At the end of the day, no matter how influential, exciting, groundbreaking, or revolutionary ECW was, it was a failure as a wrestling company. The purpose of wrestling is to make money. It is to take your performers, book them in a way that people are compelled to pay to see them, and then turn a profit. ECW filed for bankruptcy on April 4, 2001, ending its short but influential run in professional wrestling. The sad fact is that ECW did not die as many other wrestling promotions did. They did not die due to a lack of interest, pathetically running shows for 50 people in a high school gym. ECW was still selling out their usual arenas and doing well on the touring circuit as well. The man who killed ECW was Paul Heyman. As a regional promotion, ECW was a juggernaut. They had a large market share in the American Northeast and probably would still be in business today if they had stuck to their territory. However, Heyman expanded and did so far too quickly. When the talent moved on to greener pastures, Heyman was unable to keep up due to pay-per-view requirements, demands from a national TV network, and a fanbase that demanded perfection at all times. Heyman is one of the greatest bookers in wrestling history but is also one of the worst businessmen,
