Extreme Championship Wrestling was always viewed as a rebel organization. The company eschewed the norms in professional wrestling, offering an edgier -- and at times, more controversial -- product for fans and viewers. To many fans, ECW was the exact opposite of World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation. The promotion presented a more realistic product compared to the more hackneyed visions of the so-called big two. The WWE and WCW quickly changed their ways, capitalizing on the growing young adult market of wrestling fans. Both companies began to provide an edgier -- but still more mainstream -- product to fans the world over. ECW, however, always maintained its cult following, which continued to grow over time. While ECW and its visionary, Paul Heyman, consistently relied on building and establishing their own homegrown stars, the company did frequently bring in well known performers for brief appearances. Cactus Jack, Terry Funk, Steve Austin, and Bam Bam Bigelow are four of the most commonly known stars to achieve success inside the famed ECW Arena. However, there were a wealth of other legendary wrestling figures that made stops in ECW along the way. These runs with the company ranged from brief -- a handful of months -- to extremely brief -- one-off appearances. Join us as we take a look back at ten of the most shocking and least expected invasions of ECW by legendary wrestling stars.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
