Much has been written about ECW's WWE-sponsored return in 2006, but here's yet more of it if only to wrap some minuscule context around a billionaire and his rancid bunch of pals directing a 19-year-old virtually untrained woman to strip on national television.
The company's relaunch of the extreme brand had absolutely no clue what the f*ck it wanted to be from the off, not least in light of the original ECW's bastardisation at the hands of Vince McMahon and everybody else post-1997.
The Sci-Fi Channel placement forced the sort of silliness
It was no more or less hardcore than what was being offered on Raw or SmackDown in terms of violence or bad language, and the rank and rampant sexualisation of the women of the main roster was so omnipresent that nothing short of stripping nude could separate Tuesdays from Mondays and Fridays. And McMahon was many things, but a f*cking gross carny monster selling actual strippers to his wrestling audience? He would never.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
