Did These 25 WWE Superstars Ever Wrestle In ECW?
- by Andrew Pollard
- – on
- in Sports
Founded by Tod Gordon, ECW began life back in 1992 under the name Eastern Championship Wrestling. With Paul Heyman brought into the fold, 1994 saw the company rebranded as Extreme Championship Wrestling - and from there, the rest, as they say, is history.
ECW would become famous for its graphic violence, its raunchy attitude, its in-ring technicians, and for the simple fact that it was different to the mainstream wrestling action seen in Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation and Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling. ECW was changing the game, and it forced the big name companies to up their game and expand their product past the played-out formula that had been seen on TV for so many years.
Of course, ECW would see its fair share of talented performers pass through its doors before the company folded in 2001. And some of those wrestlers would eventually end up in the WWF/E and make themselves an even bigger star on an even bigger stage.
To ace this quiz, though, you'll need to be well versed on the background of some of the WWE's biggest ever names. For here, we're asking you whether these 25 names ever competed in ECW. And just to clarify, ECW means the company that ran from 1992 until 2001 - not the abomination that was the WWE's awful attempt to relaunch ECW in 2006!
Did Chris Jericho Ever Compete In ECW?
One of the hottest stories of the wrestling world right now is that Chris Jericho is going to wrestle for New Japan Pro Wrestling as he does battle with Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12. Y2J is famous for having travelled the world as he learned his craft, and he's gone on to become a true legend of the wrestling business over his 27-year (and counting!) career. During that lengthy career, though, did Jericho ever compete in Extreme Championship Wrestling?
Did The Rock Ever Compete In ECW?
If you smmmmelllllllll... etc, etc. You know the drill by this point, for Rocky has been spouting the same now-iconic catchphrases for 20 years. Now no longer just the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, The Rock instead labels himself as the most electrifying man in ALL entertainment these days. And rightly so, for he's one of the biggest and most bankable movie stars on the entire planet. More importantly here, though, did The Great One ever compete in ECW?
Did Steve Austin Ever Compete In ECW?
When it comes to the biggest names that the wrestling business has ever seen, many would argue that Stone Cold Steve Austin is THE biggest. After all, Austin was the hottest star of the industry's hottest time period. The Texas Rattlesnake raised hell, whooped plenty of ass, had a middle finger greeting for all in his way, and sank a whole boat load of beers. Despite all of this, though, did the legendary Steve Austin ever wrestle in Extreme Championship Wrestling?
Did Triple H Ever Compete In ECW?
We all know that Triple H can't help but get involved with anything deemed remotely popular in the wrestling world - as shown by him recently becoming a one-night member of The Shield, by him dancing with The New Day, and by him championing the cause of many an apparent 'indy darling' of the wrestling world. Of course, at one point in time, ECW was seen as the cool new thing in the wrestling world, but did Hunter ever compete in the company?
Did The Godfather Ever Compete In ECW?
Many a wrestling fan would have loved to ride The Godfather's famed Ho Train back in the day, and those same fans were hoping to see of those same ladies back in action when The Godfather was inducted in to the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2016. Of course, Charles Wright went by plenty of other names and gimmicks other than The Godfather. Whether it was as The Godfather, Papa Shango or even Kama, did Wright ever compete in ECW?
Did Eddie Guerrero Ever Compete In ECW?
When any wrestler passes away, the wrestling world mourns that loss. With Eddie Guerrero, though, it was a completely different level, with the tragic death of Eddie hitting hard to so many wrestling fans all over the globe. To this day, many still get teary-eyed when watching footage of the ridiculously talented and charismatic Guerrero, with him having amassed a huge following during his time in ECW and then the WWE. During his career, though, did Eddie ever perform for ECW?
Did Val Venis Ever Compete In ECW?
Nothing quite screams "'90s wrestling landscape" better than a greased-up, towel-wearing porn star who would regularly be featured in innuendo-laced vignettes alongside some notable names from the adult industry. That was exactly Val Venis' M.O., and he won himself a fair amount of fans on his way to Intercontinental, European, and Tag Team championship gold. So, it's fair to say that Val was nothing if not "extreme", but did The Big Valbowski ever grace the confines of Extreme Championship Wrestling?
