The beauty of the original ECW is that matches didn't need to necessarily drag out over long periods. As a matter of fact, some of the best bouts included on this list didn't outstay their welcomes. One of the most notable examples of that was Rhino's ECW Television Title defence against The Sandman from Heatwave 2000. Earlier at Hardcore Heaven, both guys had an even shorter match. On that occasion, they went only 6 minutes. At Heatwave, they were handed 2 minutes longer, but the time allotted was never going to be an issue. Sandman was hardly regarded for his technical wrestling, fans simply wanted short bursts of intense, entertaining brawling. That was the kind of thing offered up during Heatwave. The result was a short yet exciting flurry, with The Sandman once again doing the job for his peer. It was clear that Paul Heyman was building Rhino for a main event push, something he would achieve right before the company went out of business. Sandman's entrance was usually the highlight of his matches, but Rhino's buzz helped change that for this one.
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.
