10 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About ECW

10. ECW Was Self-Sufficient

Jerry Lawler 1993
Wiki

Common thinking would claim that ECW existed approximately one million miles outside the child-friendly limitations imposed on both the WWF and WCW in the '90s. ECW was everything those groups weren't. Brash, unapologetically violent and "damn proud of it" (as Paul Heyman would remark), it was a true alternative.

It was also being kept afloat by Vince McMahon's millions.

Back then, people could be forgiven for thinking ECW was a self-sufficient beast that could survive without the bigger companies. That's not true. Thanks to podcasts from Bruce Prichard, Jim Ross and others, it's become clear that Paul Heyman's organisation relied on financial support from McMahon's WWF to stay in business.

Stripped of those kickbacks, there's a chance ECW would've been dead before it produced pay-per-view or hit national television. No, Heyman's league wasn't self-sufficient. He happily took McMahon's cash to maintain his dream of writing a product to be proud of.

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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.