12 Misconceptions About ECW You Probably Believe
4. WWE “Saved” ECW With One Night Stand
WWE’s 2005 ECW One Night Stand is remembered as a love letter to the original ECW — a wild, beer-soaked celebration of what made Paul Heyman’s creation so special. It was emotional, cathartic, and historic… but don’t buy the idea that WWE “saved” ECW that night.
One Night Stand wasn’t a rescue mission — it was a carefully polished tribute. WWE picked the safe parts: nostalgia, weapons, Heyman’s rants — and scrubbed away the unpredictability and danger that gave ECW its edge. It was ECW, but through WWE’s corporate filter.
Even worse, it paved the way for WWE’s 2006 ECW reboot — a watered-down, awkward shadow of the original, complete with baffling booking decisions (Kevin Thorn? The Zombie?) and a world title that somehow ended up on Vince McMahon himself.
The ECW vets got a pay cheque, but if you seriously think WWE saved ECW, ask yourself: would Paul Heyman have ever greenlit December to Dismember? Exactly.