FLASHBACK: IS ECW LEAVING THE "E" BEHIND?

In this story from the August 2000 issue of Inside Wrestling, Harry Burkett examines the evolving definition of "extreme" in Extreme Championship Wrestling.

FROM THE VAULT

Special Analysis:
IS ECW LEAVING THE “E” BEHIND?

Cactus Jack and Eddie Gilbert established fledgling Eastern Championship Wrestling as an extreme alternative to the WWF and WCW in the early-’90s, but the definition of extreme has changed since their era.

Keep your rolling pins and cookie sheets in the cupboards, guys. ECW isn’t as extreme as it used to be. Or is it? That depends on what you consider extreme

TEXT BY HARRY BURKETT (originally published in the August 2000 edition of Inside Wrestling magazine)

THE “E” IN ECW does not stand for “easy.” Ask anyone in the wrestling world, and if he’s honest, he’ll admit ECW is the toughest federation in North America, if not the entire world. ECW may not have the biggest stars, and its television programs may not have the highest production quality, but in terms of bumps and bruises, ECW leads the way.

No ECW wrestler has ever been penalized for over-the-top behavior in the ring. Remember when Axl Rotten and Mahoney first used flaming tables? They probably got a raise for that.