10 WWE PPVs Fans Thought Would Totally Suck (But Didn’t)
2. One Night Stand 2005
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.