TheECW World Heavyweight Championship was aprofessional wrestlingworld heavyweight championship inExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) andWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion, later used in WWE as the world title of theECWbrand and one of three in WWE, complementing theWWE Championship andWorld Heavyweight Championship. It was introduced as the ECW Heavyweight Championship on April 25, 1992. It was originally part of theEastern Championship Wrestling promotion, which joined theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) on September 18, 1993.[1] It was established as a world heavyweight championship in August 1994 following the promotion's secession from the NWA.[2] The promotion became Extreme Championship Wrestling and the title became the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. It remained active until April 11, 2001, when ECW was closed and WWE subsequently purchased its assets. WWE relaunched ECW as a WWE brand in June 2006 with the title being recommissioned and designated as the ECW brand's world title.[3][4] The brand dissolved February 16, 2010, rendering the title inactive.[5]
The championship was contested inprofessional wrestling matches, in which participants executescripted finishes rather than contend indirect competition. All title changes occurred at ECW or WWE shows. The inaugural champion wasJimmy Snuka, who defeatedSalvatore Bellomo in a tournament final on April 25, 1992, to become the first ECW Heavyweight Champion. WWE, however, does not recognize the ECW Heavyweight Championship reigns from April 1992 through August 1994. Instead, they recognizeShane Douglas' second reign, which originally began on March 26, 1994, but is recognized as starting on August 27, 1994 – the same day the championship was renamed the ECW World Heavyweight Championship – as the inception of the title's history.The Sandman holds the record for most reigns, with five. At 406 days, Douglas' fourth reign is the longest in the title's history.Ezekiel Jackson's only reign was the shortest in the history of the title as it was retired as soon as he won it. He defeated the previous champion,Christian, on February 16, 2010, at anECW television tapingevent. Overall, there have been 49 reigns among 32 wrestlers, with 1 vacancy, and 2 deactivations.
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| ECW Heavyweight Championship | April 25, 1992 – September 18, 1993 |
| NWA-ECW Heavyweight Championship | September 18, 1993 – August 27, 1994 |
| ECW World Heavyweight Championship | August 27, 1994 – April 11, 2001; June 13, 2006 – July 25, 2006 |
| ECW World Championship | July 25, 2006 – August 7, 2007 |
| ECW Championship | August 7, 2007 – February 16, 2010; as listed on WWE's official website |
| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| Days recog. | Number of days held recognized by the promotion |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Days recog. | ||||||
| National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) andEastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) | |||||||||||
| 1 | Jimmy Snuka | April 25, 1992 | Live event | Mount Tabor, PA | 1 | 1 | 1 | Snuka defeatedSalvatore Bellomo in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion; both men had won separatebattle royals to advance to the final. | [6] | ||
| 2 | Johnny Hotbody | April 26, 1992 | Live event | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 79 | 79 | [7] | |||
| 3 | Jimmy Snuka | July 14, 1992 | Live event | Philadelphia, PA | 2 | 78 | 78 | [8] | |||
| 4 | Don Muraco | September 30, 1992 | Live event | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 47 | 47 | [9] | |||
