10 Best Rivalries In ECW History

A long time ago, in a land far, far away - unless you live in Pennsylvania - a plucky little wrestling promotion tried to stand up to the big boys using truth, honesty, and buckets and buckets of blood.

This was Extreme Championship Wrestling, or ECW for short, and as much as its penchant for violence made it popular, it was also home to some of the most compelling characters and stories you would find anywhere during the Monday Night War era.

For this list, we’ve limited things to one entry per wrestler, and we’re only counting feuds that took place between 1994 and 2001. Apologies to Christian vs. Ezekiel Jackson, but you’re just not what we’re looking for.

These are the 10 best rivalries in ECW history.

10. Steve Corino vs. Dusty Rhodes

Though they only had five matches together over the course of three months, the rivalry between up-and-comer Steve Corino and polka-dotted legend Dusty Rhodes did wonders for both men. Having not wrestled in half a decade, Rhodes left WCW in the year 2000 and made his first ECW appearance at their Guilty as Charged pay-per-view in January.

Out came Corino, who bludgeoned the elder statesmen to begin their feud. They had their first and only pay-per-view singles match at Living Dangerously and, because a Rhodes was involved, it was, naturally, a Bullrope match.

Whilst he might be best known today for his sweet dance moves and charismatic, rambling promos, Dusty had been in his fair share of bloody battles by this point, so didn’t hold back when fighting the King of Old School. The American Dream got the win here, but he put over Corino in his final match for the company at Cyberslam 2000. This was a great example of an old versus young feud that added some serious credibility to Corino and showcased Rhodes to a whole new generation of fans.

9. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Gangstas

The Dudley Boyz very nearly got onto this list for their feud with little Spike, but that gets complicated once you factor in the carousel of partners that the runt of the litter was paired up with. Instead, let’s talk about some of the maddest men to ever set foot in ECW - Mustafa Saed and New Jack.

Collectively known as The Gangstas, Saed and Jack first came into contact with Bubba Ray and D-Von when they beat their brothers Dances With Dudley and Dudley Dudley in 1995, before coming face-to-face with the main incarnation of the team at Cyberslam 1997.

They battled for the tag titles multiple times, switching belts in a weaponised steel cage match at Heatwave ‘97 and then again at Hardcore Heaven. Saed left the promotion shortly after this, cutting the rivalry short, but this did lead to Jack teaming up with Kronus of The Eliminators to form the fantastically named “Gangsta-nators”. It didn’t last long, but you’d better believe this rivalry was as violent as it gets.

8. Chris Candido vs. Lance Storm

Lance Storm and the late, great Chris Candido first crossed paths in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where Storm beat Candido for the promotion’s TV Title. Clearly, neither man had forgotten, as when they met again in ECW, they couldn’t stand each other.

The pair were at odds over a rumour that Sunny, Candido’s wife, had a thing for the world’s most serious man, which made things a little bit awkward considering that they were Tag Team Champions at the time. Despite their hatred for one another, per the word of Paul Heyman, neither man was allowed to cost the other the belts.

Cue several title defences where Candido and Storm would beat each other up as much as their opponents, but would somehow find a way to pick up the W. This was a very entertaining dynamic, helped by the fact that both men were excellent workers. After they dropped the straps, the former partners would have a series of matches that saw the introduction of Dawn Marie.

7. Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko

Dean Malenko, who is also in contention for the Lance Storm Award for Excellence in the Field of Seriousness, was actually part of ECW before it was the bloodthirsty, chair-swinging beast we remember it as today. The Iceman was there during the crossover period from Eastern Championship Wrestling to Extreme Championship Wrestling and, alongside Shane Douglas and Chris Benoit, was part of one of its first major stables, The Triple Threat.

It was during these early days that Malenko would reignite an old feud he’d had in Japan with a wrestler by the name of Eddie Guerrero. The future Radicalz members would have an excellent series of matches over the TV title, as the two traded the belt a number of times.

Unfortunately for ECW, WCW were lurking in the shadows and, due to their working relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, were able to snag them away from Heyman while their series was in full flow. Even so, these matches were vital in proving that Extreme Championship Wrestling wasn’t just about blood and guts - it was also the home of state-of-the-art, Japanese-style graps.

6. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Psicosis

Speaking of ECW not always being about brutal deathmatches, here are two men who helped establish the promotion as the place to watch lucha libre style theatrics in the United States.

Following the departure of talents like Guerrero and Malenko to WCW, Paul Heyman asked Konnan to recommend him some Mexican performers, and two of the names K-Dog came up with were the bull mask-wearing Psicosis and a lad in his early 20s named Rey Misterio Jr.

