ECW has been gone for over two decades now, but the impact it left on the business is still appreciated today. Fans chant for the promotion when former ECW wrestlers show up in promotions today. The fan base of that time may have been the most loyal and diehard when it comes to still holding that love all this time later.
Certain names stand out the most when thinking about the greatest wrestlers in that promotion’s entire history. ECW fans used the popular website Ranker as a way to make their voice heard by voting up or down for the greatest talents in question. The following ten wrestlers had the highest ratings to be viewed as Ranker’s top ten greatest ECW wrestlers of all time (the full list can be viewed here.)
10 The Sandman
Paul Heyman pushed The Sandman as a character who embodied the spirit of ECW. Sandman had a record-setting five title reigns with the ECW World Championship. The rebellious nature of Sandman made up for his lack of in-ring skills.
Ranker readers voted Sandman just within the top ten to round out the list. Sandman is a hard wrestler to compare to other ECW legends since his matches don’t compare to most other top names, but his impact certainly deserves credit for his time in the promotion.
9 D-Von Dudley
Tag team wrestlers typically have a harder time getting compared to the top singles stars in a company’s history. The readers of Ranker gave some credit to the most successful tag team in ECW history by voting D-Von Dudley into the top ten.
Paul Heyman has gone on the record to say that the Dudley Boyz were one of the most important acts in ECW history. D-Von was the perfect tag team wrestler to sacrifice for the betterment of the team and could still have solid performances when in singles roles.
8 Bubba Ray Dudley
The other half of the Dudley Boyz also found his way into a strong spot as the eighth most beloved ECW wrestler. Bubba Ray Dudley was viewed as a tad higher than D-Von since he cut more of the heat-seeking promos that almost incited riots.
ECW also utilized Bubba in a couple more noteworthy singles matches, but he also was an unselfish wrestler to make the act work. Even the character dynamic of Bubba’s stuttering gimmick added a different element to make him stand out in his team.
7 Taz
Taz was booked strong in ECW as an unstoppable badass face character during the height of the promotion. Paul Heyman made fans forget that Taz was among the shorter wrestlers since he destroyed his opponents with the original suplex city.
The ECW World Championship and FTW Championship reigns of Taz made him the most over star for a few years. Taz likely would have been rated higher by Ranker if he had a longer stint instead of leaving for a WWE run.
6 Terry Funk
ECW was mostly known for creating new stars of lesser-known talents getting an opportunity, but Terry Funk was a rare established name. The legendary figure wanted to evolve past his prime in the ‘80s by fitting into the new landscape of wrestling.
Funk’s hardcore wrestling style showed how well he adapted as part of the ECW roster. The first PPV Barely Legal 1997 closed with Funk winning the ECW World Championship in an emotional moment. Ranker readers voted Funk just outside of the top five of all ECW legends.
5 Tommy Dreamer
The ECW fan base fell in love with Tommy Dreamer as someone developing a reputation for leaving it all in the ring. Dreamer had classic hardcore matches that helped make ECW become known for the violent matches unlike WCW and WWE.
The rivalries with Raven, The Sandman, CW Anderson and many others showed Dreamer was the fans’ choice. Dreamer also refused to even consider leaving for WWE and WCW when the other big names moved. Ranker votes placed Dreamer as the fifth greatest ECW star of all time according to the readers.
4 Cactus Jack
Mick Foley rebuilt his career in ECW as Cactus Jack after his WCW run ended poorly. The hardcore wrestling style of Foley in matches against Vader, Sting and the Nasty Boys helped influence what ECW represented as they build momentum.
Cactus was among the most over wrestlers in the company to help them build a fan base. The promos and character work channeling his anger of the rowdy fans made Foley a bigger star to land a WWE deal. Foley’s hardcore persona would just make the Mount Rushmore of ECW according to Ranker.
3 Raven
The lackluster past of Raven as Johnny Polo and Scotty Flamingo was erased when he finally broke out as a major ECW star. Raven added his own input and used Paul Heyman’s creative mind to work together in creating a character of the time.
ECW witnessed Raven becoming the top heel during his epic feuds with The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer. Raven was an incredible ECW World Champion until he decided to leave the promotion for WCW. Ranker’s readers placed Raven in the third all-time spot for his contributions in the company.
2 Sabu
Sabu became one of the first breakout stars for ECW to help the company take off under Paul Heyman’s vision. The innovative style of Sabu allowed him to deliver matches and a style unlike anyone else in the business at the time.
ECW pushed Sabu for many years in their history with two ECW World Championship reigns, one TV Championship stint, and three Tag Team Championship runs. Sabu defined the spirit of ECW and Ranker readers acknowledged that by rating him second all-time.
1 Rob Van Dam
No one built a connection with the ECW audience as strong as Rob Van Dam did in his career. Van Dam broke out in ECW and became the face of the promotion to its fan base. Paul Heyman surprisingly never booked RVD to win the ECW World Championship until the WWE revival, but it was due to him not needing the belt to get over.
Van Dam had epic matches and introduced moves never seen before to continue building momentum. The TV Championship reign helped RVD become one of the hottest acts in the industry. ECW witnessed Van Dam staying loyal to the company until it closed in 2001. Ranker voters rated RVD as the top overall ECW star ever, and it’s impossible to argue against him.
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