WWE's Paul Heyman Reflects On ECW Matches He Feels Are Overlooked

ECW went out of business in 2001, but the influence of the promotion can still be felt to this day. Many of its top stars have gone on to have Hall of Fame careers, one of whom is the brains of the operation, Paul Heyman. 

Heyman recently spoke with "Screen Rant," where he was asked about ECW matches that don't quite get the credit they deserve. He cited a feud from the company's later years as one that is underappreciated to this day.

"We, being ECW, got so much credit for the popularity of a three-way match, and I don't think there was a three-way match in history that was nearly as exciting as the series that was put together by Super Crazy versus Tajiri versus Little Guido, who later became known as Nunzio in WWE. I would suggest those three-way matches are the most underrated, the most underappreciated. And just because they were on the supporting part of the card for, at the time, big title matches that we were presenting and really pushing as the centerpiece of the promotion, people, just in terms of history, have lost sight of how influential Super Crazy versus Tajiri versus Little Guido was. And the quality of the matches that they put on stands the test of time," Heyman said.

To prove how tightly linked Super Crazy, Tajiri, and Little Guido are to this day, the three men were recently teammates at GCW's The People vs. GCW event at the Hammerstein Ballroom, a building that ECW made famous. The ECW originals picked up the win over Los Desperados in an action-packed six-man tag team match.

Paul Heyman also credited two of ECW's most memorable rivalries for not getting the credit that they deserve, not because the matches and feuds don't get talked about among fans, but aren't credited as being as influential as they are. To prove his point, Heyman went as far as to say that without two of ECW's most legendary rivalries, AEW wouldn't produce the style of television they do today.

"One way, it's Rob Van Dam versus Jerry Lynn. I think AEW is RVD. I think anybody who watches AEW is witnessing a style that emanates from Rob Van Dam versus Jerry Lynn in the style. And also Dean Malenko versus Eddie Guerrero. I think if you look at any Dean Malenko versus Eddie Guerrero match from ECW, or Rob Van Dam versus Jerry Lynn match from ECW, you see exactly what the concept is that was employed by AEW in their style," he said.

AEW President Tony Khan has been very vocal about how much ECW has influenced his booking style and his tastes in wrestling. A young Khan was even seen in the ECW Arena at "The Doctor Is In" event in 1996, the show that featured Khan's favorite Rob Van Dam match — the stretcher match against Sabu. 

Up until 2024, Taz's FTW Championship was revived in AEW, a title that was born in ECW; RVD has since featured on AEW television numerous times with his old entrance music, "Walk" by Pantera, while Jerry Lynn and Dean Malenko still work backstage, highlighting how the ECW spirit still runs in pro wrestling today.