8 Best Wrestlers in ECW History (Ranked)

Excessive Championship Wrestling, identified extra generally as ECW, was an unbiased promotion in North America from 1992 to 2001. Initially generally known as Japanese Championship Wrestling and affiliated with the Nationwide Wrestling Alliance/NWA, the administration determined it was time to maneuver on from the ‘conventional’ elements {of professional} wrestling and transfer the enterprise ahead into the 90s. What Paul Heyman, the inventive brains behind the operation, achieved together with his ‘band of misfits toys’ for a roster was extraordinary, pushing the envelope and growing names that will go on to hitch WWE and WCW in later years.

ECW was constructed on doing every part that the mainstream professional wrestling firms on the time weren’t. Tables, fireplace and barbed wire had been simply a few of the instruments that the corporate used to set them aside, in addition to bringing in a few of the greatest expertise from throughout the globe to present a global flavour to proceedings. Lucha, Robust Type and different in-ring kinds would additionally flourish in entrance of ‘sensible’ wrestling followers who wished to see the technical brilliance of those performers in addition to the hardcore ‘Excessive’ chaos. We have already taken a have a look at a few of the greatest wrestlers in WCW historical past, however do any of them function on this record as nicely?

Rating Components

At the very least three matches in ECW: The wrestlers we have now chosen need to have had at the least three matches of their respective careers with the corporate. High quality of Matches: The standard of the matches that every of the performers on our rating have had has additionally been considered. Cagematch Score: The Cagematch score of every identify has been considered to get a gauge of how the fanbase feels about that exact wrestler. Particular person Wrestlers Solely: Solely wrestlers with a stellar singles profession will probably be thought-about, so no inclusion for groups like The Dudley Boyz, who we already included in the perfect WWE Tag Groups of all time record.

8 Mike Superior

The Towering Powerhouse

Mike Superior was a type of huge man wrestlers who was extremely fast between the ropes, and the breakneck pace of his matches had been a sight to behold. Even now, wanting again at a few of the greatest matches from his ECW tenure in opposition to the likes of Masato Tanaka are riveting automotive crash tv which you can’t take your eyes away from. Though Superior would controversially go on to hitch WCW after which later WWE as a part of the Invasion angle, he by no means reached the extent of star that he attained in ECW. A severely underrated expertise who sadly handed away on the age of 42.

7 Cactus Jack

Mrs Foley’s Child Boy

If this was purely a listing of the best wrestlers of all time, Mick Foley/Cactus Jack would nonetheless be making it into the highest 10, however with the vast majority of his profession and the most important moments coming for him as Mankind within the late 90s after which once more as Cactus within the early 2000s, it’s tough to justify placing him any larger on this record of the perfect ECW-centric wrestlers ever. Having stated that, Cactus Jack had a really stable run in Excessive Championship Wrestling, together with his exploits within the IWA King of the Deathmatch event serving to so as to add to the aura of the previous WCW man. He would go on to even better heights later in his profession, however his physique of labor in ECW nonetheless deserves a shout-out.

6 Shane Douglas

The Franchise

Shane Douglas formally ushered within the Excessive Championship Wrestling period after throwing down the NWA Championship in August 1994, resulting in the Nationwide Wrestling Alliance reducing ties with ECW and making the corporate actually unbiased. Douglas was arguably one of many prime three heels in ECW historical past, together with his work on the microphone sufficient to rile up crowds to the purpose of close to anarchy at instances. The Franchise was additionally stable in-ring, with a few of his matches in opposition to Taz and Sabu within the early-to-mid 90s nonetheless being held up as a few of the best within the excessive firm’s historical past.

5 Terry Funk

The Veteran

Terry Funk was already on the latter levels of his profession by the point he joined ECW, and if this record was purely based mostly on his total wrestling profession reasonably than simply time in ECW then the Funker could be primary, little question. Funk was in a position to elevate a ton of various names throughout his time within the firm, and his iconic ECW Title win in the principle occasion of the Barely Authorized PPV occasion in 1997 nonetheless stands up as the most effective moments of his outrageous profession. Funk would even have one final nice second in an ECW ring in 2006, when the WWE produced ECW One Evening Stand PPV noticed him workforce with Tommy Dreamer and Beulah to tackle Edge, Mick Foley and Lita.

4 Rob Van Dam

The Entire F’n Present

Rob Van Dam oozed star energy, even to the purpose that he in all probability ought to’ve felt extra misplaced in ECW than he was. The viewers cherished his cool manner, however it was his work as a heel alongside Sabu and supervisor Invoice Alfonso that established his character within the firm. RVD’s record of nice matches in ECW is quite a few, however his work with Jerry Lynn at Hardcore Heaven 1999 and Residing Dangerously 1999 stands out as a few of the greatest genre-defining contests of the late 90s. A really easy and charismatic performer, RVD would go on to have a stable profession in WWE following the closure of ECW in 2001, though he arguably was not given the possibility to get to the extent he ought to have carried out.

3 Sabu

The Human Spotlight Reel

Sabu was an extremely vital performer within the canon of ECW historical past. Beginning with the corporate throughout its Japanese Championship Wrestling days, the person of only a few phrases (and quite a lot of pointing on the sky) would go on to outline what Excessive wrestling could possibly be in North America within the ’90s. A part of the aura of Sabu was his scarred physique, exhibiting the brutal battles that he had already been by earlier than he even stepped foot within the ring for his match, earned from years of barbaric contests in Japan. Whether or not he was wrestling as a singles star or teaming with Rob Van Dam in opposition to the likes of The Eliminators, Sabu was excessive personified.

2 Raven

Quoth the Raven, Nevermore

Raven was the best heel within the historical past of ECW as an organization. The person behind the character Scott Levy, had an unimaginable thoughts for the enterprise, and he was in a position to parlay that right into a mind-game-playing outsider who terrorised a few of the firm’s greatest babyface stars. Two of essentially the most memorable feuds from his time within the firm had been in opposition to Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman, with Raven in a position to deliver an emotional nature to the story to get the viewers much more behind their beloved anti-heroes. The feud in opposition to Sandman specifically was riveting, with Raven in a position to take Sandman’s son from him and trigger the beer-drinking badass to interrupt down in the course of the ring.

1 Taz

Human Suplex Machine

Taz is the epitome of a performer who wouldn’t have had a possibility wherever however ECW. Attributable to his small stature, the previous ECW Champion was not seen as important occasion materials by mainstream promotions, however his background in Judo and ferocity within the ring made him a fan favorite in ECW. The Human Suplex Machine would have a few of the best matches within the firm’s historical past, with contests in opposition to Sabu at Residing Dangerously 1999, Bam Bam Bigelow at Residing Dangerously 1998, Taijiri at Heatwave 1999 and Shane Douglas at Responsible As Charged 1999 standing out as absolute barnburners. As soon as Taz signed for WWE in 1999, it was clear that the corporate didn’t worth him the way in which that Paul Heyman did, and he would in the end be fully underutilised on the most important stage. Nonetheless, his work in ECW continues to carry up as a few of the greatest wrestling you’ll discover from the unbiased scene of the 90s, and Taz is nicely worthy of topping this record of the perfect ECW wrestlers ever.

All rankings from Cagematch are appropriate as of 18/09/2024.