Despite its rabid cult following and being both an alternative to and an influence on WWE and WCW, the upstart Extreme Championship Wrestling went out with a whimper in early 2001, quietly going out of business following the loss of a TV deal among other factors. While the promotion would become a nostalgic favorite for fans, many of the stars of ECW stuck around, appearing on WWE television and taking part in the abortive invasion storyline if they weren’t already signed.

RELATED: 10 Things From ECW That Have Surprisingly Aged Well

But not everyone moved on to WWE after ECW went under. In fact, there are a few notables who largely disappeared from the mainstream wrestling scene after ECW shut its doors.

10 C.W. Anderson

C.W. Anderson

A kayfabe relative of the nearly entirely kayfabe Anderson family, C.W. Anderson trained at the WCW Power Plant before moving on to ECW in the late 1990s, where he stuck around until the promotion’s closure, with his final appearance being an I Quit match loss to Tommy Dreamer at the final PPV, Guilty as Charged, in 2001. Since then, CW Anderson had largely disappeared from mainstream American wrestling save for a couple of jobber appearances in WWE and an appearance at TNA’s ECW reunion show Hardcore Justice.

9 PN News

The 10 Heaviest Wrestlers In WCW History

Best remembered for having a rapper gimmick in early ‘90s WCW, PN News resurfaced later in ECW for a few months in 1999 as a member of the stable Da Baldies. This run would come to an end once News and Vito LoGrasso lost a Losers Leave ECW match against Axl Rotten and Balls Mahoney. He would continue to wrestle on the indies after this loss, but being ousted from ECW by the Hardcore Chair Swingin’ Freaks would be the last major television appearance by PN News.

8 911

911 doing a chokeslam

Originally presented as a bodyguard character, 911 soon became a weirdly beloved wrestler in ECW thanks to his ability to do a wicked Chokeslam. Fans loved it, even if 911’s in-ring abilities didn’t live up to his Chokeslam.

RELATED: 10 Wrestlers You Totally Forgot Main Evented An ECW PPV

911 took part in a handful of matches in ECW between 1994 and 1996, had an extremely under-the-radar stint in WCW after that, and then briefly returned to ECW in 1998. After that, 911 spent the rest of his career wrestling in New Jersey indies and making appearances at ECW reunion shows.

7 Chris Chetti

Chris Chetti

Taz’s real-life cousin and a staple of ECW from 1996 until the very end, Chris Chetti’s last match for the promotion was a Loser Leaves ECW loss to his old tag team partner Nova at November to Remember 2000. However, he somewhat ironically made a return on the very last ECW pay-per-view. After ECW’s closure, Chetti wrestled a little on the indies, but a back injury forced him into retirement in 2005, with Chetti only returning in 2013 for a single tag match alongside Nova.

6 Angel

Spanish Angel aka Angel Medina in ECW

Also known under the ring names Angel Medina and New Yorrican, Angel debuted as Spanish Angel in ECW in 1998 before eventually joining Da Baldies the following year. Angel’s last match for the promotion would be an unsuccessful challenge to Danny Doring and Roadkill’s Tag Team Titles in late 2000. After that, Angel would wrestle for IWA Puerto Rico -- capturing the Hardcore Title seven times -- and otherwise, perform intermittently on the indie scene.

5 Sal E. Graziano

Sal E. Graziano

While he pretty much found his niche as a manager for The Full Blooded Italians, Sal E. Graziano was a near-600-pound wrestler who seemed to lose pretty much every match he took part in if Spike Dudley was involved -- including singles matches.

Graziano is also a wrestler who largely disappeared from in-ring competition once ECW went under, only resurfacing for a couple of reunion matches and to accompany some of the FBI to the ring at an ECW nostalgia show for TNA.

4 Chilly Willy

Chilly Willy

Nicknamed “Everybody’s Homeboy,” Chilly Willy started wrestling for ECW in the year 2000, taking part in a few pay-per-view tag team matches and even challenging Rhino for the TV Title on one occasion.

RELATED: 10 Wrestlers You Never Realized Had An ECW Title Shot

After his last televised appearance at Guilty as Charged 2001, Chilly Willy wrestled on the indies, enlisted in the army, and had a brief stint in WWE developmental in the mid-2000s. He retired in 2009 but has stepped into the ring since for a nostalgia bout or two.

3 Belvis Wesley

Belvis Wesley aka Bill Wiles

Belvis Wesley -- sometimes called Bill Wiles -- is a forgotten member of the ECW roster who never captured any titles in the company. But his story is interesting --he was a backstage guy who worked as part of the ring crew and got a shot at actually performing.

Eventually, Wesley became a part of the New Dangerous Alliance and stuck with ECW to the very end. But a tag team loss on Hardcore TV would be his last televised appearance, and Belvis Wesley would eventually settle into a role as a trainer at the Monster Factory wrestling school.

2 Jason Knight

Jason Knight

A former ECW World Television Champion, Jason Knight is likely best remembered (if at all) by fans as a manager for other wrestlers including The Pitbulls and The Impact Players. After ECW folded, Jason wrestled on the indies a little and made an appearance at WWE’s One Night Stand reunion show in 2005. His only major TV match since ECW’s closure -- if you can call it major -- was a tag team loss to Mike Sanders and Sonny Siaki on a random episode of TNA Xplosion in 2003.

1 Mikey Whipwreck

Mikey Whipwreck with title belt

Save for a brief, forgettable stint in WCW, Mikey Whipwreck had been with ECW for much of the promotion’s existence and would capture pretty much every title in the company. After ECW’s closure, Whipwreck wouldn’t sign to WWE like many of his ECW roster mates, but would briefly retire due to injuries. He would soon return to the ring, albeit never on television save for a brief match in TNA. After that, Whipwreck would spend the rest of his career performing on New York indie shows, largely out of the eye of mainstream wrestling.

NEXT: 5 Ways ECW Was The Best Company Of The '90s (& 5 Ways It Was WCW)