The Secret History Of ECW | Wrestling Timelines

August 27, 1994 - Kiss My Ass

Shane Douglas
WWE Network

This is not the strict origin date of ECW, but it might as well be. A promotion that dabbles heavily in garbage wrestling makes that its selling point.

Shane Douglas wins a tournament to capture the NWA World Heavyweight title, but, at the urging of Paul Heyman, double-crosses what remains of the irrelevant governing body. Douglas rejects the title and buries the revered champions of yore. He says the “fat man” Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Lou Thesz: they can all kiss his ass. He does not accept the torch of an organisation that “died, R.I.P., seven years ago”. ‘The Franchise’ is the man who ignites the new flame of the sport of professional wrestling.

This doesn’t kill the NWA, because Douglas is correct. It’s dead. However, the corpse is still warm enough to make the angle feel like a desecration. This is transgressive, disrespectful, intelligent, headline-worthy. The imagination of a wrestling world bored by the 1980s masquerading as the 1990s is set alight. ECW - which, within days, will secede from the NWA and rechristen itself Extreme Championship Wrestling - is on the map.

If Heyman wants ECW to be Nirvana, this is his ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’: a breakthrough moment that reverberates around the world.

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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!