| 5 | The Sandman | November 16, 1992 | Live event | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 138 | 138 | While WWE.com does not include this reign in the title history, it is implicitly included in their description of Sandman as a 5-time former champion. | [10] | ||
| 6 | Don Muraco | April 3, 1993 | Hardcore TV | Radnor, PA | 2 | 127 | 127 | The episode aired on June 1, 1993 viatape delay. | [11] | ||
| 7 | Tito Santana | August 8, 1993 | Hardcore TV | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 32 | 32 | The episode aired on August 24, 1993 viatape delay. | [12] | ||
| 8 | Shane Douglas | September 9, 1993 | Hardcore TV | Roanoke, VA | 1 | 23 | 23 | Santana forfeited the belt to Douglas and left ECW. The episode aired on September 14, 1993 viatape delay. | |||
| 9 | Sabu | October 2, 1993 | NWA Bloodfest | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 85 | 85 | The title change aired on November 2, 1993 episode ofHardcore TV viatape delay. | [13] | ||
| 10 | Terry Funk | December 26, 1993 | Holiday Hell | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 90 | 90 | The title change aired on December 28, 1993 episode ofHardcore TV viatape delay. | [14] | ||
| 11 | Shane Douglas | March 26, 1994 | Ultimate Jeopardy | Devon, PA | 2 | 385 | 230 | This was anUltimate Jeopardy match pitting Douglas,Curtis Hughes,Rocco Rock, andJohnny Grunge against Funk,Road Warrior Hawk,Kevin Sullivan, andThe Tazmaniac. The title change aired on the March 29, 1994 episode ofHardcore TV viatape delay. On August 27, 1994, the title was renamed the ECW World Heavyweight Championship when Douglas relinquished theNWA World Heavyweight Championship. ECW left the NWA and was renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling.WWE recognizes August 27, 1994, as the starting point of the title. | [15] | ||
| Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) | |||||||||||
| 12 | The Sandman | April 15, 1995 | Hostile City Showdown | Philadelphia, PA | 2 | 196 | 195 | The title change aired on the April 18, 1995 episode ofECW Hardcore TV viatape delay. | [16] | ||
| 13 | Mikey Whipwreck | October 28, 1995 | Hardcore TV | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 42 | 41 | This was aladder match. The episode aired on October 31, 1995 viatape delay. | [17] | ||
| 14 | The Sandman | December 9, 1995 | December to Dismember | Philadelphia, PA | 3 | 49 | 48 | This was athree-way dance also involvingSteve Austin. The title change aired on the December 12, 1995 episode ofHardcore TV viatape delay. | [18] | ||
| 15 | Raven | January 27, 1996 | Hardcore TV | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 252 | 251 | The episode aired on January 30, 1996 viatape delay. | [19] | ||
| 16 | The Sandman | October 5, 1996 | Ultimate Jeopardy | Philadelphia, PA | 4 | 63 | 62 | The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer defeatedStevie Richards andBrian Lee in a tag team match. The Sandman gained the pinfall to win the championship after Raven failed to show up for the event. The title change aired on the October 8, 1996 episode ofHardcore TV viatape delay. | [20] | ||
| 17 | Raven | December 7, 1996 | Holiday Hell | Philadelphia, PA | 2 | 127 | 126 | This was abarbed wire match. The title change aired on the December 10, 1996 episode ofECW Hardcore TV viatape delay. | [21] | ||
| 18 | Terry Funk | April 13, 1997 | Barely Legal | Philadelphia, PA | 2 | 118 | 118 | [22] | |||
| 19 | Sabu | August 9, 1997 | Born to be Wired | Philadelphia, PA | 2 | 8 | 8 | This was aBarbed Wire Match. The title change aired on the August 11, 1997 episode ofHardcore TV viatape delay. | [23] | ||
| 20 | Shane Douglas | August 17, 1997 | Hardcore Heaven | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 3 | 60 | 59 | This was athree-way dance also involvingTerry Funk. | [24] | ||
| 21 | Bam Bam Bigelow | October 16, 1997 | Hardcore TV | New York, NY | 1 | 45 | 45 | The episode aired on October 20, 1997 viatape delay. | [25] | ||
