How Paul Heyman Took Over & Bought ECW, Explained
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Paul Heyman is one of the greatest and most influential minds in all of professional wrestling. He possesses an incredible amount of knowledge about the industry and has been involved in it for decades. Heyman has managed some of the biggest stars in the industry. In addition, his ability to deliver promos can only be matched by a handful of individuals. Heyman was also the former owner of ECW. ECW was an alternative to the mainstream of WWE and WCW. Its product was far edgier and violent, something which fans still love to this day. Heyman’s acquisition of the promotion forever left an impact on professional wrestling as we know it.
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ECW Breaks Away From The NWA
Before ECW became the promotion that fans know and love today, it was originally called Eastern Championship Wrestling. An extension of the NWA, Heyman had begun working there after he left WCW. Heyman had thought that professional wrestling needed to be shaken up. Seeing the ways in which WCW and WWE were booking their products, he recognized the need to try something more innovative and different from the mainstream. His opportunity for this came in 1993. Eddie Gilbert, ECW’s booker, left the company following disagreements with Tod Gordon, ECW’s owner. The result was Heyman becoming the new booker for ECW. However, with Heyman’s arrival, the NWA would be gone from ECW as well.
The NWA hosted a championship tournament in order to crown a new champion for the promotion. The tournament was won by Shane Douglas, in a moment that changed professional wrestling history forever. After winning the title, Douglas ran down the NWA verbally. He threw down their world title, declaring himself ECW’s champion. The only people who knew this was going to happen were Douglas, Gordon, and Heyman. The NWA was out. ECW became its own company, and in 1995, Heyman bought it out from Gordon. As Bleacher Report wrote, “He wanted to orchestrate a change in wrestling equivalent to the way Nirvana led the way in impacting the music industry in the early '90s.”
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ECW Ushers In A New Era For Professional Wrestling
Heyman’s changes to ECW were drastic. It was no longer the old traditional format that the NWA had stuck to for decades nor was it anything along the lines of the kid friendly product that WWE and WCW offered. ECW was the alternative to all that. It put the hardcore style of wrestling first and foremost, but also showcased lucha libre and Japanese styles of professional wrestling as well.
Stars like 2 Cold Scorpio, Taz, Rob Van Dam, The Dudleys, The Sandman, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and many, many more made up the roster. They even had a working partnership with WWE. ECW broke all the established rules of professional wrestling and it worked. Under Heyman’s leadership, the company evolved to become something truly special and groundbreaking. It revolutionized the business.
WWE Buys ECW
Heyman ran ECW until its final days in 2001. Due to a number of different issues with the promotion, such as financial troubles, the Philadelphia based promotion had to close its doors. It was acquired by WWE, where Heyman eventually became employed and works to this day.
Even though WWE eventually rebooted ECW, it was only ECW in name alone. This version was far more sanitized and lacked what made the original ECW so special. Nothing about it was reminiscent of the former company that had emerged that was everything that WWE was not. This iteration of the brand lasted from 2006 until 2010.
RELATED: Why WWE Ended Its ECW Revival In 2010, Explained
Paul Heyman's Legacy & His Role In ECW
Heyman’s post-ECW career has seen him primarily working in WWE. He had served as a head of creative, commentator, and general manager. His most popular angles came as a manager. Well known for his time with Brock Lesnar, Heyman oversaw numerous championship reigns of “The Beast.” He has also been manager for numerous other world champions as well. During CM Punk’s historic 434 day WWE Championship reign, he was his manager. In recent times, he has served as the Special Counsel to WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns and the rest of The Bloodline. Undoubtedly, he is one of the greatest managers in professional wrestling history.
What Heyman and ECW did was unlike anything anyone had seen before. With Heyman’s acquisition of the company, many things in professional wrestling could have turned out completely differently. They rejected the old traditional order of wrestling and tried something new. There is a reason that the chanting of “E-C-Dub” continues to roar from crowds of fans today. Heyman’s role in the rise of ECW is something historic in professional wrestling.
