ECW created true change in wrestling by becoming the perfect alternative product to fans growing tired of WWE and WCW in the '90s. Paul Heyman presented wrestling in a new light with the edgier product focusing on violence, sex appeal, vulgarity and other forms of television for a more mature audience.

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Fans loved many of the new stars to get spotlighted in ECW. The best success stories featured wrestlers either used poorly by WWE and/or WCW or were overlooked by both promotions. Everyone wanted to make the most of the opportunities given to them by Heyman with some standing tallest. Find out which names deserve the most love and respect for their extreme legacies. The following stars deserve consideration for the Mount Rushmore of Extreme Championship Wrestling.

10 Raven

Raven's Nest

The outstanding ECW run of Raven made him one of the best ECW World Champions of all time. Raven played a huge role in the rise of ECW with his grunge-based character showing fans how different it was to WWE and WCW at the time.

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The chances of being on the Mount Rushmore of ECW would be higher for Raven if he spent more time in the company. Raven left at his peak for a WCW contract and other names built stronger ECW legacies during his time away.

9 D-Von Dudley

D-Von Dudley

The Dudley Boyz faction became a hot act for ECW with Bubba Ray and D-Von serving as the best overall members of the group. Fans loved the tag team matches of The Dudley Boyz dominating the tag division in memorable fashion.

D-Von became a major star for the promotion and helped add a second top name from the group. The best years of ECW would have taken a hit if D-Von and Bubba didn’t add the depth needed for the tag team division with the occasional main event matches.

8 Bubba Ray Dudley

Bubba Ray Dudley

The promo skills of Bubba Ray Dudley placed him a tad higher than D-Von in the pecking order when it came to the Dudley Boyz in ECW. Bubba almost caused riots at certain points with the heel promos inciting the anger of the audience.

Paul Heyman even trusted Bubba to challenge Taz for the ECW World Championship on PPV, which was rare for a tag team wrestler at the time. Bubba Ray and D-Von were the most successful ECW tag team and it pushed them to WWE for a stronger run.

7 The Sandman

The Sandman and Woman

The longevity of The Sandman outweighed the limitations he had as an in-ring performer for ECW. No one would expect a five-star technical wrestling match from Sandman as his character and use of weapons made up for it.

Fans loved watching Sandman walk to the ring, drinking beer and smoking cigarettes to the hit song “Enter Sandman.” The popularity of Sandman led to five ECW World Championship reigns as someone worthy of the company's Mount Rushmore.

6 Shane Douglas

Shane Douglas vs Pitbull

Shane Douglas dominated the ECW main event picture as the dominant heel for over a few years. Four ECW World Championship reigns led to Douglas holding the top prize for a total of 874 days. Paul Heyman trusted Douglas to always add stability to the show as a top name.

The addition of Francine as a manager and the Triple Threat faction working with him made Douglas an even bigger asset. ECW thrived with Douglas at the top, but a handful of names had a deeper connection with the audience.

5 Sabu

Sabu

ECW fans fell in love with the work of Sabu as someone who represented the spirit of the promotion. Sabu put his body on the line every night and loved taking risks with his innovative wrestling style.

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The accomplishments of Sabu allowed him to thrive in both tag team work with Rob Van Dam and as a singles star in the ECW World Championship picture. It is hard to imagine ECW finding the same identity without the presence of Sabu in a major role.

4 Taz

Taz in ECW

The booking of Taz by Paul Heyman made him the most unbeatable wrestler in ECW despite being one of the shortest wrestlers. Taz completely connected to the gimmick and became a must-watch performer for every match.

The journey of Taz chasing the ECW World Championship was huge for ECW with fans wanting it badly. Taz beating Shane Douglas for the title felt like the equivalent of a WrestleMania moment for ECW fans since it was the ultimate payoff to a great story.

3 Tommy Dreamer

Tommy Dreamer and Beulah

Tommy Dreamer developed a connection with the ECW fan base that still lives strongly today. The reputation of Dreamer was that he would do anything for the betterment of ECW from putting his body through pain to wanting to elevate new stars.

Both rivalries with Raven and The Sandman placed Dreamer in some of the most violent matches in ECW history. Dreamer’s loyalty put him over a few other names as someone who never left ECW. The presence of Dreamer is a must for any Mount Rushmore of ECW.

2 Paul Heyman

Paul Heyman and New Jack

A non-wrestler being included in a wrestling promotion’s Mount Rushmore seems wrong at first thought, but Paul Heyman’s influence on ECW was different than most. The vision of Heyman caused ECW to thrive with him wanting each performer to be at their best.

Heyman strategically capitalized on the strengths of his wrestlers, masking their weaknesses, and wanted to ensure they had full confidence. The creativity of Heyman was more pivotal to ECW’s success than any one wrestler which could be argued as different in WWE and WCW’s respective histories.

1 Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam

No one became attached to the identity of ECW more than Rob Van Dam. The fan base adored Van Dam for the matches that were unlike anyone else in the industry. Van Dam stood out for the better with the tye-dye gear, innovative in-ring style, and even small mannerisms like leaping to the top rope without climbing.

The matches of RVD started to get treated like the main event even if he was in the mid-card. ECW fans valued the Television Championship over the ECW World Championship during Van Dam’s title reign. RVD absolutely deserves one of the first spots on an ECW Mount Rushmore.

NEXT: 11 Wrestlers You Didn't Know Beat Rob Van Dam In ECW