10 Backstage Stories About ECW That We Can't Believe
The legend of ECW has turned into mythology for wrestling fans. This small company made a massive mark on the business by introducing an edgy style that would inspire both WWE and WCW to alter their products. Much of the credit goes to Paul Heyman for turning this band of misfits into superstars and providing fans with stunning angles to go with top-notch action and famous violence.
Given its small size and the period it was in, it’s no surprise ECW saw a lot of crazy stuff happen behind the scenes. It wasn’t just the usual variety of pranks, parties, and hookups. ECW saw guys engaging in wild brawls and taking part in insane circumstances and moments that are utterly stunning. Many of them are so wild they can’t even be repeated in most places and would never pass muster today. Here are ten of the wildest backstage stories from ECW’s history and marvel that it’s just scraping the surface of what this company did.
10 Staging Robberies To Avoid Hotel Bill
It’s well known how Paul Heyman could go weeks without paying wrestlers due to his bad business sense. It meant several wrestlers learned to penny-pinch on the road to save on costs. One story is how two major stars (rumored as anyone from Raven and Tommy Dreamer to the Dudleyz) had an innovative way of getting out of a hotel bill.
They would ransack their room then claim all their money was stolen. It sounds like a few guys tried this unique way of not paying a hotel fee.
9 Francine Hiding Sandman’s “Vitamins”
There’s no hiding how the drug use in ECW could be out of control, even by 1990s wrestling standards. It’s astounding more guys didn’t get pulled over with a few being able to pass things off as “vitamins.” Francine was with the Sandman when he got into an argument with a cab driver to the airport.
When the cops showed up, Francine had to hide the Sandman’s stash in her dress while a police dog sniffed them. That’s just one of the wild tales of Francine as the Sandman’s “handler.”
8 No Bathroom
The ECW Arena was little more than a bingo hall that looked better on TV than in reality (which is saying something). It was hot, cramped, and lacked any amenities in regular places. That included the facilities. Fans still share tales of the bathrooms being more disgusting than a dirty gas station, which worsened for big shows.
At least they had that because the locker room had no bathrooms whatsoever. Yes, on top of hot summers, freezing winters, and cramped conditions, the wrestlers had to use buckets to relieve themselves. No wonder they loved playing in real arenas.
7 Little Guido And Dreamer’s Dog
Because of their small size, most ECW wrestlers had to pull double-duty selling and even transporting merchandise. Tommy Dreamer talked to Little Guido about driving some shirts to a Florida show in exchange for a match on the card. The condition was Guido also had to transport Dreamer’s bulldog.
For several hours, Guido put up with the bulldog snorting, spitting, and even trying to push on the gas pedals. Guido wasn’t alone as Dreamer’s dog could be a hassle to his fellow workers.
6 The Parties Were NSFW To The Extreme
The problem with discussing ECW’s party atmosphere is that most of the stories define NSFW. Any company can have drug use or the occasional road affair but ECW took it to another level with parties wrecking hotel rooms and guys engaging in horrific behavior.
One of the most infamous cases is Perry Saturn using a fire extinguisher and Slip and Slide in a very unique way. Any shoot interview with ECW alumni is automatically R-rated for their incredible tales.
5 Kurt Angle Hunting Heyman
One of the great “what ifs” of wrestling is that Kurt Angle could have started his epic career in ECW. Fresh off his 1996 Olympics win, Angle was a guest for a show and was very interested in joining. But this was the night of the infamous moment where Raven “crucified” the Sandman.
Even ECW fans were appalled by this, and Heyman forced Raven to apologize publicly. An outraged Angle stalked Heyman, who hid in his office, so Angle cornered Joey Styles to warn he would sue if any footage of him was shown related to this event. If not for this mess, Angle’s career would be much different.
4 Malenko And Guerrero Forgetting They Had A Match
Most fans know that Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko got their first significant exposure in ECW with a terrific feud. Yet even they weren’t immune to the nuttiness of the company. As he related in an interview, Malenko and Guerrero were hanging out in Eddie’s home in Tampa, watching a ball game. Eddie’s wife entered to ask, “Don’t you have a show?”
The two realized they had thirty minutes to make a one-hour drive to Orlando before the card started. Heyman was furious only for the pair to put on a terrific match to make him completely forget the whole thing.
3 Francine And Dawn Marie’s Real Catfight
It was always fun when the ladies of ECW would go at it with Joey Styles howling out “catfight!” But in an environment as tense as this, it was inevitable that a real battle between ladies would happen. Francine and Dawn Marie were on-screen rivals but also not friendly behind the scenes.
They’d had their share of conflicts but it finally erupted at One Night Stand 2005 as the two exchanged cross words then went at it. The fact that Dawn was pregnant at the time just makes this fight wilder than any on-screen battle.
2 Balls Mahoney’s Hotel Demands
Balls Mahoney was well known in ECW for his chair smashing and crazy attitude. As it turned out, that wasn’t for show. As related in the Hardcore History book, agent Don Liable was at a hotel when Balls pounded on the door in anger because the only channel on his TV working was the adult movie station.
He then forced Liable to drive almost a mile to get a specific sandwich with threats if he messed up the order. Liable quit on the spot to avoid this madhouse.
1 Sandman Dying Before A Match
It's clear that The Sandman went through a lot of wild stuff in ECW. But dying before a match is insane, even for that company. On his way to a 1995 show, the Sandman injected himself with an overdose of Nubian and was pronounced dead. This being ECW, the first question was how they were going to go through with the show that night.
Incredibly, Sandman was revived at the hospital by doctors and, even more amazingly, went on to wrestle Dreamer that very night. Even the Undertaker couldn’t pull off this stunning resurrection.
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