7 Behind The Scenes ECW Stories That’ll Shock You
Incredible tales from the original ECW. Includes bonus Disney and Shane McMahon!
There will never be a pro wrestling company as outright crazy as the original ECW. Drama behind the scenes is nothing new for the industry (one need only look at all of the controversy that's followed WWE over the decades, or AEW in its relatively short existence), but Paul Heyman's cult-like gathering took things to the next level.
Fans were rabid and loyal, wrestlers were built with the same thirst for violence and dedication to the ECW cause, and Heyman stirred the pot like some madcap genius intent on global domination. It fell apart in the end. It was probably always going to, but Extreme Championship Wrestling's aura didn't go away quietly - if at all.
The spirit of ECW rages on in a business forever changed by what Heyman and stars like The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Rob Van Dam, Sabu, Taz, Shane Douglas and Raven achieved. Here's to the crazy ones, and all that. Often, perhaps somewhat surprisingly given the mayhem that happened on shows, there was more to talk about backstage away from Joey Styles herculean one-man commentary exploits or cameras likely funded by Vince McMahon's dime.
Here, you'll find out about backstage fights, Shane McMahon's yearning to be the new Paul E, which rockstar almost became a key investor, and which top WWF/WWE names volunteered to wrestle for an outlaw group once dubbed 'the little promotion that could'.
Perhaps the biggest story here isn't buried. A quick glance at the featured image should tell you that ECW was anything but Mickey Mouse...even if the cartoon fave's owners almost went extreme themselves. Almost.
7. The Time New Jack Confronted Brian Pillman
Behold the face of a man few wanted to mess with.
New Jack was, without hyperbole, one of the single most dangerous humans to grace the world of pro wrestling. At ECW's Fight The Power show in June 1996, Brian Pillman ended up on the wrong side of Jack after interrupting a match between Mikey Whipwreck and RVD. During that appearance, Pillman referred to NJ and his partner Mustafa as the "NWA".
Except, well he didn't just say the letters of that acronym. Brian said the rap group's full name, which was obviously problematic when you realise what the 'N' stands for. Pillman laboured the point, which infuriated New Jack behind the curtain. He confronted Bri backstage citing racism. According to reports, the 'Loose Cannon' refused to back down, but they thankfully didn't come to blows.
Again, this was mid-Loose Cannon gimmick era for Brian, so he was willing to court controversy as much as possible. Getting on New Jack’s bad side was brave though, and it could've been treacherous for Pillman. He'd have argued that he was only working and was supposed to antagonise as many people as possible, but Jack wasn't like most in the industry - he didn't mind standing up for what he believed in or going after those who'd angered him.
There's never been any word on exactly who calmed everything down. Maybe Pillman apologised, or perhaps somebody else stepped in to take Jack's mind off the promo that had just happened. One thing's for sure: NJ would've given Brian that look he's sporting in the pic above.
Scary. Terrifying, even.