The Most Important Matches in ECW History

• The match was built on a full year of zero physical contact.
• Paul Heyman used a real-life no-show to fuel one of ECW’s hottest storylines.
• The crowd exploded the moment they stood face-to-face.

The buildup to Taz vs. Sabu at ECW's first pay-per-view was a year-plus masterclass in storytelling, orchestrated by Paul Heyman and the talent after Sabu didn't show up for a tag match with Taz. According to Shane Douglas, Sabu couldn't make it to the tag match after a flight was delayed, so Heyman had Taz tell the ECW audience that he didn't need Sabu.

Sabu didn't like that he got "jobbed" in the angle, and it sent a rift through the ECW audience, splitting the Taz fans from the Sabu fans. The heat carried for over a year without either man touching the other. As they finally stood face-to-face in the ring before the bell rang at Barely Legal, fans couldn't believe it was finally happening, and history was already made.

Rather than just announce Sabu couldn't appear in the tag match, Heyman pivoted and built a program with real-life elements, twists, turns, and thick suspense that had fans clamoring for over a year.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko — Best 2-out-of-3 Falls, August 26, 1995

• Their final ECW match before heading to WCW — and everyone knew it.
• They traded falls in a 30‑minute technical storm that ended in a draw.
• The crowd chanted “Please Don’t Go,” giving ECW its most genuine goodbye.

This match didn't have any of the classic chaotic flair of most ECW favorites. No blood. No tables. No chairs. It was just two future WWE legends in boots and tights throwing down a technical masterclass on their way out ECW's door. For Dean Malenko, it was the last night in ECW with his favorite competitor in the ring:

According to Malenko, the entire event was built around their match due to their imminent departure. Guerrero and Malenko had an uncanny flow in the ring with each other, and they left ECW fans breathless and begging for more that night. The match ended with a double pin draw for the final fall, ECW fans chanted, "Please don't go," and both men (even Malenko) gushed on the mic to the die-hard Philly crowd before departing for WCW.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven — Wrestlepalooza 1997

• The feud lasted over two years without Dreamer ever scoring a win.
• It blended soap opera, sadism, and cult-leader mind games.
• The final win came the same night Raven walked out of ECW forever.

Few rivalries in ECW—or in wrestling, period—were as psychologically brutal and emotionally twisted as Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven. From Dreamer getting caned into sympathy to Raven stealing Beulah McGillicutty and turning the feud into a nihilistic soap opera, this was ECW’s Shakespearean drama written in blood and barbed wire.

For two years, Dreamer chased a win over Raven, and every time, he fell short. Whether it was thanks to interference from Stevie Richards, Lupus, or the ECW Arena itself catching on fire (okay, not literally, but it might as well have), Raven always slithered away with his hand raised.

At Wrestlepalooza 1997, Dreamer finally did it. In Raven’s final ECW appearance before jumping to WCW, Dreamer nailed a DDT onto a stop sign and pinned his nemesis clean in the middle of the ring. The crowd exploded. Joey Styles screamed. The ECW faithful got the one thing they’d been begging for: closure.

Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn – Hardcore Heaven 1999

• RVD and Lynn delivered a hybrid classic that blurred lines.
• This wasn’t just for the ECW TV Title—it was for “The Whole F’n Show.”
• The match solidified their rivalry and prominence in ECW history.

Let’s get one thing straight—this wasn’t their first match, and it wasn’t their last. But Hardcore Heaven 1999 was the match. The one that turned a cult favorite feud into ECW canon.

RVD strutted in as the reigning TV champ, with his ponytail bobbing and confidence oozing. Jerry Lynn, forever the underrated technician, came in hungry to prove he could outshine “The Whole F’n Show.” Spoiler alert: he didn't win, but he proved to the world he is on RVD's level, and their rivalry became ECW legend.

Shane Douglas vs. 2 Cold Scorpio — NWA World Heavyweight Title Tournament 1994

• Douglas won the NWA World Title… and then trashed it live in front of the crowd.
• This moment marked the official birth of Extreme Championship Wrestling.
• Paul Heyman weaponized the fallout and broke ECW off from the past.

The Douglas vs. Scorpio match was for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but nobody remembers the chain wrestling or holds. What they remember is the promo heard round the bingo hall. After winning the tournament final, Shane Douglas cut a scathing shoot-style promo, thanking past champions like Harley Race and Ric Flair, only to then call them “a bunch of rejects” and throw the NWA belt down like they owed him money. He declared the ECW title the only belt that mattered and rechristened the company Extreme Championship Wrestling on the spot.

It was an unsanctioned rebellion in real time — and it worked. The NWA, already on life support, was left fuming. Heyman ran with the buzz. Douglas, who was already known for being a lightning rod, became the face of the revolution. This wasn’t just a match. It was a hostile takeover — and ECW never looked back.