Due primarily to financial mismanagement, ECW—the proverbial "Little Engine That Could"—officially closed its doors in 2001. For all the hardcore fans, this was a great blow to the wrestling business.
Stars such as Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Steve Austin and Rey Mysterio, all became world champions in the WWE after a stint in ECW.
The popularity of ECW resonated throughout the WWE even after its closure. Whenever a "hardcore" spot would happen during a match, fans would quickly accredit it to Extreme Championship Wrestling with their "E-C-Dubb... E-C-Dubb... E-C-Dubb" chants.
The WWE attempted to revive the brand in 2006 after two successful ECW "One Night Stand" pay-per-views. However, shortly after thi...
Get the full article at Bleacher Report - Pro Wrestling
BleacherReport.com is the owner of this article.