10 Wrestling Chants That Changed Everything
2. "E-C-W!"
In the 1990s, WWE and WCW were engaged in a war to rule the wrestling industry. While WWE was the first company to go global and was synonymous with wrestling in the eyes of many fans, WCW signed up tons of former WWE superstars and in the process, stole many of the company's viewers.
While that was going on, a third brand was becoming an underground sensation. Extreme Championship Wrestling had earned a smaller - but devoted - fanbase by presenting a product that was worlds away from the Disneyfied wrestling that the "Big Two" produced. In ECW, sex, blood, and a healthy dose of grungy hard rock came together in a way that felt timely and appealed to fans who had outgrown other wrestling.
The action in ECW was typically insane, whether featuring hardcore violence from stalwarts like The Dudley Boyz and Sabu, or great technical action from the likes of Super Crazy and Tajiri. To thank the promotion for giving them such a one-of-a-kind product, the fans would chant "E-C-W!" proudly.
The chant outlived the promotion, with fans yelling "E-C-W!" at all sorts of shows whenever they'd see hardcore spots. Rumor has it the chants got under Vince McMahon's skin, and his revival (and subsequent desecration) of the brand in the late 2000s was an elaborate attempt to kill ECW's legacy. It didn't work, and fans still chant those initials when the situation calls for it.