ECW Originals Who Should Get Inducted In The WWE Hall OF Fame
Royal Rumble is this coming weekend and along with being one of WWE's best and most anticipated events every year. Once Royal Rumble is over we are officially on the road to WrestleMania. Among the extravaganza that is Wrestlemania and Wrestlemania Weekend, many fans look forward to seeing who will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame that weekend.
Regardless of one's feeling's about legit the WWE Hall of Fame is and who is omitted for political reason. There's no denying it is a big deal to many fans, and they enjoy seeing some of their favorites honored. With Mania being in Philadelphia this year, home of the revolutionary promotion ECW. It is only right that fans expect at few if not one talent that is synonymous with ECW to be inducted. Currently only The Dudley Boyz and Rob Van Dam are inducted in the WWE Hall Of Fame, but that should change this year.
10. 2300 Arena
It was the "home" of ECW, where the company's first pay per view Barely Legal was held. ECW's CyberSlam fan festival and event was held there. The famous ECW logo in the men's bathroom still stands today. Years after ECW closed it's door, many wrestling promotions including XPW, MLW, ROH, and evolve have held events there. 2300 Arena is something most fans just associate with ECW and affectionally call The "ECW Arena". Let's give the arena it's props.
9. Sabu
The homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, death-defying man is what Sabu was known as in ECW. He is probably one of the top 3 talents, if you mention ECW fans automatically associate them with. He was apart of ECW when it started as Eastern Championship Wrestling, left bounced around and came back where he made his mark. As having a no fear attitude and no problems putting his body through all kinds of hell. He wasn't called the Human Highlight Reel for nothing.
He and Rob Van Dam managed by Bill Alfonso tag teamed and were quite successful in the promotion. When ECW went bankrupt, he bounced around so more before joining WWE's rebooted ECW. While this version of ECW was far different, he stuck it for a year before being released. He was an ECW mainstay, and a big contributor to that hardcore style the promotion was known for. For that he deserves an induction in the WWE Hall Of Fame.
8. Tommy Dreamer
Tommy Dreamer is another wrestler that was with ECW in the beginning stages. Joining the company in 1993 when it was still Eastern Championship Wrestling, and playing a gimmick that was far different than what he was known. His act as a "pretty boy" didn't get him far in the new promotion. But once it became extreme and he transformed into the "Innovator Of Violence" fans took notice.
Dreamer was the heart and soul of ECW honestly. Never leaving the company for greener pastures when WCW and WWF were just pooching talent. He helped ECW a lot behind the scenes and was very loyal to Paul Heyman. When ECW closed, he did join the WWF and was a member of the Alliance during that whole angle. When ECW was bought back he was right there as a fixture on the show. He kept the ECW spirit alive in other promotions like TNA and on the indies. When he opened his own wrestling school he named it House of Hardcore after ECW's training school. The man continues to bleed ECW and despite currently working with TNA, he should be rewarded for that.
7. Raven
When talking about Tommy Dreamer and ECW, you have to include Raven in the conversation. The years long feud between those two was pro wrestling story telling at it's finest. Not only were the matches brutal, but there was a backstory and history between these two men that always made the stakes high. When Raven left ECW for WCW and then returned a couple years later, they briefly picked their feud right back up. It's one of the greatest feuds of all time, and quite possibly ECW''s greatest feud ever during it's run.
Outside of his feud with Dreamer, Raven may have been in a class all his own. He was a walking personification of the grunge era during that time. Always sully and full of angst, his promos were soliloquy's capped off with his famous line "What about me? What about Raven?". He was a 2 time ECW World Champion, 4 time tag time champion with various partners one being Tommy Dreamer. He also held gold in WCW and WWF and has a creative mind that has given so much back to the business. Raven deserves his flowers.
6. Beulah McGillicutty
Beulah McGillicutty career in ECW was brief, but she was the catalyst for the Dreamer/Raven feud. The storyline was as youth's Beulah had a crush on Tommy Dreamer, but she was overweight and going through that awkward teen phase so he rejected her. Raven took her with open arms and they became an item, years later she appeared in ECW now a model and Tommy was flabbergasted. Her role in the feud involved her taking a few piledrivers from Dreamer which she took like a champ.