| 22 | Shane Douglas | November 30, 1997 | November to Remember | Monaca, PA | 4 | 406 | 406 | [26] | |||
| 23 | Taz | January 10, 1999 | Guilty as Charged | Kissimmee, FL | 1 | 252 | 251 | [27] | |||
| 24 | Mike Awesome | September 19, 1999 | Anarchy Rulz | Villa Park, IL | 1 | 89 | 89 | This was athree-way dance also involvingMasato Tanaka | [28] | ||
| 25 | Masato Tanaka | December 17, 1999 | ECW on TNN | Nashville, TN | 1 | 6 | 5 | The episode aired on December 24, 1999 viatape delay. | [29] | ||
| 26 | Mike Awesome | December 23, 1999 | ECW on TNN | White Plains, NY | 2 | 112 | 111 | The episode aired on December 31, 1999 viatape delay. | [30] | ||
| 27 | Taz | April 13, 2000 | ECW on TNN | Indianapolis, IN | 2 | 9 | 9 | Taz had signed with theWWF following his title loss to Mike Awesome on September 19, 1999. However, Awesome unexpectedly signed withWCW in 2000 while still being champion and threatened to bring the title onto WCW TV. As a result,Paul Heyman andVince McMahon arranged for Taz to return to ECW and defeat Awesome for the title. The episode aired on April 14, 2000 viatape delay. | [31] | ||
| 28 | Tommy Dreamer | April 22, 2000 | CyberSlam | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | <1 | <1 | [32] | |||
| 29 | Justin Credible | April 22, 2000 | CyberSlam | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 162 | 161 | Credible challenged Dreamer after the match and won the title. | [32] | ||
| 30 | Jerry Lynn | October 1, 2000 | Anarchy Rulz | Saint Paul, MN | 1 | 35 | 34 | [33] | |||
| 31 | Steve Corino | November 5, 2000 | November to Remember | Villa Park, IL | 1 | 63 | 62 | This was a Double Jeopardy Match also involvingJustin Credible andThe Sandman. | [34] | ||
| 32 | The Sandman | January 7, 2001 | Guilty as Charged | New York, NY | 5 | <1 | <1 | This was aTables, Ladders, Chairs, and Canes Match also involvingJustin Credible. | [35] | ||
| 33 | Rhino | January 7, 2001 | Guilty as Charged | New York, NY | 1 | 94 | 92 | Rhyno challenged Sandman after the match and won the title. | [35] | ||
| — | Deactivated | April 11, 2001 | — | — | — | — | — | ECW closed on April 4, 2001, and theWWE purchased its assets in 2003.[36] | |||
| World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE):ECW | |||||||||||
| 34 | Rob Van Dam | June 13, 2006 | ECW | Trenton, NJ | 1 | 21 | 20 | The title was revived by WWE for theECW brand. Van Dam was awarded the title byPaul Heyman for winning theWWE Championship. | [37][38] | ||
| 35 | Big Show | July 4, 2006 | ECW | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 152 | 151 | This was anExtreme Rules match. The title would be referred to as the ECW World Championship during his reign. | [39][40] | ||
| 36 | Bobby Lashley | December 3, 2006 | December to Dismember | Augusta, GA | 1 | 147 | 146 | This was anExtreme Elimination Chamber Match also involvingCM Punk,Bob Holly,Rob Van Dam, andTest. | [41][42] | ||
| 37 | Mr. McMahon | April 29, 2007 | Backlash | Atlanta, GA | 1 | 35 | 34 | McMahon pinned Lashley in aHandicap Match, which also involved McMahon's teammatesShane McMahon andUmaga, to win the championship. | [43][44] | ||
| 38 | Bobby Lashley | June 3, 2007 | One Night Stand | Jacksonville, FL | 2 | 8 | 7 | This was aStreet Fight. | [45][46] | ||
| — | Vacated | June 11, 2007 | Raw | Wilkes-Barre, PA | — | — | — | The championship was vacated due toBobby Lashley beingdrafted to theRaw brand. | [45][47] | ||
| 39 | Johnny Nitro/John Morrison | June 24, 2007 | Vengeance: Night of Champions | Houston, TX | 1 | 69 | 67 | Nitro, who substituted forChris Benoit due tohis death (unknown at the time), defeatedCM Punk to win the vacant championship. His ring name was changed to John Morrison during his reign on the July 17, 2007 episode ofECW. Beginning in August 2007, the title would be referred to simply as the ECW Championship.[48] | [49][50] | ||
