In the glory days of ECW, legions of fans were die-hard and dedicated to the hardcore brand who showcased some of the most in-ring action to ever be seen. Superstars like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vied for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, and future stars like Rob Van Dam held it early in their careers.
However, for every superstar who held the ECW Championship, there were, unfortunately, numerous examples of feuds that were poorly received. While some big feuds like Taz and Sabu helped push ECW into the stratosphere, others were not as successful. Through ECW's history - including their time as a WWE brand - there were multiple moments where the championship's legacy was tarnished.
10 Vince McMahon vs Bobby Lashley
ECW fans were initially very excited for WWE to revive the hardcore brand in 2006. Despite having talent like Rob Van Dam at the head of the brand, fans quickly learned that it was not like the original ECW. In fact, it quickly became similar to RAW and Smackdown and did not have the same aura as the original company.
This was no more evident than when Vince McMahon himself became ECW Champion after defeating Bobby Lashley, who also did not represent the original ECW. This feud was the biggest evidence that the new ECW brand was doomed from the outset, as it was the furthest thing from ECW that they could get.
9 Taz vs Spike Dudley
Taz's run in ECW helped build him up as a very dangerous wrestler who could dismantle opponents with suplexes and submissions. Through his reign as ECW Champion, Taz defeated the likes of Shane Douglas, Sabu, and Bam Bam Bigelow to retain his championship.
To think that Spike Dudley was once a contender for his championship is one of the biggest mismatches in the company's history. The feud was very one-sided, and very few fans believed that Spike actually had a chance of winning. Underdog stories are great, but this one was just unbelievable.
8 Kane vs Chavo Guerrero
The ECW World Championship had some great defenses and feuds through its activity and was known for having highly-competitive matches for those vying for it. So to think that it was once defended at WrestleMania and Kane became champion in just over ten seconds is laughable.
In one of the shortest matches in WrestleMania history, Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero in 11 seconds, which only served to hurt the legacy of this former World Championship.
7 Christian vs Ezekiel Jackson
After almost 20 years as an active championship in ECW and WWE, it was eventually retired in 2010 when the ECW brand folded. Despite it serving to build up a new star in Ezekiel Jackson and taking place in an Extreme Rules match, it was upsetting to see the championship see its final days.
After Zeke pinned Christian, the title was officially retired which ended a long legacy that fans deeply cared about, which made this feud an upsetting one.
6 Mike Awesome vs ECW
In one of the strangest professional wrestling moments in history, Mike Awesome's reign as ECW World Heavyweight Champion ended in huge controversy. After signing a contract with WCW while still holding the ECW Championship, it was carefully planned for Awesome to lose the championship.
In an odd occurrence, Awesome, who was a WCW-contracted wrestler, lost the championship to Taz -- who was a WWE-contracted wrestler -- at an ECW-sanctioned event. Awesome quickly became one of the most hated wrestlers in ECW history, and was a true black-mark on the ECW Championship's history.
5 Mark Henry vs Matt Hardy
WWE's version of ECW did help elevate some wrestlers who were not being given television time on RAW or Smackdown and did give singles championship runs to both Mark Henry and Matt Hardy.
However, the feud itself was not either of their best and despite being formidable wrestlers, they were not able to click inside of the ring. Their matches were not among the highest-rated for ECW and left fans waiting for their feud to eventually end.
4 Stevie Richards vs The Sandman
As ECW Champion, Raven was among one of the highest-talents that ECW had to offer, and was a big star for the company. However, he did make some strange decisions as champion which angered fans.
As champion, Raven had Stevie Richards defend the title for him numerous times, including for an extended run against The Sandman. Richards was a good wrestler in his prime, but he was not one fans were paying to see.
3 Tommy Dreamer vs Justin Credible
As one of the longest-tenured ECW alumni, Tommy Dreamer was dubbed the "heart and soul" of ECW for how much he loved everything ECW stood for. In addition, one of his calling cards as a performer was that he never became ECW Champion throughout all of his pursuits.
Unfortunately, that "streak" was broken following the Mike Awesome controversy, and Dreamer won the title in what was a big moment. However, he held it for less than ten minutes, and unceremoniously dropped it to Justin Credible. Ultimately, fans would have preferred if he never won it at all.
2 The Big Show vs Sabu
The initial matches and feuds of the revived ECW brand featured ECW-originals like Sabu and Rob Van Dam, but things quickly changed feature more WWE wrestlers in top-tier positions.
When The Big Show won the ECW Championship, he was paired with Sabu in order to give him "hardcore credibility". Unfortunately, the match was much more geared to the WWE-style, and was not faithful to the original ECW, which did not cater to the fan base.
1 The Sandman vs Cactus Jack
Despite both Cactus Jack and The Sandman being ECW-faithful and among the legendary performers of the company, one of their final feuds in the mid-'90s was very disappointing.
The Sandman has been known to have demons to battle through, and unfortunately, they were out in full force during their feud. In several poor performances, these two hardcore legends stumbled through matches, with fans hoping that this feud would be put to bed.