10 Best ECW Champions Ever

4. Raven

Befunky Raven079 Raven Crucifixecw99 In the 2004 WWE Home Video release "The Rise and Fall of ECW," Paul Heyman claimed that Raven motivated him and inspired him to do some of his finest creative work. That claim is backed up by the hours of extraordinary television created by the pair over the course of Raven's initial two-year stint with the company. Capitalizing on the grunge movement popularized by Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Raven was a societal outcast, a sociopath. Flanked by lackeys like Stevie Richards, the Blue Meanie and even the Musketeer, he rarely won on his own. Despite being culturally relevant, Raven was very much an old school villain. So despised was he that fans would pay money in hopes of seeing him get his comeuppance. Heyman, demonstrating his booking brilliance, would reel in the audience by making it appear as though they would get what they want, only to swerve them and have Raven emerge victorious. Whether he was brainwashing The Sandman's son Tyler and wife Lori or drawing upon childhood torment suffered at the hands of Tommy Dreamer, Raven was a master manipulator, the king of mind games and never hesitated to sink deeper and deeper into depravity in his battle to retain his title. Like him or not, that makes him one of the greatest champions in ECW history.
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Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.