WWE's reboot of ECW in 2006 got off to the worst possible start, with a terrible premiere episode of the show, and things did not improve with the brand's first (and only) exclusive pay-per-view under Vince McMahon's promotion.

In fact, ECW's December to Dismember in December 2006 was one of the worst WWE pay-per-views ever, garnering one of the lowest buy rates in the promotion's history, and was even largely responsible for Paul Heyman leaving the company shortly after.

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ECW was never given another exclusive pay-per-view after December to Dismember, but it wasn't entirely the brand's fault for the poor show, it never stood a chance with all of McMahon's tampering.

It Was A Poor WWE Show And An Even Worse ECW One

The event started off strong enough with a 20-minute back-and-forth battle between MNM and the Hardys, but that was about as good as it got, and the rest of the show was a major disappointment.

The card was filled with boring, dull matches that no one in the audience or watching at home cared about. The likes of Balls Mahoney, Matt Striker and Daivari helped fill out the show, all-stars more associated with the very bottom of the card, and it hurt the pay-per-view tremendously. This was a poor WWE show, but more than that, it was a terrible ECW show. The event was a far cry from the ultra-violent, electrifying pay-per-views ECW had become synonymous with during the promotion's heyday in the 1990s, and only featured one match that could be deemed 'extreme' and that was the show's main event.

MNM v The Hardy Boyz December To Dismember 2006 Cropped

In fact, in what seems to be a rib aimed at ECW fans, WWE even had a 'Striker's Rules' match between Balls Mahoney and Matt Striker that was somehow even less extreme than regular WWE matches, with neither competitor allowed to use maneuvers off of the top rope. It felt like a deliberate shot taken at fans of the former extreme brand and a stark reminder that WWE was in charge now.

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The audience in the arena hated the show, letting their feelings be heard on more than one occasion, chanting profanities when it was revealed Sabu was being removed from the main event's elimination chamber, and loudly chanting for TNA - a rival promotion - during a tag match between Elijah Burke and Sylvester Terkay and F.B.I. members Little Guido Maritato and Tony Marmaluke.

One of the major attractions to WWE reviving the ECW brand was fans getting to see some of their all-time favorite ECW originals back on television screens, but Vince McMahon wasn't interested in showcasing some of the extreme brand's more memorable faces, with only three members of the promotion's original run actually wrestling on the show.

Punk 2006

Balls Mahoney beat Matt Striker in that god-awful 'Striker's Rules' match, while Tommy Dreamer somehow came off worse, losing to Daivari. Rob Van Dam at least appeared in the night's main event, but was the third man eliminated, spoiling any chance fans had of going home happy. To make matters worse, ECW legend Sabu had been heavily advertised as a member of the chamber match but was removed on the night due to storyline injuries, but fans saw right through the lies and were furious.

Heyman Quit, And Both Dreamer And Stevie Richards Wanted To Follow

The event was such a disaster that the very next night, McMahon sent Heyman home after the two had a huge bust-up over the show, and not long after the former ECW promoter left the company. It was revealed in the aftermath of the show that Heyman was furious about Sabu's removal from the main event, and even wanted a young CM Punk to emerge victorious with the ECW championship, but Vince decided to go with his own homegrown WWE talent Bobby Lashley instead.

It was a slap in the face of Heyman who cared deeply about ECW, but also showed him he had no control over it anymore which swiftly led to him exiting WWE for several years. The former Paul E. Dangerously wasn't the only man who wanted out after the event though, with both Dreamer and Stevie Richards both requesting their releases, disgusted at the show, but WWE denied them both, keeping them under contract.

It has become known as one of the worst WWE pay-per-views of all time, and is almost certainly the worst ECW pay-per-view of all time, so who the hell can blame Heyman for walking out after this monstrosity?