Other than being the driving force behind that feud, she also had brief skirmishes with Francine. She left wrestling in 1998, but later married Dreamer and made a few sporadic appearances throughout the years. For her role in a very great storyline, and being a OG ECW pinup girl I'll say let's give her accolades.
5. Francine
Francine joined ECW in 1994 originally working non-televised events. She re-debuted in 1995 as the valet and girlfriend of Stevie Richards. This angle is what led to many of her famous catfights with Beulah McGillicutty. She then managed The Pitbulls, moving to Shane Douglas and Triple Threat. She also spent time managing Tommy Dreamer, Steve Corino, and Justin Credible before leaving once ECW went bankrupt.
She did join ECW in 2006 managing Balls Mahoney, but other than that it amounted her time in WWE's ECW amounted to nothing. If Sable was the hottest woman in WWF at the time, Francine was the smoke show of ECW. For her role in what ECW was at that time in pushing the limits, she deserves her induction.
4. Shane Douglas
The Franchise Shane Douglas, the man who kicked off the era of extreme for the company in 1994. Also isn't discussed often, but The Franchise personality traits, mannerisms, promos, and even clothing was a inspiration for how Triple H first portrayed The Game in WWF. Douglas also led multiple incarnations of ECW faction Triple Threat (Which is an underrated all time faction in my opinion).
Douglas was a four time ECW World Champion, and two time ECW Television Champion. A pioneer of ECW if you will, who honestly doesn't get enough credit for how talented he was in-ring and on the mic. When he spewed his vitriol he made fans hate him even more than they already did. I know there is some bad blood between him and the WWF, but I hope that could be worked out so he can get his time on the stage.
3. Bam Bam Bigelow
This is one I feel will for sure be an inductee this year. A Jersey native he was a literal force in the ring, he was very agile for his size with immense power. Bam Bam Bigelow was also a larger than life character accentuated by the flames tattoo on his bald head, which made him even more terrifying.
Bam Bam spent time all over the industry, Japan, WCW, WWF, ECW and everywhere in between. He played a significant role in contributing to WrestleMania being what it is today, when he faced former NFL player and hall of famer Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania XI in 1995. Looking back at that match which wasn't great, it showed the faith WWF brass had in him to lead and protect Taylor during that match. Bam Bam passed in 2007, but his induction is long overdue. While fans would have loved to see him accept the honor in person, just to see him get his due would be a great moment.
2. Joey Styles
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If Tommy Dreamer was the heart and soul of ECW, Shane Douglas was the franchise, then of course Joey Styles was the voice of ECW. Styles joined ECW in 1993, and for a long time in the company's history was a one man show on ECW TV providing play by play and color commentary. He made the history books when he called the pay-per-view Barely Legal in 1997 all by himself.
Down the line he was joined by Rick Rude, Joel Gertner, and later Cyrus The Virus, all bought their own talents and style to the table but none had an impact calling ECW TV like Styles. Styles is another original who joined WWE a few years after ECW closed. First doing play by play on Monday night Raw, then conducting a worked shoot promo to help sell ECW One Night Stand in 2006. Before commentating on the rebranded ECW. Commentators play a big role in selling storylines and characters, and Styles did his job well. It would be an honor to hear his spiel one more time.
1. Paul Heyman
If he's not the greatest manager of all time, he is definitely in the top three greatest of all time conversation. Outside of his management skills, Paul Heyman has a great creative mind for the business which he used to revolutionize the sport with ECW. ECW damn near pushed the boundaries of everything it could blood, sexual storytelling, high risk moves, you name it. He also focused on good characters whether larger than life or relatable to go hand in hand with the action. His method worked as WWF and WCW "borrowed" elements of ECW. While twenty plus years later since the doors closed, many promotions like AEW, GCW, and several other promotions have borrowed from the history books of ECW.
His money management skills may not have been the best, but stuff happens. What he built with ECW in those few short years no one can take away from him. Combine that everything else he has contributed to pro wrestling. It's time the wise man gets inducted in the hall of fame.
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