Did Rey Mysterio Jr. Ever Compete In ECW?
In terms of a television presence, Rey Mysterio Jr. has most recently been seen in Lucha Underground. Then, of course, after cutting his North American teeth in World Championship Wrestling, Rey would turn up in the WWE and become a multiple-time World Champion during his stay in Vince McMahon's company. In fact, there's often regularly speculation and rumour that Mysterio could return to the WWE at some point in time. Going back to the '90s, though, did Rey ever compete in ECW?
Did Dean Malenko Ever Compete In ECW?
In terms of technical masters of the squared circle, Dean Malenko is one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. Dubbed The Iceman or The Man of 1,000 Holds, Malenko was as smooth as silk between the ropes, and he could tie his opponents up in knots at a moment's notice. He would, of course, famously compete in Japan and across the globe, but did Dean Malenko ever pass through the doors of Extreme Championship Wrestling?
Did Rob Van Dam Ever Compete In ECW?
Rob Van Dam most certainly is, as he says, One of a Kind. When it comes to athleticism and that famed it factor, RVD is at a level that many can only dream of. Sure, he may not be the greatest talker when it comes to having a microphone in his hand, but Van Dam oozes his own unique form of charisma that just endears him to audiences across the wrestling world. Did Rob Van Dam ever compete in ECW, though?
Did Mick Foley Ever Compete In ECW?
Having achieved modest success in North America, Mick Foley decided to take himself over to Japan, where he famously competed in all kinds of crazy bouts such as the infamous death matches. As his career went on, however, Mick would go on to become a 3-time WWF Champion and revered as one of the best in the business. Along the way, fans were treated to Cactus Jack, Mankind, Dude Love and plain ol' Mick Foley. Did Foley or any of his alter-egos ever do battle in ECW, though?
Did Arn Anderson Ever Compete In ECW?
What we have here is one of the greatest tag team pairings in the history of the wrestling business. While we can all appreciate just how great Tully Blanchard was, the focus of this question is Double A, The Enforcer, the legendary Arn Anderson. Anderson has a career that took in a whole host of organisations - most notably WCW and a spell in the then-WWF - but did this iconic grappler ever do battle in Extreme Championship Wrestling, though?
Did Marty Jannetty Ever Compete In ECW?
Sadly, these days Marty Jannetty is so often cited when people are looking to describe the weak link of a tag team pairing. For those around during the heyday of The Rockers, though, they appreciate just how good Jannetty was at one point in time before his career nosedived relatively soon after The Rockers disbanded. Marty would wind up competing in WCW for a period of time towards the end of the '90s, but did he ever perform in ECW?
Did Scott Steiner Ever Compete In ECW?
You can see why Vince McMahon was so eager to bring Scott Steiner to the WWE in the 2000s. Given McMahon's penchant for muscles upon muscles upon muscles, Big Poppa Pump was a no-brainer to return to a company for which he originally competed for back in the early '90s. More famously, Steiner - often alongside his brother, Rick - made a name for himself in WCW. Did Scott, however, ever compete in the realm of Extreme Championship Wrestling at any point?
Did Mr. Perfect Ever Compete In ECW?
To plenty of longtime wrestling fans, Mr. Perfect is seen as the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time. To others, Curt Hennig is more well remembered as the AWA Champion, and then there are those who instantly think of him for his time in WCW during the second half of the '90s. Regardless of how you remember him, there's no doubting just how special an in-ring talent Hennig was. More importantly here, of course, did Hennig ever compete in ECW?
Did Hardcore Holly Ever Compete In ECW?
Hardcore Holly is often cited as being one of the toughest SOBs in the wrestling business, with him famously taking no BS during his in-ring career. Now, Holly would actually compete for ECW during the ill-fated relaunch of the company under the WWE umbrella in 2006. We're not asking you about THAT version of ECW, though, for let's face it, that incarnation of ECW was a pale imitation of the original Extreme Championship Wrestling. Did Holly ever compete in the '90s ECW?
