In North America, 911 is obviously the dialing code for emergency services. In the original Extreme Championship Wrestling, the numbers became synonymous with something else entirely. Whenever something happened that threatened the sacrosanct ways of hardcore in ECW, a giant mountain of a man would show up out of nowhere and delight the fans. Perhaps only in Paul Heyman's wild promotion would a character like 911 work. The guy rarely wrestled, especially once his gimmick became well-known to the core fan base. Instead, he'd simply show up at certain moments and smash someone with a thunderous Chokeslam. Meanwhile, fans inside the ECW Arena and elsewhere around the country went crazy for him. Imagine a wrestler getting away with such a gimmick in WWE today, it's inconceivable. 911 was an anomaly even in ECW, but he's the perfect example of Heyman using someone's strengths (the man's sheer size) to get them over with the audience. 911 has become one of those cult-like phenomenons that ECW is well-remembered for producing.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
