was unavailable on British TV. I could not even find an ecw video(I did try).

[@Nosaveddataretro]

They used to sell the videos in HMV. That's when I first watched ecw

[@ericwollam5532]

I know it's also covered to death but ECW One Night Stand 2005 at the very least deserves an honorable mention. I'm well aware it was essentially a WWE ppv, but seeing ECW with WWE production was absolutely incredible and the fact that we still talk about Sandman's entrance to this day and that Masato tanaka and Mike Awesome match, as well as an absolute bloodbath of a main event, like, the whole show from top to bottom was great, made even better by the fans.

[@Gabriel_Cook]

One Night Stand '06 also.

[@That_Guy-]

​@@Gabriel_Cook06 sucked beside the main event

[@ericwollam5532]

ONS 2006 was great also.

[@Ian-Omega]

@@Gabriel_CookNo it wasn’t anywhere near as good as the first one

[@IixAGxiI]

​@@Ian-OmegaRight !! When they cancelled that Rey V Sabu match after the powerbomb kind of spot through a table to the outside then it was obvious this was a wwe show ,they were booking it ,they were controlling it ,etc.

[@BridgeTrollForge]

I don't know if it would be as incredibly loved as the RTW series, but I for one would absolutely adore a start to finish look at the life of ECW with your commentary on it, man. Someone that has the knowledge that you do could fill in some of the blanks on who some of the guests that ECW had, to people that at the time were casual viewers, or just younger and uneducated. ECW was different, in an incredible way, and I really wish I had television access to it back in the day.

[@PhenomsServant4]

You know I was kinda hoping he’d cover ECW after RTW too.

[@Shitfuckt]

100%

[@McPoshSquatch]

Awesome video! Glad to see ECW get their own time to shine on WB! Brings back a lot of great memories. 😁👍

[@Kas58223]

Finally some ECW content 😊

[@AzraelDarkness64Gaming]

​@@Kas58223agree

[@Machete87]

i loved seein the event where Bam Bam Bigelow brutalized Shane Douglas for the ECW Strap😎🔥 loved that match great times

[@1ButtonDash]

it wasn't on your list but for me Living Dangerously 2000 is up there for me. The one where New Jack fell off the scaffolding. I was there. Danbury CT. I still remember it like it was yesterday. That place was so crazy that night, even when I went into the bathroom there was a ton of people in there passing around blunts literally chanting "LIGHT IT UP! LIGHT IT UP!" I will never forget that day lmao

[@TheEman590]

Aw man, if I had known it was in Danbury, (I was 15), I would've been there in a heartbeat.

[@vvstreetfightervv]

Heatwave '98 is the best ECW ppv, ever. No contest. It was also the best card,(ppv or otherwise) that they ever promoted outside of Philly.

[@KeepDownWitIt]

More ECW please 🙏

[@undramartin1914]

Thank you for this video. I was a huge ECW fan during its inception to TNN!! Good memories. Most of the latter PPVs I ordered. It was the opening theme for me!

[@mjkaenima]

I ordered Hardcore heaven 97 not really knowing what to expect. It was my introduction to ecw and I had only heard about them through the wwf stuff. One of the first things I remember seeing was bam bam throwing spike all over the ring and then out into the crowd! I was hooked! I rewatched that ppv over and over again

[@Estolcles]

Definitely needs to get mentioned of "Shows Not Listed That Were Awesome ECW Shows": The 2-25-95 show retroactively titled: "Return Of The Funker". The ending of the whole show, from Woman's promo with "The Magic Box", until the show fades to black is like 30 minutes of the best pro wrestling rollercoaster you could ever ride. From the slow start with DC Drake vs. Cactus Jack to how it peaks at the end with Shane Douglas swinging the belt high above his head in a move Seth Rollins totally stole from.

[@diywrites8703]

I remember when I was a kid some friends of mine and I got a ride across the border to the US to watch November To Remember 99. What a time that was.

[@WarGhoulKharas]

November To Remember '99. It was my first PPV buy, and the Masato Tanaka Vs Mike Awesome was my favorite match for years. That's all personal, though. Edit: That Heat Wave '96 four way is when Francine turned on The Pitbulls and ate a Super Bomb.

