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The 411 Wrestling Top 5 6.20.12: Week 176 – Top Five ECW Stars

June 20, 2012 | Posted by Larry Csonka

Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling’s Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions.

So, on to this week’s topic…

TOP 5 ECW STARS

For the purposes of the column, “ECW” is defined as, “the day Tod Gordon started Eastern Championship Wrestling until the company shut down in April of 2001.”

Gavin Napier
HM: Sabu – Right there with New Jack in terms of infamy.
HM: Taz – The last true torchbearer of ECW, did business the right way, both leaving and returning.
HM: The Sandman – The hardest name to leave out of the top 5. Entirely unique for the time and a cornerstone of ECW’s founding years. It kills me leaving Terry Funk, Steve Corino, The Dudley Boyz off this list, too. Every part of ECW was so crucial to what they did.

5. Rob Van Dam – It was hard picking the fifth spot here. I went round and round with the guys in my honorable mention spots before settling on RVD. Why RVD? Because he’s still ECW. Nothing has changed. His reckless, unique style remains. His ability to fly, brawl, and wrestle remains. His lovably arrogant personality remains. This is still “Mr. Monday Night”, the guy that teamed and feuded with Sabu. This is still the guy that had classic with Jerry Lynn and carried the television title for forever. RVD makes the list because he is who he was in ECW, and never tried to be anything else.

4. New Jack – Stage dives. The Gangstas. The Gangstanators. Mass Transit. The Danbury Fall. The sounds of Natural Born Killas on loop. You’d be hard pressed to find any one person involved in more iconic moments in ECW history than this guy, for better or worse. He embraced hardcore like few could, and was infamous for stunts that nobody else could pull off. More than anyone on the roster, New Jack provided the “anything can happen” feeling that made ECW unique.

3. Raven – I was late to the party with ECW. We had cable, not satellite, so I didn’t get a chance to see the beginnings of ECW on the Sunshine Network. When I did get to see it, Raven was in full swing. Scott Levy’s demons prevented him from being even more successful than he was, and considering he found reasonable success in all three major promotions in North America. He took the cult leader tendencies of a guy like Kevin Sullivan’s gimmick in Florida and evolved it like a Pokemon. “Quote the raven, nevermore,” is forever a part of the wrestling lexicon because of him, and ECW never would have reached the heights it did without him.

2. Tommy Dreamer – Whether feuding with Raven, piledriving Francine, or sending Brian Lee through tables in High Incident, Tommy Dreamer embodied ECW like nobody else. Even Douglas, who started the promotion in spirit, didn’t last as long as Dreamer did. The only reason Douglas ranks higher is because he started things. Dreamer’s workmanlike appearance – he wasn’t a bodybuilder and he wore work pants in the ring – and willingness to fight until the bitter end endeared him to an infamously cynical Philly fan base. Dreamer vs. Raven ranks with Rich vs. Sawyer, Freebirds vs. Von Erichs, Austin vs. Hart, and Sting vs. Vader as feuds that define eras for promotions. When you think of Dreamer, you likely think of extended arms and an EC F’N W shirt. That pretty well sums things up.

1. Shane Douglas – Shane Douglas threw away the NWA World title, effectively burning a bridge to the oldest sanctioning body in professional wrestling. Why? To start a revolution. Say what you will about his politics, but Shane Douglas understands wrestling. He knows how to draw people in and he understands how to capitalize on opportunities. He created the opportunity for himself in Eastern Championship Wrestling that he felt had been denied him by people like Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels. In doing so, he made himself synonymous with the renegade aspect of the promotion and did his damnedest to change the industry. “The Franchise” was exactly that for ECW.


Jake St-Pierre
HM: RVD – RVD was very overrated during his run in the land of Extreme, but he’s still one of the most recognized wrestlers they had.
HM: Sabu – This may be seen as sacrilege to some, but Sabu isn’t as significant to me as my top 5 is. He was over like gangbusters, but just not the huge figure in ECW history like said top 5.

5. Cactus Jack – If you don’t think Mick Foley can talk as well as people say, watch his Cane Dewey promo. It’s one of the most gripping, emotional, and career-defining promos of all time. His matches were your usual Mick Foley matches, but what stood out was his absolutely fantastic character work. He understood what hardcore wrestling did to people, showing Tommy Dreamer–who killed himself for the ECW fans–how guys like The Dynamite Kid or Ray Stevens ended up with their hard-hitting styles. In a promotion where the fans were insane about anyone who could go through a table, Mick Foley’s words made him a reviled heel in the eyes of the ECW fans. Mick even shaved his beard and made his wrestling terrible, even going as far as to worship Eric Bischoff, who was Satan in ECW fans’ eyes. He certainly made an impact as one of the best characters in ECW’s short history.

4. The Sandman – As bad of a wrestler as he may truly be, The Sandman is synonymous with ECW. He has one of the most iconic entrances of all time, none more iconic than his Hammerstein Ballroom entrance at One Night Stand 2005. Just the way the fans sang along, how passionate they were…it was almost more entertaining than his matches. He was also involved in an absolute dandy of a feud with the dastardly Raven, who crucified Sandman (thus sending Kurt Angle in a rage) and brainwashed his son in one of the more emotional charged angles of all time. His Singapore Cane was famous because of him as well after he caned Tommy Dreamer when he was still a pretty boy. Sandman is not a good wrestler, but I’ll be damned if he wasn’t one of the most iconic in ECW.

