Remember When: ECW Fans Kept Throwing Chairs In The Ring

• Cactus Jack battled Terry Funk in a one-on-one match.
• Public Enemy interfered in the match.
• Funk and Mick Foley told fans to throw the chairs into the ring.

One of Foley's most iconic moments for the company came at Hardcore Heaven in 1994. An event that took place so long ago that it was when the E in ECW still stood for Eastern and not Extreme. Foley and Terry Funk went one-on-one in the show's main event, but there was no winner since Public Enemy interfered and the match was thrown out. Foley and Funk fought back against the attack and asked for the crowd's help.

The two hardcore legends signaled for the fans to throw a few steel chairs into the ring. Unfortunately, things got out of hand as you can see in the clip above. More than a few fans granted Foley and Funk's wish as Public Enemy literally got buried in chairs. Eventually, Funk and Foley have to leave the ring and someone off camera repeatedly shouts down the mic asking fans to stop throwing chairs into the ring.

A scary moment in wrestling history and perhaps a minor miracle that no one was seriously hurt. Especially if you watch right until the end to see one half of Public Enemy leap up and launch a chair back over his shoulders, presumably into the crowd. It may also have been a sign of what was to come. It was the year Heyman took control of ECW and just weeks before it officially became wrestling's extreme brand.

Mick Foley Has Reflected On The Moment

All Four Men Involved Had Success In ECW

• WWE owns the rights to ECW.
• Mick Foley has looked back fondly on his time in ECW.
• ECW became "Extreme Championship Wrestling" in 1995.

A couple of years ago, WWE featured the match on a "Best of ECW" collection on Peacock. Foley took to Instagram to reminisce on this iconic match. He said of it:

"HARDCORE HEAVEN ‘94

I saw that @wwe had included my match with @thedirtyfunker at ECW Hardcore Heaven ‘94 in their new ‘Best of ECW’ compilation on @peacocktv. This night was definitely one of the more surreal of my time in ECW, and that’s saying something. Everyone go give it a watch, it’s a great selection of some truly classic ECW matches for the uninitiated.

#TheChairThrowingIncident#DontTryThisAtHome"

All four of the men involved in that event ended up becoming some pretty prominent names in ECW. It was a major point in helping Foley to grow in the "Hardcore Legend" that he is regarded as today. It was yet another big moment in the career of Terry Funk. As for Public Enemy, they became one of the most successful tag teams in ECW's history. In total, they became four-time ECW World Tag Team Champions.

It Helped Establish ECW's Hardcore Legacy

ECW Flourished In The Years Under Paul Heyman

• Paul Heyman took over ECW in 1995.
• It became the third-biggest promotion after WWE and WCW.
• Extreme Championship Wrestling closed in 2001.

For many who were not familiar with ECW, it was something that was truly shocking, but it was also key in establishing the memory of a promotion that developed a hardcore and devoted fanbase. To this very day, despite its closure in 2001, you can still hear chants of "ECW" fill arenas today.

Despite how scary the moment was, it left a true mark on the history of ECW. By 1995, Heyman became the full owner of the promotion . With his creative vision, the company grew a truly exciting reputation as the alternative to the mainstream products of WWE and WCW. Heyman's roster of talents consisted of great names such as Cactus Jack, The Dudley Boyz, Raven, Taz, Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, and more. It was a promotion that truly revolutionized the ways fans watched professional wrestling and introduced many to various different styles.

It is not hyperbole to say that without ECW, the modern styles that we see in WWE, AEW, TNA, and many other promotions would not be as prominent as they are today. ECW continues to hold a special place in the hearts and minds of fans. Hardcore Heaven 1994 was one of those events that holds a very prominent place in history.