10 Wrestlers You Totally Forgot Worked For ECW

4. Jim Neidhart

Doink ECW
WWE

In late 1993, Stu Hart possibly put in a favour to Paul Heyman on behalf of that "big rhino", that "big b*stard", Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart, and thus, he went to a non-finish against The Sandman in a collector's edition bout at November To Remember 1993.

Much like Steve Austin, who left ECW and (initially) entered the WWF as if he had done so directly from WCW, Neidhart's stint in the blood and guts promotion hardly shaped his subsequent WWF runs. After turning on Bret Hart at SummerSlam '94, Neidhart scuppered his new gig, but did return in 1996 as Who?.

If ECW was the à la mode, grungy, 'Nirvana' promotion for the 1990s, Neidhart returned under the most unfashionable gimmick ever - a character inspired by Abbott and Costello's 1930s miscommunication bit. McMahon also failed to understand, less hilariously, that five full f*cking decades had passed him by.

Happily, this wasn't the depressing epilogue to Jim's pro wrestling career; he returned to the WWF once more in 1997, and turned the Hart Foundation from one of wrestling's best-ever tag teams into one of its best-ever stables - during which he worked one of the company's best-ever matches, that incendiary 10-man from In Your House: Canadian Stampede.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!