3. Taz – If you want a modern example for Taz’s run, look at Samoa Joe. He was a monster and a legit badass. Taz had the exact same aura around him and as a result, Paul E. and company caught lightning in a bottle. You could argue that Taz’s neck injury helped his career, as it launched the strongly worded, badass character Taz was seen as. His suplexes were some of the most feared of all time, so much so that WWE neutered his move set due to the danger of some of the suplexes. Taz’s feud with Sabu was one of the most physical in ECW’s history since they had legitimate hatred for one another and could wrestle. Taz even made his own freakin’ title: the FTW Championship. It proved that Taz’s character was special in its not-often-seen-anymore “heel that can talk enormous amounts of trash but back it up” and made Taz a key player in ECW.

2. Raven – If you’ve ever been an ECW fan, you have seen the body of work the former Scotty Polo racked up in the company. He was unquestionably the promotion’s number one heel, winning championships and constantly fucking shit up. He had the upper-hand on Tommy Dreamer during their two year long rivalry, even though Tommy disposed of Brian Lee, the hired hand that Raven used to take Tommy out. Tommy even banged his girlfriend and knocked her up, but Raven just couldn’t lose to him. Also, Raven had the presence of the awesome bWo to play off of, which just made his run even better. Raven capped off his first (and best) ECW run by finally losing to Tommy Dreamer in one of the most brilliant payoffs in wrestling history. Raven was the best heel ECW had and it’s a shame neither WWE nor WCW could fully capitalize on it.

1. Tommy Dreamer – This man should be crippled. He shouldn’t really wrestle anymore basically because of the stuff he did during his ECW tenure. He was apart of one of the greatest, most long standing rivalries with Raven. He ate, slept, and shit ECW even though Paul Heyman had no semblance of business savvy to pay him and several other wrestlers. His loyalty, significance, and underdog demeanor made him from a pretty boy in terrible suspenders to the guy that sent Raven out of ECW with an iconic “E C FUCKING W” and a DDT. Even if you’re not a fan of the guy, it’s almost common knowledge that ECW would have never gotten anywhere without Tommy Dreamer.


Robert S. Leighty Jr
HM: New Jack – There was nothing like New Jack carrying a shit load of weapons to the ring to kick some ass as “Natural Born Killaz” blasted through the building seemingly on repeat.
HM: RVD – Quite possibly the most popular wrestler ECW ever produced with a one of a kind look and offense.
HM: Sabu – How he didn’t kill himself with some of the stuff he did I will never know.

5. Shane Douglas – I had a tough time between Shane and Sabu, but in the end I will give the nod to the guy that had the balls to throw down the NWA Title and put ECW on the map. Douglas was a great heel in ECW and his promos trashing WCW and WWF were awesome, but at same time he had no problem jumping to either company when they came calling (not that I blame him because in a business like wrestling money talks and you do what is best for you and your family). He was the Franchise of ECW and as a bonus a native Pittsburgh kid that never forgot his roots even as he carried on as a dominant champion.

4. The Sandman There was no better scene in ECW that watching the Sandman make his entrance with the crowd singing along, and crazy part was that the entrance was high point of a lot of his matches. He may not have been a great wrestler, but you knew what you were getting with him, and that was good enough for me. The fun thing with the Sandman was you knew when the music hit you were going to get an experience like no other in wrestling. Much like they say you need to experience the entrance of The Undertaker to understand it, I think the same can be said for the Sandman’s.

3. Taz – The first time I saw Taz on ECW TV at like 2:00 AM I seriously thought I was watching the baddest mother fucker on the planet. He had this way about him that legitimately sold him as a monster that would suplex the piss out of you, choke you out, and then tell you to go fuck yourself. There was nothing like Taz and all you needed to know about him was “I don’t need a weapon, my hands are my weapon,” and “beat me if you can. Survive if I let you.”

2. Tommy Dreamer – No one person is more identified with ECW than Dreamer. He was the heart of the company, and defined the term company man. He was seen as a pretty boy babyface in the early days that the fans hated, but after taking some of the most hellacious beatings you will ever see, he won the respect of the ECW crowd and become their version of Sting. The man who wouldn’t leave even when the house started burning down around him. The only reason I don’t put him #1 is because I am a huge mark for what was his most hated rival!

1. Raven – It is no secret that Raven is one of my favorite all time wrestlers, and the character is one of the best in history. The man thrived in ECW, and was part of the greatest rivalry in the company’s history: Raven/Dreamer. He was part of some of the most iconic (Chair Shot Heard Round the World) and infamous (crucifying the Sandman) moments in ECW history. The way he reinvented himself is a classic example of what ECW could do for someone.


