WWE had some success by reviving ECW for the two One Night Stand tribute shows in 2005 and 06. Fans and wrestlers alike were thrilled with the product. Vince must have also believed that there was some milage left in the defunct promotion, since he brought ECW back as a third brand in the summer of 06. Oh, how it well went south. It was apparent during the first episode (featuring the infamous ECW Zombie) that the show was going to be a watered-down version of WWE. By the time of the disastrous December to Dismember pay-per-view it was clear that Vince and WWE were losing interest. And so it became the WWE C show where the likes of Test and Hardcore Holly headlined. Bobby Lashley was chosen as the face of the brand in late 2006. Clearly this was the case of a big fish in a small pond: WWE had much bigger plans for Lashley. But first Lashley had to lose the ECW Championship. His successor? None other than the boss himself, Vince McMahon. The WWE owner pinned Lashley to win the title at Backlash 2007 in a handicap match which pitted Lashley against Vince, Shane and Umaga. He held the title for thirty five days before losing it back to Lashley. One of the final nails in the ECW coffin.
