The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was the highest title in the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion and is the highest title in the new ECW brand of World Wrestling Entertainment.
The belt was known as the NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Championship from 1992 to 1994. On August 27, 1994, after severing ties with the NWA and claiming world status on their heavyweight championship, the belt became known as Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship (although it wouldn't get World Title status by PWI until 1999). During his WWE tenure Rhino was recognized as the final ECW champion, and notibly at the 2005 ECW One Night Stand event he was heralded as the final champion as well, not appearing with the title or dubbed as 'current' champion at that time, therefore making the title vacant from April 11, 2001 when ECW declared bankruptcy until June 13, 2006 when Paul Heyman presented it to Rob Van Dam.
History
- As of 2006, only one ECW Champion has ever won the WWE Championship, Rob Van Dam. Van Dam defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand 2006 on June 11, 2006, and was awarded the ECW World Heavyweight Championship by Paul Heyman on June 13, 2006, while still the WWE Champion (making him the first person to hold both titles).
- Big Show accomplished this feat as well on July 4, 2006. This makes him the first person to win the WCW, ECW, and WWE world titles.
- However, Terry Funk, Shane Douglas, Sabu, Steve Corino, Raven, and Rhino have all won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (Funk's reign is recognized as a WCW equivalent/predecessor, but not so the others).
- 7 former champions have won the WWE Hardcore Championship: Raven, Tazz, Mike Awesome, Tommy Dreamer, Justin Credible, Rhino, and Rob Van Dam. The Big Show will be the 8th once he loses the ECW Title.
- 3 former champions have won the WCW Hardcore Championship: Bam Bam Bigelow, Terry Funk, and Shane Douglas
- The youngest champion was Mikey Whipwreck, who won the title on (also his only reign as ECW World Heavyweight Champion) October 28, 1995, from The Sandman, at age 23.
- The oldest champion was Terry Funk, who was 53 when he lost his second title to Sabu on August 9, 1997.
- Shane Douglas is the longest reigning champion. His 4th and final reign lasted 406 days, from when he beat Bam Bam Bigelow for the title on November 30, 1997, until he lost the belt to Taz on January 10, 1999.
- The wrestlers with the shortest reigns are Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman. Dreamer beat Taz for the title and lost it to Justin Credible on April 22, 2000. The Sandman beat Steve Corino for the belt and lost it to Rhino on January 7, 2001.
- The Sandman holds the record for most title reigns. He won the belt 5 times.
- 5 wrestlers have won the ECW Heavyweight, Television, and Tag Team championships. The first to accomplish this was Johnny Hotbody, who won the Tag title with The Suicide Blondes on April 3, 1993. Next was Sabu, after he won the Tag title with The Tazmaniac on February 4, 1995. Mikey Whipwreck was the next man to do this, after winning the Heavyweight title on October 28, 1995. The second last person to do this was Taz, after winning the heavyweight title on January 10, 1999. The latest is Rob Van Dam who finally won the world title on June 11th, 2006. This accomplishment is sometimes called "The ECW Triple Crown".
- Mike Awesome was still into his second reign as the ECW World Heavyweight Champion when he unexpectedly showed up in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). It was due to this fiasco that Paul Heyman was forced to sign a match with Awesome and Tazz (who at the time was signed to the World Wrestling Federation) to defend his title, which Tazz eventually won. This was the only time that a WWF contracted wrestler faced a WCW contracted wrestler in an ECW ring.
- Rob Van Dam was awarded a brand new (leather and plates) ECW World Heavyweight Championship title belt on June 13, 2006.
- When RVD was presented with the new ECW World Championship, he was given a replica belt, but was replaced on the second ECW on SciFi, by a belt made professionally. [1]
Current champion
Big Show is the current champion, having defeated Rob Van Dam on July 4, 2006, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on ECW on Sci Fi in an Extreme Rules Match. This is Big Show's first reign as champion.
The ECW World Heavyweight Championship has also seemingly been revived in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. On July 4, 2006, during an intermission between TNA iMPACT! tapings, Rhino (the last ever ECW World Heavyweight Champion to hold the title while ECW was an independent entity) came to the ring with a sack that he claimed contained the original ECW World Heavyweight Championship title belt. [2]