The Secret History Of ECW | Wrestling Timelines

November 23, 1996 - The Mass Transit Incident

Mass Transit
VICE

This is a problem, and a big one - the other side of the deal.

It’s all well and good, contracting a bunch of genuinely unhinged “misfit toys”. The aura makes for frightening, compelling television. There’s always a sense that things might get taken too far, and it’s this slippery, illicit thrill that allows the once-jaded, grown-up fans to believe in pro wrestling all over again.

The risk is real. Things do get taken too far, on November 23, 1996: the site of the ‘Mass Transit Incident’. An untrained, underage wrestler - Erich Kulas, 17 - lies about his credentials and talks himself into a gig.

Literally.

Kulas is meant to work a special attraction match, against two little people, before learning that Axl Rotten, as a result of a family emergency, can’t make it to the show and partner D-Von Dudley against the Gangstas. Kulas, ‘Mass Transit’, volunteers to take the spot. The request is granted. According to New Jack, Kulas irritates him by asking to get a load of sh*t in. He also asks Jack to gig, or blade him, since he’s never done it before. In a wildly disproportionate response to poor locker room etiquette, New Jack severs two arteries in Erich’s forehead. While fan-cam footage of the event does capture Jack asking Kulas if he’s “alright”, to which Kulas responds “I’m fine”, the beat-down before and after the blade spot is grotesque, even by ECW standards. Erich’s father passionately reveals his flayed son’s real age as he begs for the match to end. When it does, with medics rushing to the ring, Jack grabs a mic and says:

“I don’t care if the motherf*cker dies!”

The event is so repellent that it almost threatens to derail ECW’s plans to expand into pay-per-view. Barely Legal almost doesn’t happen when pay-per-view carrier Request TV initially refuses to broadcast an event in fear of a repeat incident. Heyman talks Request into it, but the pool of potential buys is limited when other providers refuse.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!