For years, I thought that I knew what ECW was, Big men smashing the living daylights out of one another while entranced like fans look on with lust for violence in their eyes. I thought it was wrestling that just simply tried too hard and went too far, while some of the things that ECW brought to the table I still don't particularly like, I've really understood what the land of extreme meant to the fans, the Business of pro wrestling, and the stars of the show period.
Respect, The seven letter word that is only earned through hard work and devotion to perseverance, is something I see between the fans and the stars of ECW every time I now look at the shows. In all honesty, I only ever watched matches with the great Sabu, Taz, Bubba Ray, Rhino, Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn etcetera, because I thought that the rest was just literally bashing people without any ounce of effort, But from watching TNA's Hardcore Justice 2010, which was a special one last stand show for the legends of the extreme zone, I learned that I was wrong....definitely wrong. Like I said, there are a few parts that I feel are not good, but I saw a whole side of ECW that I never knew existed, a side that I look for in a wrestling show.
Taz said it best during the show, ECW wasn't just one thing, it was a mixture of everything in pro wrestling, Technical Wrestling, Mat Wrestling, MMA style, Strong Style, and obviously the Hardcore style that the company became so attached to, But It was the ultimate alternative to everything that was on the market at the time. For me, ECW's main legacy in the wrestling business has to be the bonding with the fans, I have never seen such audience involvement in wrestling quite like it, It made you feel apart of the show, even though the wrestlers were the real stars of the show. It gave a new experience that you never got from WCW or WWF.
I truly over the years wondered what people saw in Paul Heyman other than his great on-screen character, but again, like several other things, They are falling into place. While I can't say or critic all of the things that Heyman has done, or agree to how high he is ranked in terms of great minds in the business, I do see what that small third wheel in the American Wrestling scene in the 1990's alongside WCW and WWF meant, and continues to mean so much by the millions of fans to this day. At the end of the day, The joy that they brought to the fans simply can not be justified by any award or Hall of Fame induction, other than a thank you or a one more match chant!
This article is in memory of all the stars in Extreme Championship Wrestling, who for so long, I have misjudged and typecast under a certain banner. I'd like to show that I'm wiser now, and I'd also like to thank them too for giving it everything they had every single night, every single week, whether it was in-front of 100 fans, or 1000 fans, the level never dwindled, and for that I respect them for life.
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