ECW

Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was a professional wrestling promotion, founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon. The promotion initally began as Eastern Championship Wrestling, acting as a territory in the National Wrestling Alliance. His successor, Paul Heyman, took control of the promotion from 1997 until his declaration of bankruptcy in April 2001. The company was well known for its loyal fan base, as well as its tendency to push the envelope with storylines. The group showcased many different styles of professional wrestling, ranging from lucha libre to hardcore wrestling.

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) purchased the rights to ECW and its video library in the summer of 2003. In 2005 and 2006, WWE promoted an ECW pay-per-view event called ECW One Night Stand. However, it is not to be confused with the current ECW brand, whose weekly series premiered on June 13, 2006 on the Sci Fi Channel.