ktc

Dueling Chair Shots
by Kurt La Mont
column date 07/24/2000

On August 27, 1994 Eastern Championship Wrestling became Extreme Championship Wrestling. Since that time there have been 12 World Heavyweight Champions in ECW. That works out roughly to an average of 2 champions each year, so being the champ is no small accomplishment. Here is the list of former, and current, ECW champions (number of title reigns in parentheses if more than one): Shane Douglas (3 times), Sandman (3), Raven (2), Mikey Whipwreck, Terry Funk, Sabu, Bam Bam Bigelow, Taz (2), Mike Awesome (2), Tanaka, Tommy Dreamer, and the current champ Justin Credible.

So who will the future champions of ECW be? Who knows, but I will attempt to look into the ECW crystal ball and let you know now who I think will pull it off. Here goes:

(All categories will be listed in the order from who I think is most probably to least probable)

Virtual Lock:

Justin Credible - This is the easiest one as he’s the current champ. However, I expect at least a couple more title reigns before things are done. Paul E loves him and JC talks like he’ll be in ECW for years to come (but don’t they all). I’ll be surprised if he’s less then a 3 time champ.

Rob Van Dam - This would seem like a lock but Paul E has been holding out on the RVD title chase for some time now. Nevertheless, multiple title reigns are very likely for the obvious reasons.

Very Likely:

Tommy Dreamer - Tommy has said numerous times that he never wants to wear a belt. However, if you’re going to be having title matches in the future, like I’m sure Dreamer will continue to have, you’ll need to win eventually or else every match will be predictable. Chances are good that this will happen. The only reason I see him not being champion again is if he retires because of his back.

Rhino - Rhino has a long way to go before I consider him a great wrestler and a worthy champion but he has one definite thing in his favor: Paul E. So far Paul E has been giving Rhino a combination of a Justin Credible push (winning early and often) and the Taz push (the indestructible force). I don’t see Paul E changing this anytime soon. If he stays in ECW his entire career I would push him up to the ‘Almost a Certainty’ category.

Corino - The King of Old School has established himself to be a future superstar this year. The sky is the limit for him as he has all of the tools of a great champion. Like Rhino the only thing that I think prevents him from reaching the top is a move to WCW or the WWF.

50/50:

Sandman - He’s one of the most over wrestlers in ECW and a former 3 time champ. It would seem very likely that he would do it again but I have my doubts. The only former champion who has left ECW and later returned to win the belt is Shane Douglas (and depending how you look at it, Taz) so history is not on his side. It also doesn’t help that Paul E doesn’t like him.

Jerry Lynn - Lynn consistently has the best matches on every card. Wrestling ability is definitely not the question. What could hold him back is not being great on the microphone and not being as over as you would like a champion to be. If Lynn ever wins the belt I have a feeling that he would be a short term champion.

Simon Diamond - This is my sleeper pick of the group. I really came away impressed with him after the Q & A at Cyberslam. He seemed to get ‘it’ more than any other undercard wrestler. Simon’s similarities to Shane Douglas are eerie. He has the look, the charisma, and ability of a champion. It’s just a matter of him developing and honing his skills over time before he becomes champ. If Simon wins the title it will most likely not be for at least another 2 years.

Long shot, but hey you never know:

Tajiri - It would be tough to have someone who doesn’t speak English be champion, however, he’s had good title matches before so who knows what the future brings

CW Anderson - He could be another sleeper. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen since the break from the DA.

Spike Dudley - You’d think that if Spike were to win it, it would have been during the Awesome matches, but he’s over with the fans so you never know

Super Crazy - The language barrier is his largest impediment

Mikey Whipwreck - The former champ seems to be stuck in the mid-card. While his current gimmick is hilarious I don’t see it translating into a championship.

New Jack - You never know what could happen with New Jack.

Danny Doring - Doring has some potential but will need a gimmick overhaul to be able to move up high in the ranks of ECW. He could be a good heel eventually but I can’t see him reaching the top of the mountain.

Balls Mahoney - I think there’s a lot to work with with Balls but he has almost always been wasted in garbage matches and now getting squashed by Sal E.

Nova - Like Doring he’ll need some sort of gimmick overhaul if he wants to move up the ranks. It’d be nice to see him work singles over an extended period of time.

More good stuff next week. Send comments and questions to me at [email protected].