10 Wrestlers From ECW’s Final Year You Totally Don’t Remember
Paul Heyman's ECW had one of the weirdest rosters ever towards the end.
It all got a bit desperate.
Paul Heyman's original vision for ECW was a balls-to-the-wall explosion of counter-culture and gritty pro wrestling. The "sports entertainment" peddled by Vince McMahon's WWF and, worse, the sanitised sh*te pushed by WCW were crummy, old hat and too safe - that was how ECW's loyal fanbase viewed it all the way to the bitter end.
It was a bitter end. Heyman's hardcore vehicle finally bit the dust in 2001, but it wasn't quite the quick death some remember. Nah, ECW clung on for dear life throughout much of 2000, and their once-proud collection of ragtag misfits started looking even more ragtag than before.
For every Sandman and Tommy Dreamer, there were a plethora of randoms who were expressly there to pad out the cards. Backstage, Heyman was hoping nobody out front would notice.
The promotion seemingly hired everyone and anyone for a few bookings here and there. You've probably forgotten most of the names that are about to be examined, and with good reason. Only one of them carried any significant weight in the industry, and he was only in ECW for a few brief cameos...
10. Chilly Willy
'What happens if you go out in winter without pants?'.
If you answered, 'you get a Chilly Willy', then congrats - you guessed the first ECW original on this list. Seriously though, what kind of name is that? At least it was eye-catching, if nothing else, but Balls Mahoney's pal Willy (tut tut) barely made a dent on the extreme scene.
Chilly debuted in ECW during the first few months of 2000, and instantly struck up a relationship with Mahoney and his gang of chair swinging freaks. Despite getting cheered by the audience though (mainly for hanging around with Balls), Willy didn't have much success.
He wouldn't enjoy any once ECW closed its doors for good either. Chilly went on to the indy scene, ditched wrestling to join the army, and then returned to the independents as a trainer for various schools near his home base.