10 WWE PPVs Fans Thought Would Totally Suck (But Didn’t)

2. One Night Stand 2005

Ecw One Night Stand 2005
WWE.com

It's so easy to look back on the first One Night Stand show and claim everyone knew it'd be the tribute ECW deserved. That's inaccurate, retrospective fuzziness though. The truth is that some were really worried that Vince McMahon and WWE would f*ck their ECW sideshow up and use it as an excuse to trample the promotion's legacy.

That's why it was so refreshing when they didn't.

One Night Stand 2005 was a love note to anyone who had ever believed in Paul Heyman's 'little promotion that could'. The Hammerstein Ballroom setting and presentation reeked of classic ECW magic, and minor details like Chris Jericho working as 'Lionheart' added to the atmosphere.

McMahon would go on to horribly misinterpret what made ECW so popular when he launched it as a proper third brand in 2006, but he deserves praise for limiting his involvement here. One Night Stand was a pat on the back for Heyman and a nod of recognition from the big leagues that ECW's passionate fanbase meant something.

Advertisement
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.