[@Alkaline87]

Of course nowadays the stuff you'd see on ECW is commonplace, but at the time as a kid, this was cutting edge wrestling. Nothing like this had ever been seen on a large scale. So nostalgic. Long live ECW, in our hearts if nothing else.

[@jeffdeming8811]

Seriously can't wait to see what your throw together for RVD vs Jerry Lynn. That's gonna be an epic WB upload. They always had incredible matches

[@beaumcguire409]

ECW played such a pivotal role in how matches played out for the next decade!

[@OniRokaku]

I almost want to see you review the ECW PPVs. Would be something different like on it's own or as a RTW Sub Series for said PPVs. Call it, Reliving The War: To The Extreme (or something.)

[@anthonyturner6399]

Thank you so much for ECW content. I just started watching it and I’m halfway into 1996 and it’s been amazing

[@maui3551]

During the late 90's I use to watch a lot of ECW and WCW. I did not start watching WWE until early 2001 until 2014

[@firewalker1372]

I remember flicking through my grandparents direct tv channels in the late 90s. Coming across the pay per view preview channel for an ecw event airing that weekend and just stay stuck on it wondering how I can con my folks into buying this ppv for me 😂.

[@carribob1992]

I've owned 3 of the shows on this list on home video (N2R 2000 and Massacre on 34th Street 2000 not being on here) and the one I enjoyed the most was Barely Legal 97, its such a special and damn good show. The 3 Way Dance near the end of the show being my favorite match on the card (The other shows being on this list are Hardcore Heaven 99 and Heatwave 98). Also, the copy of Barely Legal I have doesn't have dubbed music so you can experience the glory of Sandman entering to Metallica's "Enter Sandman" before the 3 Way Dance.

[@michaelcairns8778]

Thank you Wrestling Bio for another great video. You've helped me through another night shift.

[@mostlypeacefulmisterputin]

*I have a scar across my eyebrow from being accidentally hit with a steel chair by D-Von at the Detroit State Fairgrounds in 1997* *In 1998 me and some friends went back and ended up in a huge parking lot brawl after the show, my buddy was on the ground fighting with one guy and his buddy ran up and stomped on his leg below the knee and snapped his tibia and fibula...I miss the 90s*

[@25kidd]

Here’s the thing Paul was right on the doc that it was terry funk that got them up but at the same time it was the whole locker room that understands that this is important and very crucial that this PPV goes without a hitch. Great video man also 2 cold scropio doesn’t get much credit for how important he was to ecw and wrestling in general to me he could’ve been world champion and so would like to see a video on 2 cold scropio one day in the not so distant future.

[@eja2199]

2 cold scorpio was a Verrrrrry underrated wrestler.

[@idcwhatuthink4985]

4:05... was in poughkeepsie for this, my only Ecw show, and saw Icp at the chance in poughkeepsie the same weekend... at age 13... wtf thx mom, I love and miss you❤

[@joshjohnson6891]

That speech from Paul Heyman was also in Beyond the Mat and it was still amazing back then.

[@zemox2534]

It is still amazing now

[@imogenaris1697]

Great vid!!! Brings back memories, having lived through the original E.C.W. ( R.I.P. ) from start to sad finish. A lot of great moments here, though A LOT of events from 96-98 were just as good if not better than 99. Born to Be Wired, Natural Born Killaz 96, It Ain't Seinfeld, Guilty as Charged 01, & Terry Funk's ( R.I.P. ) Wrestlefest where he wrestled Bret Hart are both epic events. All Hardcore Heaven's are off the charts. Tommy Dreamer was the O.G. stuntman of pro wrestling. Doesn't get enough credit for his stage dives & scaffold bumps. Hard to match when New Jack ( R.I.P. ) seemingly took dives like it was just another day to him. Tammy back in the day was her hottest in that white/pink number. Shane Douglas was on another level as a heel- always imitated. The Dudleys infamous ppv promo where Bubba tore the crowd apart was the greatest E.C.W. promo, which is saying a lot when The Franchise owned the mic

[@C280S]

I would like more ECW content. I wasnt able to watch it when i was a kid so im completely oblivious to all the storylines

[@FatToadRecords]

People massively sleep on ECW 2000, would definitely recommend checking out some of those PPVs

[@Summertimeblues28]

Living Dangerously ‘99 is my favourite ECW PPV because it’s the first one I watched live and it featured the fantastic RVD vs Jerry Lynn 2 match

[@BrianBorusNephew]

There's a myth that after a few big stars went to wwf, ECW was diminished to the point of being lame. The amount of talent at their end still made them a must watch for me.