Don’t get used to either of those spellings by the way, because they would change a lot over the next few years. The pair wrestled their first singles match against one another on American soil in September of 1995 and would then have a series of acclaimed bouts throughout the year, including a two out of three falls match on TV and a Mexican Death Match at November to Remember.

Then, wouldn’t you know it, WCW swooped in and signed both wrestlers… again. No wonder Heyman went off on one at Bischoff at the first One Night Stand.

5. Taz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Though today Taz is a lovable commentator who sings along to entrance themes, he used to be a monster. Back when he had one Z instead of two, the former Tazmaniac was a force to be reckoned with in ECW, earning the nickname The Human Suplex Machine and choking fools out left right and centre with his patented Tazmission.

Though he wasn’t big in stature, he exuded hoss energy, which made him the perfect match for another unconventional behemoth, Bam Bam Bigelow. The Beast From the East made a beeline straight for Taz when he first appeared in ECW in 1996, setting up a series of matches that would remain in the memories of fans for years to come.

Across their many battles, the most memorable spot these two put together came at Living Dangerously 1998. With Taz on his shoulders, Bigelow threw himself down at the floor, sending both men crashing through the canvas in an all-time great visual.

4. Super Crazy vs. Tajiri

When WWE revived the ECW brand for One Night Stand 2005, they booked a three-way dance match, which is not the same as a triple threat – a three-way dance has eliminations. The three men doing the dance were Little Guido, known as Nunzio in WWE, and the subjects of this entry - Super Crazy and Yoshihiro Tajiri.

Though all three men had helped revolutionise the three-way dance in ECW, the singles feud between Crazy and Tajiri was strong enough to land them the spot. Each man was the other’s first major feud after they’d arrived in ECW, Tajiri from Japan and Crazy from Mexico. They fought each other many, many times across 1999, including four times on pay-per-view.

The feud spilled over into 2000, bringing the TV title into its orbit, and the two men also battled each other on the final two ECW shows with one win apiece. Sometimes, two wrestlers just fit each other perfectly, and that was definitely the case with these two.

3. Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka

At the first One Night Stand, legendary Japanese wrestler Masato Tanaka made his first ever WWE appearance. His opponent? Former 70s Guy and Fat Chick Thriller Mike Awesome. Before he got totally nerfed in WCW, Awesome was an absolute demon in the land of extreme. A big man who could dive over the top ropes to the floor as easily as he could perform a powerbomb, he sure could throw it down with the best of them, but his greatest dance partner had to be the man from Nippon.

The two had previously feuded in FMW before transferring over to the US. They went to war multiple times at live events, on TV, and on pay-per-view, with their clash at Heat Wave 1998 being a particular standout, before trading the ECW Title back and forth towards the tail end of 1999. Tanaka and Awesome’s styles meshed perfectly and both men were always willing to give 100 per cent when facing each other. The fact that they were chosen for a match at One Night Stand speaks volumes and, guess what? That was an absolute barnburner as well!

2. Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu

We’ve seen the “partners who struggle to co-exist” trope on this list already with Candido and Storm, but the ultimate examples of frenemies in ECW were Sabu and RVD! The two had crossed paths as early as 1989, but met for the first time under Paul Heyman’s employ in 1996, where they had a series of epic matches across the Summer. They would spend the next three years as on-again, off-again tag team partners, under the managerial watch of Bill Alfonso.

They won the tag team titles twice and Van Dam helped Sabu win the ECW World Heavyweight belt, but that didn’t stop them from wrestling each other on multiple occasions, including for RVD’s Television Championship. Because of their real-life close ties - both were trained by Sabu’s uncle - the original Shiek - it was always so believable whenever these two worked together, either as bitter enemies or cherished chums.

The matches were usually pretty good, provided Sabu didn’t almost kill himself by botching something, but it was the underlying story that always made these two risk-takers so entertaining to watch.

1. Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven

Proud son of New York Tommy Dreamer has often been described as the “protagonist” of ECW. If that’s the case, then that would make Raven, the grumpiest wrestler of all time, the promotion’s primary antagonist. Presented as former childhood friends, Dreamer and Raven were the polar opposites of one another; Raven the dark, brooding outcast and Dreamer the symbol of the everyman.

Whether they were fighting over Beulah McGillicutty, breaking each other’s fingers, or kicking the hell out of each other in the ring, these two just never let up. Dreamer would always come up short against his grungy adversary until Wrestlepalooza 1997, where he pinned Raven for the first time in a Loser Leaves ECW match.

Even this couldn’t keep them apart though, as Raven would rejoin ECW in 1999 to team with Dreamer (with the odd couple winning the tag belts).