Did Al Snow Ever Compete In ECW?
What does everybody want? What does everybody need? For fans of Al Snow, you'll know the answers to both of these particular questions. That answer, of course, is Head - as shown in the grasp of Snow here. Al would become a cult favorite of many then-WWF fans during the heady days of the Attitude Era, and he'd have a decent amount of success throughout the period. More importantly that all of that right now, though, is did Snow ever perform in ECW?
Did Edge Ever Compete In ECW?
Considering one of the key elements of Extreme Championship Wrestling was how racy and raunchy Paul Heyman's organisation would go, you'd think that somebody dubbed The Rated-R Superstar would be the perfect fit for ECW. Of course, Edge wouldn't don the Rated-R Superstar moniker until after ECW went out of existence, but his in-ring ability and charisma would have likewise made him a good fit for ECW. So, think back to the heyday of Extreme Championship Wrestling - did Edge ever compete there?
Did Jimmy Snuka Ever Compete In ECW?
The name Jimmy Snuka brings out a whole host of emotions amongst the wrestling world. While Superfly was indeed a true revolutionary who was undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the business at one point in time, his life outside the ring is what soured many fans on Snuka. We won't go in to those details here, but Google is your friend if you're not aware of that side of Snuka. What we're after here is simply whether Jimmy Snuka ever competed in ECW.
Did Tito Santana Ever Compete In ECW?
During his years with the then-WWF, Tito Santana become one of the hottest stars in the business. Not only did he win the Tag Team Titles twice (once with Ivan Putski and once with Rick Martel), but more impressively Santana captured the Intercontinental Championship on two occasions - and that was when the IC Title was seen as a huge, huge prize that wrestlers were given with a view to grooming them for the WWF World Championship. Did Santana ever perform in ECW, though?
Did Raven Ever Compete In ECW?
To many, Raven is seen as one of the most fascinating performers the wrestling business has ever known. It takes a special type of performer to have you constantly glued to the screen whenever they appear, to have you hanging on ever word that they utter, but Raven was all that and so much more during his storied career. The unique and intense character would have runs with both WCW and the then-WWF, but did Raven ever compete in ECW?
Did Ken Shamrock Ever Compete In ECW?
Ken Shamrock is a man who achieved major success in the worlds of both mixed martial arts and professional wrestling. Having cemented his status as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, The World's Most Dangerous Man would wind up in Vince McMahon's WWF and go on to win plenty of plaudits and championship gold as his intense in-ring style made him a big favorite of many a wrestling fan. Throughout his storied career, did Shamrock ever compete in ECW?
Did Bret Hart Ever Compete In ECW?
Where many wrestling fans are concerned, Bret Hart is often viewed as the greatest in-ring talent that the wrestling business has ever seen - with Hart more than living up to his famed moniker of The Best There Is, The Best There Was, And The Best There Ever Will Be. The Excellence of Execution won a slew of championship gold across several organizations - most notably the WWF and WCW - but did the legendary Hitman ever compete in ECW?
Did Roddy Piper Ever Compete In ECW?
While many of the talents featured in this quiz are associated purely with the WWF/E, this legendary figure was cut from a different cloth. Of course, Roddy Piper is most famously thought of for his time in Vince McMahon's company, but Hot Rod marched to the beat of his own drum as he battled in plentiful organizations all over North America and beyond. Piper was and always will be a true icon of the wrestling game, but did he ever compete in ECW?
Did Jake Roberts Ever Compete In ECW?
Like certain others already featured in this quiz, Jake "The Snake" Roberts is not only a bona fide wrestling legend, but he's also somebody who made his mark in a whole host of companies, organizations and territories all over the world. Famously, of course, Roberts would spend his best years in the then-WWF as he wowed any and all who watched his mesmerizing persona wax lyrical and drop opponents with his patented DDT. Did Jake ever compete in ECW, though?