[@russjohnson4132]

Good work brother Enjoying the content throughly

[@HardcoreOreider]

How about "reliving ECW" after you finish RTW?

[@NLaBar]

I’d love to see some of these shows reviewed fully in long form.

[@maui3551]

I do miss ECW 😢

[@leonarddillon256]

Man, so many better ECW shows didn't make it on the list. For money for best ECW PPV (that isn't Heatwave '98) is Gangsta's Paradise '95. The whole card, and especially The Pitbulls vs Raven & Stevie Richards match for the ECW tag titles, puts modern wrestling to shame in comparison and the very few cards that I'd never want to change a single thing. Watch it now and be prepared for the most entertaining brawling card ever! But one ECW show that gets seriously overshadowed is Living Dangerously '99. This is the show that best represents ECW and Paul Heyman's BEST booking. The first ever RVD vs Jerry Lynn is still my all-time fav, Tajiri vs Super Crazy's opener is the best here compared to all their bouts, Shane Douglas's last ECW PPV appearance as a babyface is unique for the character, Sid squashing the Dudley Boyz was fun, and Taz vs Sabu for the ECW World Heavyweight & FTW championships unification is a country-mile better than the dissapointing Barely Legal bout. Hope these recommendations that didn't make the list will be worth you time of you missed it out. ECW! ECW! ECW!

[@XKTwentyFive]

I'd love for you to make an RVD vs Jerry Lynn rivalry video.

[@RottenPopReviews]

Shane Douglas, Sabu, Taz, and Mike Awesome were my favorite ECW wrestlers. Cyberslam 99 was one of the first ECW events I watched.

[@chrisbrown9641]

Great upload. I don’t know much about ECW. I can check these out. Love wrestling and love wrestling bios

[@Austin-Miller85]

I was digging Mick Foley's dungeon of doom custom airbrush shirt at around 2:30

[@roccojamison89gooker51]

Hardcore Heaven '94 deserves honorable mention at the end with the fans throwing chairs into the ring to bury Public Enemy. (Please do not throw chairs into the ring! Stop the chairs!)

[@Crystopsy]

Hope you do more of a deep dive into some of these shows in the future!

[@truxytrux]

I was really hoping you'd be making a video on ECW in general. I appreciate you and your videos.

[@midnitezero]

This is one of my favorite wrestling bios uploads in quite some time and I'm a big fan of RTW.

[@Mujangga]

Ryan never disappoints, as usual ;)

[@flatbushzombie4759]

16:24 "YOU HAVE ALL MADE IT TO THE DANCE, BECAUSE BELEIVE ME THIS IS THE DANCE" hahahah that was a great speech

[@Thor-Orion]

0:45 I think the fact that those Philly supercards were released on VHS tape order by ECW is the reason why they absolutely need to be included with the rest of the Pay-Per-Views that were actually broadcast live as pay-per-views.

[@Thor-Orion]

17:09 you aren’t going to talk about his promo here? I know you said “he tells everyone how he feels about not being initially booked” but his promo here is probably the best of his entire career.

[@cardboardempire]

As I lived in Northern Ontario at this time, I didn't have regular access to ECW content. In college we had a pro wrestling club where we traded tapes and this is where I got my of my ECW/ROH stuff. A VHS that was dubbed 50-60 times over. Good times.

[@polymathing]

Ryan longtime fan like many of us here(back when we even saw your handsome face! 😊).. Love and Appreciate everything you do brother, it is always high quality, original and Im always tuned into your musical remixes. A whole video dedicated to RVD vs Jerry Lynn would be friggin jamtastic man 🎉🐈

[@Steeldragon493]

Id be a-ok with a week-by-week or even month-by-month ECW review once Reliving the War is over

[@unclegreenskatesoda9570]

There was a long while as a kid the only way I could follow ecw was through the magazines.

