19. Jimmy Snuka Was The First ECW Heavyweight Champ
Before becoming known as 'Extreme' Championship Wrestling, the 'E' in ECW stood for 'Eastern'. A regional, independent promotion, ECW can trace roots right back to the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, a modest company owned and operated by Joel Goodhart and Tod Gordon. When Goodhart sold his share of the company to Gordon, the latter renamed it ECW, mainly running shows in Philadelphia. In April, 1992, Gordon decided to crown a new ECW Heavyweight Champion, and none other than 'Superfly' Jimmy Snuka was chosen as the best candidate to capture the gold. It's important to note that when looking at the lineage of the title, WWE don't recognise reigns before Shane Douglas would help rename the belt 'Extreme', thus negating Snuka's tenure with the strap in their eyes. Nonetheless, history can't really be rewritten if people were there to witness it take place, and Jimmy Snuka was the very first ECW Heavyweight Champion, whether WWE want to acknowledge it or not. Snuka's reign would only actually last a single day, after losing to Johnny Hotbody on April 26th. Other early champions include the likes of Tito Santana and Don Muraco, both huge names during the 1980's.