Scott Rutherford
HM: Jimmy Snuka – Back when ECW was a stain on the indie seen, he was the only name wrestler they had that gave them even an ounce of credibility.
HM: Jerry Lynn – Like most in ECW was a loyal soldier to “the cause”
HM: Taz – Was the centrepiece that their first PPV was built around and a fine example of how Paul Heyman could make anyone a legitimate threat.

5. Terry Funk – During the 70’s and 80’s Funk was known as a great brawler who could go out and have a technical masterpiece if needed. When time and injuries caught up with him he became “middle aged and crazy” and set about trying to make ECW something. While the term “good match” and Terry Funk rarely met during the 90’s his ability to get ECW and the wrestlers over was a large chuck of the reason why ECW survived it’s early stages.

4. Shane Douglas – I fucking hate Shane Douglas. I think he’s a vastly overrated worker, an average talker and has a ridiculously over inflated opinion of himself, his ability and his position in wrestling. That being said, he was a catalyst for ECW and was the guy that laid down the ground rules on what ECW was going to become and the philosophy they would live by.

3. Raven – Strangely Raven was a guy that was only around ECW for short bursts and then he would bounce to either WCW or WWF. However, no guy packed more into his runs than Raven and no man could create storylines like him. I mean, who else could have turned a silly angle like someone stealing another guys girlfriend at summer camp into a super hot feud with blood, violence, action and fun like Raven. He and Tommy Dreamer kept that baby going nearly a year and every time Dreamer had victory ripped from him the more we loved and it…and came back for more. And that’s the key. This was the first really HOT angle ECW tapped into that brought n fans from outside their loyal base.

2. Rob Van Dam – While mystery will always surround why he never became the ECW World Champion his reign as TV Champ was so good and so respected that most people looked to him as being the true legit champ of the company. While he wasn’t a great worker (and never really was), he had a unique style and great chemistry with an audience that he could create incredibly entertaining matches with just about anyone. Rumor has it that the longer he stayed at ECW the more that Paul owed him but to RVD’s credit, he stuck it out to the very end in hope that ECW would live.

1. Tommy Dreamer – You cut this mans veins open and every red blood cell that falls out will have a tiny ECW imprint on it. For whatever reason this man made ECW his life during the 90’s and everything he did in and out of the ring was all for them. He was a guy that the usual cynical fans of ECW could get behind because he pretty much came across as himself (well…after he ditched the green suspenders) and never once did what was right for Tommy Dreamer…he always did what was right for ECW. This is the type of guy that helps keep a small promotion like ECW afloat during the hard time but even he couldn’t combat Paul Heyman’ss pathological lying and bad business sense. Like or loath ECW, everyone should respect Tommy Dreamer as a man that lived and breathed wrestling and bleed for something that he believed in with all of his heart.


Larry’s Quick Picks
HM: Dudleyz
HM: RVD

5. Sandman
4. Raven
3. Tommy Dreamer
2. Shane Douglas
1. Sabu

YOUR TURN KNOW IT ALLS
List your Top Five for this week’s topic in the comment section using the following format:

5. CHOICE: Explanation
4. CHOICE: Explanation
3. CHOICE: Explanation
2. CHOICE: Explanation
1. CHOICE: Explanation

NEW PODCASTS

Thoughts from the Man Cave returned on Thursday. This time, the well-rounded Mark Radulich joins the Man Cave to discuss all the hot topics in boxing. We’ll talk about the fallout from Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley, whether or not the fight was fixed, if the decision means the death of boxing, how MMA didn’t benefit, and people’s overreaction to the fight and decision. We’ll look at the fight from all angles. Plus we’ll talk about Floyd Mayweather’s plea to exit jail and enter house arrest. You can listen to the show here!

Thoughts from the Man Cave was back again for another Thursday show as fellow Oklahoma City Thunder fan Steve Cook joins the Man Cave to talk some baseball, basketball, and pro wrestling. We’ll start with a chat about the Cincinnati Reds and how they’ve been doing lately before talking at length about David Stern’s recent lashing out against Jim Rome and Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and the Miami Heat. Finally we’ll close with a quick preview of WWE No Way Out and talk of Christian’s TNA appearance. You can listen to the show here.

The 411 on Wrestling was back on Friday night for the weekly fun show. 411’s Larry Csonka was joined by Steve Cook to discuss the latest edition of TNA IMPACT Wrestling (the improvements they are making and mistakes that they are still making), WWE Developmental and what they are looking for, the list of 25 must see ECW matches that WWE.com posted, Chris Sabin’s injury, the top 5 ECW wrestlers of all time and a preview of the WWE No Way Out PPV. Plus backstage bullshit on Austin Aries getting ribbed on IMPACT, Triple H hating Mick Foley and much more. You can listen to the show here.

Thoughts from the Man Cave was back to talking MMA. Samer Kadi joins the Man Cave to preview two cards featuring a bunch of fighters that they’ve actually never heard of. They look at the weekend UFC on FX 4 and UFC 147 events and try their best to provide useful insight. UFC on FX 4 is an above average FX card with a very good main event while UFC 147 is somehow a PPV that you’re expected to pay for. Like Wanderlei Silva, they give their best at breaking down the big fights… You can listen to the show at this link.

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Larry Csonka