The True Story Behind ECW's 'Mass Transit' Incident

New Jack still has no sympathy for Kulas.

Chillingly, he said to VICE (their 'Dark Side Of The Ring' episode on him is worth a watch generally) that "it wasn't [his] fault" when friends told him that Erich had died in 2002. To Jack, their match was just another day at the office. Besides, he'd warned Heyman that people would be talking about 23 November '96 for "10 years".

They're still talking about it. It's hard not to - the 'Mass Transit' incident remains one of the most shocking in wrestling history. A 17-year old boy was drafted in out of the cold to work against one of the most violent tag-teams ever, and he ended up in hospital because of it.

Despite that, Jack was acquitted of charges for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon once the courts heard that Kulas had asked him to do the cutting beforehand.

Incredibly, nobody (other than Heyman, presumably) on ECW's roster really batted an eyelid as Kulas was wheeled into an ambulance. The Sandman also admitted during VICE's documentary that he promised to "take some heat off" Jack by bleeding even more profusely in his own match later that night.

Think about that.

ECW was so wild and out of control in the mid-'90s that someone saw a young rookie get carved up and figured they should go one step further so nobody got into trouble or asked any questions. That, perhaps more than anything else, sums the original Extreme Championship Wrestling up.

What do you think of the infamous 'Mass Transit' incident? Did it change how you viewed the original ECW? For more wrestling, check out 10 WWE Matches The Undertaker Wants You To Forget and WWE Survivor Series 2020: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True!