10 Times Hell Froze Over In Wrestling

9. WWE Creates A New Version Of ECW

Jeff Jarrett Hall Of Fame
WWE.com

The original Extreme Championship Wrestling is still remembered to this day as North American's outlaw promotion. A far cry from what the then-WWF and WCW were presenting, ECW offered something more raw, visceral, and satisfying for a more mature audience. WWE had something else in mind for the infamous letters.

Due to the success of the One Night Stand shows in 2005 and 2006, WWE decided to bring ECW back as a third brand to join Raw and SmackDown. Beginning with the 13 June 2006 episode, ECW was established as a WWE show. Initially, the company stayed true to some aspects of the original.

That didn't last long, certainly outside of the One Night Stand pay-per-views. It must have been hellish for someone like Paul Heyman, long associated with the heart and soul of ECW, to watch his Extreme brand reduced to a WWE 'C' show.

By the time Vince McMahon decided to cancel ECW in 2010, it was more akin to Sunday Night Heat or Velocity than a fully-fledged competitive brand. Original ECW fans everywhere were left seething.

Contributor

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.