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The three letters of ECW will forever be linked to hardcore wrestling, chanted in arenas across the United States when the violence gets turned up a notch, channeling the spirit of the extreme promotion that lives on throughout wrestling fandom. But, that 'E' didn't always stand for 'extreme', not until one fateful night in Philadelphia when one of the oldest institutions in professional wrestling was razed to the ground.

Some changes take place over a sustained period, and some occur in a sudden flashpoint. Paul Heyman had been shaping Eastern Championship Wrestling in his image since being brought in as the creative lead in fall 1993, pushing his cutting-edge approach to professional wrestling. But, on August 27, 1994, both in-ring and backstage happenings transformed ECW, with "The Franchise" Shane Douglas the man dealing the fatal blow.

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The NWA And ECW Relationship

NWA ECW

By 1994, the NWA was essentially a non-factor in the professional wrestling scene having been practically dismantled over the 1980s. Ted Turner purchase's of Jim Crockett Promotions saw the NWA continue to be represented in World Championship Wrestling, but that eventually ran its course. WCW withdrew from the NWA in September 1993, with negotiations breaking down over what would happen to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The belt was rebranded in WCW, with the NWA no longer acknowledging the champion, Ric Flair, and declaring their world championship vacant.

Turner's purchase of JCP assets included a non-compete clause for Crockett promoting the NWA, which was up in 1994. The NWA Board that had once ruled over the American wrestling scene was now a collection of six promoters, with only three being based in the USA. Alongside Crockett, there was Dennis Coraluzzo of New Jersey, and from Philadelphia, Tod Gordon.

Gordon was running Eastern Championship Wrestling, a promotion founded in 1990 that had joined the NWA in 1993. It was announced that ECW was going to host a tournament for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but there was immense distrust amongst the board members. Coraluzzo hated ECW's hardcore edge and took control of the tournament, fearing that Gordon and Crockett would monopolize the championship for themselves. On the other side, Gordon resented Coraluzzo for his power plays, and along with Paul Heyman, began planning a dramatic secession from the NWA.

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Shane Douglas Begins The Era Of Extreme

via dailymotion.com

The tournament for the vacant NWA World Heavyweight Championship was made up of some outside talent, namely Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, Osamu Nishimura, and a Doink the Clown going through an identity crisis, as well as a crop of ECW talent. The bracket was rounded out by 2 Cold Scorpio, 911, The Tazmaniac, and the reigning ECW Champion, "The Franchise" Shane Douglas. Taking place at the ECW Arena, the finals came down to Douglas and Scorpio, with Douglas winning to become dual ECW and NWA champion.

With the Ten Pounds of Gold in his hands, Douglas was handed a microphone to deliver a post-match promo. If those running the event knew what was on Douglas' mind, that microphone would have never made it into his hands. With Gordon and Heyman looking to leave the NWA, Douglas had the golden opportunity to make that exit emphatic. Douglas had his own beef with Coraluzzo, who had branded Douglas as unreliable and disparaged him to other promoters, and was inspired by his late father's motto of "doing right by the people that do right by you".

Douglas listed off the names of the great NWA champions through history, drawing on the tradition that the belt in his hands drew upon, and declared that "they can all kiss my a**!" Douglas tossed aside the belt, refusing to be passed down a torch from an already dead organization, instead, ready to blaze a new trail. He promptly picked up the ECW Heavyweight Championship and declared it the new world title, and that August 27, 1994, marked the beginning of "the era of ECW".

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ECW Becomes Extreme

Public Enemy ECW

The next episode of ECW's television broadcast covered the fallout of the NWA Title Tournament. The broadcast aired the entirety of the Douglas/Scorpio match and his promo, before cutting to Coraluzzo backstage at the event, incensed at the actions of Douglas and threatening action from the NWA Board. The footage then cut to Tod Gordon in his office, declaring the dissolution of NWA-ECW, and the promotion's new name; Extreme Championship Wrestling. The episode's final moments saw The Public Enemy spraying over the word 'Eastern' on the ECW logo, replacing it with 'EXTREME'.

As with any controversy in professional wrestling, there are conflicting stories and different opinions on who knew what beforehand and how much of it was planned, with some even changing their stories over the years. Whilst the fine details still have an air of mystery around them, the impact of Douglas' promo is undisputable. It marked a beginning of a new age in professional wrestling, one that led to some of the greatest moments and matches the industry has ever seen. The whole thing showed precisely the attitude that Extreme Championship Wrestling would have until its final days in 2001; flying in the face of traditionalists, pushing the envelope, and doing things their way, regardless of how it might be received.