[@brian_b_music]

Jerry Lynn was absolutely underrated.

[@coreyhall1150]

Yeah and those clowns in AEW wouldn't listen to him what-so-ever.....

[@brian_b_music]

@@coreyhall1150 What’s sad is out of all of the guys that left ECW for better, Jerry Lynn wasn’t one of them. He absolutely should have been, I’ve always thought he had what it took.

[@coreyhall1150]

@@brian_b_music He would have been a great opening match for Vince.... But being a MAIN star? No. Maybe in the cruiserweight division. But him next to Austin, Rock, Taker, Kane, etc? Heeeelllll no lol.

[@brian_b_music]

@@coreyhall1150 I mean he would have definitely done better than Tazz. But that’s taking into consideration that the WWE used him properly. I wouldn’t compare him to Austin or the Rock, but I still think he could have gotten himself over. But, we’ll never know now.

[@coreyhall1150]

@@brian_b_music BUT.... Vince could have made ANYONE a star if he wanted. So with Lynn's talent and Vince's genius AT ONE TIME. Who knows? Maybe he would have been a major player if used right and booked right. (Shrug)

[@Germania22]

Thanks for this vid, been watching some on the network. Little Guido vs Tajiri vs Super Crazy is an absolute banger - worth going out of your way to watch!! HIDDEN GEM

[@borobinson7005]

Sandman's son dressed up as a "Mini Raven" is pretty funny tho 😹

[@mongomongo7664]

ECW 99 was the best year of the company in my opinion 👊

[@jaxonedwardson458]

havent seen much ecw so this video will help me checking more out i would also like to see top 30 ecw matches

[@ryanstewart4444]

Got me thinking about a list of the "Most Important" ECW Supershows/PPVs. UltraClash 93, The Night the Line was Crossed, The NWA Tournament, Gangstas Paradise, etc.

[@julioflores2649]

Correction,Anarchy Rules in Villa Park Illinois 1999 Was Tazz's last E.C.W. match. I was there, and It was Awesome. R.i.p Mike Awesome, and the Odeum Stadium that was torn down a few months ago.

[@PhenomsServant4]

No it wasn’t N2R 99 took place a month after Anarchy Rules 99

[@mizer9510]

God I miss ECW. Watching it at 1am on the Sunshine network. RVD vs Jerry Lynn matches were phenomenal. So greatful I got to grow up in the 90's.

[@christopherbissett1986]

When the missus is being her finding a quite place to watch one of your uploads is just what I need

[@mulldrifterz6469]

I LOVE the total elimination finisher. Always looks so brutal.

[@BlackburnBigdragon]

I never got to see ECW on TV. I had friends who would tell me all about it all the time. But at the time, our local cable company stations wouldn't carry it. I think they thought it was too violent to carry and that they would get complaints. There was ONE time that I saw ECW on TV and I was stoked. It was on at 2:30 in the morning. The problem was that the show didn't feature ANY matches. It was just a half hour show of shoot interviews. They showed NO footage of any in-ring action. No match highlights or anything. It was a constant stream of the wrestlers yelling at the camera from a locker room or a bathroom. So I went through all the time when ECW was a thing, never getting the opportunity to see it on TV.

[@stephennichol3620]

RVD was carrying ECW so much that world television title matches got more hype than the heavyweight championships

[@bryanhall1548]

Absolutely. RVD was the man, as his matches were always exciting, and the crowd were always appreciative of his high work rate and unorthodox style. 🤘🏼

[@MichaelSpikes-pv6kl]

Great video

[@spiderboiplays5049]

Broooo the height on that five star splash

[@Bmoney88x]

Can we get some sort of ECW series? Id say 90% of the IWC doesnt know much about ECW due to how obscure it was back then and now. It would be awesome to learn about!!

[@GrantS-1208]

Agreed. Heatwave 98 is probably my favorite show of all time (was a big Sandman fan) I lived in Florida so only got to see ECW every once in a while but I was hooked when I saw a clip at 1:30am one morning and saw Raven and Sandman’s entrance and match.

