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ECW really raised the bar. They brought us guys who at the time wouldn't have gone anywhere in WCW or WWE, and showed people what they could do. Through the syndicated show, people actually got their first real looks at Rey Misterio, Psicosis (fuck WCW's spelling), Super Crazy, Juventud, Eddie Guerrero, and Dean Malenko.
The stalwarts really couldn't have been big anywhere, due to various issues. Though he was pure unadulterated greatness as a heat machine, Shane Douglas had too many attitude problems to get over anywhere else. Despite being a good worker and having a marketable look, Tommy Dreamer was too dumb to go anywhere else. Taz was too short. Public Enemy made the Nasty Boys look like Tully and Arn, wrestling wise. 911 was a one trick pony, even moreso than the Sandman.
Saddest thing to me was how they always called ECW "Barbed Wire land" or the "Bingo Hall," but it did feature some of the best wrestling in the world at the same time as being a garbage wrestling hellhole. It also featured some of the best story telling. We'll never see angles as hot as the Sandman-Raven feud that featured the most gutwrenching line in all of pro-wrestling history: "Daddy, you're a drunk! I'm with Raven now!" As horrible as he was with money, Heyman could write a good wrestling show.
And many of the more Rocky Horror-esque crowd interactions debuted with the ECW arena crowd. The "Woooos" after chops I want to say started with the Mutants.
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