Currently, the largest professional wrestling company worldwide is the United States-based World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ), which bought over many smaller regional companies in the late twentieth century, as well as its primary competitors in early 2001, World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) and Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ).

This type of match became increasingly prominent during the 1990s, and was a particular feature of the Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) promotion.

The assets of Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ), which had folded after filing for bankruptcy protection in April 2001, were purchased by WWE in mid-2003.

* DC Drake ( born 1957 as Don Drake ), former professional wrestler, former World Champion for National wrestling Federation and Heavyweight Champion for Tri-State Wrestling Alliance, later known as Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ).

He wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) from 1995 to 1996 and World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) from 1996 to 2001, as Rey Misterio, Jr ./ Rey Mysterio, Jr. but dropped the " Junior " from his name when he began working for WWE in 2002.

Mysterio signed with Paul Heyman's Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) in 1995.

In the main event of the evening, Mysterio retained the World Heavyweight Championship, causing JBL to leave SmackDown !, until ECW One Night Stand, when JBL announced he would return as a color commentator.

He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) and World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ).

Among other accolades, he is a fourteen-time WWF / E Hardcore Champion and a two-time world champion, having won the ECW World Championship twice, and is the only man to have won this title in both the original company and in the WWE relaunch.

In addition to his most recent role, Dreamer is known for the time he spent in the Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) promotion, of which he has been called the " heart and soul ".

Though he only held the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once in his time with the company – for a total of about 30 minutes – he was regularly embroiled in the company's most visible angles on-screen and involved in the booking, some of the business decisions, and, like a number of other ECW wrestlers, was part of the day-to-day operations of the company off-screen.

Dreamer joined Eastern Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) in 1992, just before its name change to Extreme Championship Wrestling.

In 1999, on their last night in the company, they cited this incident to get Dreamer to accept a challenge for the ECW Tag Team Championship they had won earlier in the night.

In late 2007, Dreamer took part in the ECW brand's elimination chase to name a number one contender to the ECW Championship.

McMahon later revealed that she had purchased Extreme Championship Wrestling and intended to bankrupt the WWF ( in reality, the ownership of ECW assets at this time was highly disputed ), along with her brother Shane, who had become the on-screen owner of World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ), and the two rosters merged to form a " supergroup " known as The Alliance.

She is perhaps best known for her appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) and the SmackDown!

In 1998, Psaltis was informed that Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) employee Buh Buh Ray Dudley was interested in bringing her into ECW.

After Storm formed a tag team with Justin Credible known as the Impact Players in the summer of 1999, she managed both men, helping them win the ECW Tag Team Championship on two occasions.

The Emergency Conservation Work ( ECW ) Act was introduced to Congress the same day and enacted by voice vote on the 31st.

*" Super Bon Bon " ( off Irresistible Bliss ) appeared in " Strangers and Other Partners ," episodes of the television series Homicide: Life on the Street, Long Term Parking, The Sopranos, and Castle, and was also the theme song of ECW wrestler Danny Doring and Roadkill.

8, and was the official television theme song for the ECW brand.

* A book " Robber Baron: Lord Black of Crossharbour " was published in 2007 by ECW press and written by George Tombs.

He debuted in September at Gangsta's Paradise, defeating Psicosis, who was also making his ECW debut.

It was revealed that Mysterio would have to defend his title against ECW wrestler Sabu at One Night Stand.

In the weeks leading up to his title defense, Mysterio defeated Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms in a Champion vs. Champion match but was defeated by Rob Van Dam at WWE vs. ECW Head to Head on June 7.

After Michael Fay was arrested in Singapore and sentenced to a caning, ECW head booker Paul Heyman decided to capitalize on the publicity by holding a Singapore Cane match between Dreamer and The Sandman — with the loser having to take 10 lashes.

The feud eventually ended with Sandman planning to announce his retirement at an ECW show, only to attack Dreamer and reveal he was never actually blind.

Though the blind Sandman angle was his first " major " feud in ECW, his later, years-long feud against Raven that started in April 1995 is arguably his most memorable.

Raven's entrance into ECW had him accompanied by Beulah McGillicutty, an overweight girl from their kayfabe childhood who had a crush on Dreamer and was now a Penthouse Pet.

He was introduced to WWF audiences on the July 9, 2001 episode of Raw as a member of the WCW / ECW Alliance during the Invasion angle.

In 2005, Dreamer was a major part of the ECW One Night Stand " reunion show " pay-per-view held under the World Wrestling Entertainment banner.

For the 2006 event, he was placed into an angle that had him and Terry Funk — who had been his " mentor " in the early days of the original ECW — at odds with then-heels, Mick Foley and Edge over the meanings of " extreme ".

Not long after Khali left ECW, The New Breed stable was established, consisting of wrestlers new to ECW: Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn.

In response, a stable of ECW Originals was created, and the teams continued to clash in singles and tag matches, trading wins on the weekly ECW show throughout the spring of 2007.

She signed a deal with ECW after what was supposed to be a three week stint.

RVD successfully defended the ECW World Television Championship against Rhino on January 7.

During his first stint in ECW, Raven successfully defended the ECW World Heavyweight Title against famous veterans Terry Gordy and " Dr. Death " Steve Williams, among others.

The ECW World Championship was only defended once — at WrestleMania XXIV.

In addition to the main event several Singles matches were scheduled on the event card which included CM Punk facing Umaga, ECW Champion Christian defending his championship against Jack Swagger, John Morrison versus Shelton Benjamin, Rey Mysterio defended his Intercontinental Championship against Chris Jericho and The Big Show facing John Cena.

Though the championship was unsanctioned in storyline, it was defended at ECW shows until Douglas was healthy, at which time Taz defeated him for the World Heavyweight Title.

At the second to last ECW event in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, he was named as Danny Doring's substitute tag team partner ( filling in for Amish Roadkill ) to help defend the World Tag Team Championship against Hot Commodity ; Doring and Nova successfully defended the titles.

The title continued to be defended within the promotion until April 2001, when ECW closed down.

Kronus briefly defended the ECW Tag Team Championship single-handedly before losing to the Dudley Boyz.

The title then became known as the Extreme Championship Wrestling World Television Championship The title continued to be defended within the promotion until April 2001, when ECW closed down.

Frustrated by his inability to challenge for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship due to Champion Shane Douglas ' injury and refusal to face him, Taz created and defended his own World title, billing himself as the " real " World champion.