| 40 | CM Punk | September 1, 2007 | ECW | Cincinnati, OH | 1 | 143 | 142 | This was aLast Chance match which aired ontape delay on September 4, 2007. | [51][52] | ||
| WWE:SmackDown andECW | |||||||||||
| 41 | Chavo Guerrero | January 22, 2008 | ECW | Charlottesville, VA | 1 | 68 | 67 | This was aNo Disqualification Match. With Chavo being a member of theSmackDown roster, the title becomes shared between SmackDown and ECW. | [53][54] | ||
| WWE:SmackDown | |||||||||||
| 42 | Kane | March 30, 2008 | WrestleMania XXIV | Orlando, FL | 1 | 91 | 91 | Kane was a member of theSmackDown brand at the time he won the title, thus making the title exclusive to SmackDown. The title was returned to ECW when Kane defected to the ECW brand two days later. Then the title was exclusive to theRaw brand when Kane was drafted to Raw on June 23, 2008. This gives Kane the distinction of being the only wrestler to carry one championship across all three brands. | [55][56] | ||
| WWE:ECW andRaw | |||||||||||
| 43 | Mark Henry | June 29, 2008 | Night of Champions | Dallas, TX | 1 | 70 | 69 | This was atriple threat match also involving theSmackDown brand's Big Show. The title is once again exclusive to ECW due to Mark Henry being a member of the ECW roster. | [57][58] | ||
| WWE:ECW | |||||||||||
| 44 | Matt Hardy | September 7, 2008 | Unforgiven | Cleveland, OH | 1 | 127 | 127 | This was aScramble match that also involvedChavo Guerrero,Dave Finlay, andThe Miz. | [59][60] | ||
| 45 | Jack Swagger | January 12, 2009 | ECW | Sioux City, IA | 1 | 104 | 102 | This episode ofECW aired ontape delay on January 13, 2009. | [61][62] | ||
| 46 | Christian | April 26, 2009 | Backlash | Providence, RI | 1 | 42 | 41 | [63][64] | |||
| 47 | Tommy Dreamer | June 7, 2009 | Extreme Rules | New Orleans, LA | 2 | 49 | 48 | This was atriple threatHardcore Match also involvingJack Swagger. Dreamer became the only wrestler to win the title both in the original ECW and in the WWE-sponsored revival. | [65][66] | ||
| 48 | Christian | July 26, 2009 | Night of Champions | Philadelphia, PA | 2 | 205 | 204 | [67][68] | |||
| 49 | Ezekiel Jackson | February 16, 2010 | ECW | Kansas City, MO | 1 | <1 | <1 | This was anExtreme Rules match. | [69] | ||
| — | Deactivated | February 16, 2010 | ECW | Kansas City, MO | — | — | — | The title was retired immediately afterEzekiel Jackson won it due to the ECW brand being discontinued. | [5] | ||
| Rec. | Recognized by the promotion |
|---|---|
| <1 | Reign was less than a day |
| Rank | Champion | No. of reigns | Combined days | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | Recognized by WWE | |||
| 1 | Shane Douglas | 4 | 874 | 695 |
| 2 | The Sandman | 5 | 446 | 305 |
| 3 | Raven | 2 | 379 | 377 |
| 4 | Taz | 2 | 261 | 260 |
| 5 | Christian | 2 | 247 | 245 |
| 6 | Terry Funk | 2 | 208 | 118 |
| 7 | Mike Awesome | 2 | 201 | 200 |
| — | Don Muraco | — | 174 | — |
| 8 | Justin Credible | 1 | 162 | 161 |
| 9 | Bobby Lashley | 2 | 155 | 153 |
| 10 | Big Show | 1 | 152 | 151 |
| 11 | CM Punk | 1 | 143 | 142 |
| 12 | Matt Hardy | 1 | 127 | |
| 13 | Jack Swagger | 1 | 104 | 102 |
| 14 | Rhino | 1 | 94 | 92 |
| 15 | Sabu | 2 | 93 | 8 |
| 16 | Kane | 1 | 91 | |
| — | Jimmy Snuka | — | 79 | — |
| — | Johnny Hotbody | — | 79 | — |
| 17 | Mark Henry | 1 | 70 | 69 |
| 18 | Johnny Nitro/John Morrison | 1 | 69 | 67 |
| 19 | Chavo Guerrero | 1 | 68 | 67 |
| 20 | Steve Corino | 1 | 63 | 63 |
| 21 | Tommy Dreamer | 2 | 49 | 48 |
| 22 | Bam Bam Bigelow | 1 | 45 | |
| 23 | Mikey Whipwreck | 1 | 42 | 41 |
| 25 | Jerry Lynn | 1 | 35 | 34 |
| Mr. McMahon | 1 | 35 | 34 | |
| — | Tito Santana | — | 32 | — |
| 26 | Rob Van Dam | 1 | 21 | 20 |
| 27 | Masato Tanaka | 1 | 6 | 5 |
| 28 | Ezekiel Jackson | 1 | <1 | |
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