10 Times World Champions Invaded WWE

When the bell tolled on ECW on 13 January 2001, it was the end of an era for many wrestling fans and the end of a career for many wrestlers at the same time. However, for the few deemed worthy of a WWF contract, it also spelt the beginning of a new chapter.

One such performer was Terry “Rhino” Gerin. The master of the gore, Rhino’s intense style and maniacal disposition led him to main event status in ECW, culminating in him capturing the ECW Championship from The Sandman at the original ECW’s final PPV, Guilty As Charged 2001.

Rhino made his devastating WWF debut by goring Jeff Hardy out of his skin on the 19 March episode of Raw, helping Edge and Christian regain the WWF Tag Team titles in the process. What’s more, Rhino was wearing an ECW t-shirt during the entire segment and, coupled with the soundtrack of Paul Heyman on commentary, the message was clear - the ECW Champ had arrived in the WWF.

While he was no longer brandishing the physical ECW Title belt, Rhino had never been beaten for the gold when ECW closed its doors on their final show in January. In fact, ECW didn’t officially cease operations until they filed for bankruptcy on 4 April, meaning Rhino was the reigning ECW Champion when he appeared on Raw, making his debut truly extreme.