[@brackabrack]

Heat wave 98 was actually my first exposure to ECV.. I decided to give it a shot with the PPV and was hooked after that, becoming a huge RVD fan. That finish to His and Sabu's tag match blew me away. Had never seen anything like that. I also think all those midcard tag matches with Nova and Chris Chetti are super underrated.

[@gatchywatchyentertainmentb2090]

I’m all here for some, ECW ECW

[@ennbee2051]

Bam Bans favorite match was with Bret. Snot Dudley speaks about it on kayfabe commentary. Sabu wrestled Aurelion at house shows in Japan. Earthquakes shoot with 'Taker is legendary. Fred talks about it on a shoot. Steve wanted to stay in ECW, but his old friend Teddy Dibiase called him up. Savio played Kwang in WWF, yes indeed. Haystacks shot on Big Show backstage at a WCW house show. Doink was there too.

[@MrE51917]

Ive been waiting for this since you hinted on RtW you where watching some ECW for a video.

[@titan8611]

Gotta do highest rated TNA pay per views ever

[@fergalstackstreams]

Heatwave 98 was #1 to me. It was my first time live at an ECW show, and in my opinion its their peak in popularity and product quality.

[@JoshHatfield]

The Hilltop Hoods sampled that Heyman speech on The Thirst

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

R.i.p. new jack and the ECW guys no Longer with us 😢

[@nehemiahpouncey3607]

Remember ECW being featured in The SVR games. Never caught the spirit of it sadly.

[@WrestlingCompilations]

Been a while since we've had ECW content

[@vciotoli2126]

Really liked The Doctor is In, Hardcore Heaven 2000 and Ultimate Jeopardy '96 too.

[@idcwhatuthink4985]

Forgot about Austin dressing up as Hulk and impersonating him... now the beef makes sense finally lmao

[@z0m813]

At that point in 99 RVD was on top of the wrestling world that TV title meant more to ECW than their world title IMO which is why he main evented a lot of PPV

[@skunglee2517]

I really wanted to hurt myself today. My life is at its end. This video , and all of bios videos are one of my reasons to keep going.

[@FPSpooky]

Finally the tribe of extreme get their chance to shine on the WrestlingBios channel

[@AnsonBeeker]

ECW was more than the shows. It was a whole vibe. I was there. I saw at least 10 shows in 2 years. It was like a rock band more than a wrestling promotion in terms of the atmosphere and fan base.

[@Large23collectibles]

I know it gets crapped on but Wrestlepollza 98 is in my top 3 because it was my first ECW PPV I purchased to watch live.

[@gumdeo]

Some great talent in ECW back then.

[@backbackforward]

Always remember having a load of ecw om vhs. Extreme warfare i think with cactus jack on the cover was a stand out video. Think it was a compilation though

[@boombringer4078]

I loved EC Dub back in the day!

[@kiprandom7208]

My favorite ECW events were Anarchy rulz 99 and November to remember 2000. For 1 reason i was there it was pretty cool

[@blackdynamite6413]

I have the Anarchy Rulz 99 VHS! I'm glad to see it on this list

[@itsrobert2742]

Ecw was awesome in the 1990s i started watching it in 1995 in 2000 ecw had money problems

[@MrZappaman420]

Mike Awesome truly was awesome!

[@garystephenson9412]

Hostile City Showdown 95 was my favourite ECW show.. Absolutely bonkers show 👍

[@mayomonkey-gen1]

My top 5 ecw shows would be 5. Wrestlepalooza 98 4. N2R 95 3. N2R 99 2. Heatwave 98 1. Wrestlepalooza 97 The fact Wrestlepalooza 97 isn't in the top 10 is ridiculous.

[@pleaseshutup7053]

Love the dreamer vs raven match for wrestlepalooza crazy how none made the list

[@marcusmoss3399]

YES PLEASE DO MORE ECW VIDEOS

[@AllenJr3]

Francine is still 🔥 🔥🔥😍

[@michaelwilliams2231]

Theres a great event on the network circa 95, i cant remember what event but it includes Brian Pilmans debut promo and the famous Austin Promo where he's backstage dressed like Hogan

[@pleaseshutup7053]

The talent ecw had is crazy goddam

[@Tomas-be7bf]

Love it man, more ECW content please. No argument here Heat Wave 98 was the best ECW PPV of all time!!!