Paul Heyman often made brilliant decisions running ECW, overachieving with the small promotion. ECW’s biggest accomplishment was making enough noise to get onto the radar of the wrestling world, during a time WWE and WCW dominated. Given how hard it is for promotions to shine with WWE having a monopoly, ECW had an even tougher task against two juggernauts. The roster was always changing, with different talents coming in and out of the company.
Some regrettable incidents saw ECW wrestlers being released when they probably shouldn't have, whether it was a firing or letting their contract expire to move to another promotion. On the other side, a few wrestlers remained on the roster too long, despite not making much of a positive impact.
10 Regretted releasing: Sabu
The relationship between Paul Heyman and Sabu wasn’t always strong. Sabu gained heat with Heyman when no-showing ECW in the mid-90s for a better-paying show in Japan. ECW released Sabu, which led him to sign a contract with WCW.
Sabu was unhappy in WCW during his short time there and requested his release from the company. ECW welcomed him back as the fans always loved Sabu. Heyman likely regretted ditching one of their top stars due to petty politics and Sabu returned, spending most of the remainder of ECW’s run as part of the company.
9 Should have released: Jake Roberts
ECW needed some star power to continue growing, which was tough given the deep rosters and checkbooks of WWE and WCW. Jake Roberts received an opportunity in ECW as Paul Heyman often booked familiar legend names to the roster to give them a chance.
Unfortunately, the personal demons and lifestyle choices of Roberts made him a negative addition to the company. Roberts worked a couple of storylines with Jerry Lawler and Tommy Dreamer. Nothing worked out well and ECW should have ditched him a lot sooner.
8 Regretted releasing: Juventud Guerrera
ECW was the first place to give the lucha libre stars from Mexico a chance in North America. Rey Mysterio, Juventud Guerrera and Psychosis were the three main stars to have matches in ECW. They often stole the show with classics that won over the audience.
All three signed with WCW to end their time in ECW. Paul Heyman likely couldn’t afford Mysterio and Psychosis, but Guerrera is one talent he should have kept on the roster. His ability could have made him a major star for ECW.
7 Should have released: Danny Doring
The later years of ECW would see younger stars getting a chance, after WWE and WCW raided their rosters. Danny Doring was one of the more heavily-pushed new names, teaming with tag team partner Roadkill as a top duo in the division.
Roadkill had a unique appeal as a bigger wrestler who could move around the ring with ease. Doring, unfortunately, did not have much going for him that helped him stand out. The generic wrestler didn’t create the same spark that other talents did for fans watching ECW for the first time.
6 Regretted releasing: Chris Candido
Chris Candido remains one of the most underrated wrestlers of the 90s when looking back at his career. WWE used him poorly, as Skip in the Bodydonnas tag team. The one positive was that fans became aware of the pairing of Candido and his girlfriend Sunny, aka Tammy Sytch.
ECW used the act better than any other promotion. Candido got to deliver classic matches against the likes of Lance Storm and Rob Van Dam, while Sytch’s charisma added to the act as his manager. ECW let Candido’s contract expire and was not able to replace him.
5 Should have released: Brian Lee
The larger size of Brian Lee made him a promising talent in the wrestling world. WWE fans will remember him most for his run as part of the Disciples of Apocalypse tag team, or for the unique PPV main event opportunity at SummerSlam 1994 as the Fake Undertaker.
Lee had his best run in ECW, but he was clearly limited in the promotion. The roles as an enforcer for Shane Douglas and the enemy of Tommy Dreamer earned him a relevant spot. Lee, however, could not break out like the others getting pushed at the time. ECW may have been better off ditching him earlier.
4 Regretted releasing: Lita
Lita’s start in ECW is often forgotten, when looking back at her WWE career. The start in ECW came under the name of Miss Congeniality as the manager of Danny Doring and Roadkill. Paul Heyman booked her in some lower tier comedic moments with rarely any in-ring action.
WWE signed Lita away from ECW with little fight from Heyman. The regret likely came when Lita quickly became a huge star for WWE, both in the women’s division and as the manager of the Hardy Boyz. This was a rare case of Heyman missing the boat on a future star and doing little with them in ECW.
3 Should have released: The Blue Meanie
ECW scored success with the Blue World Order, providing compelling comedy as a parody of WCW’s New World Order. Nova, Stevie Richards and Blue Meanie played parodies of Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, and the fans ate it up.
Blue Meanie was clearly the least talented of the three, as his entire act was based on the comedic element. Once the bWo ended, Meanie struggled to find a role. Fans eventually turned against him in the later years during his gimmick with love interest Jasmine St. Claire, as he had clearly jumped the shark.
2 Regretted releasing: 2 Cold Scorpio
The incredible matches of 2 Cold Scorpio helped fans fall in love with ECW in the mid-90s. Scorpio had superb matches against Sabu, Rob Van Dam and many others that often stole the show. ECW let Scorpio walk away from the company when WWE offered him a deal after his contract expired.
WWE wasted Scorpio as Flash Funk and ECW missed out on having another top star. Scorpio was on the verge of becoming one of the faces of the company. History will wonder how different things could have been if 2 Cold was one of the names to stay in ECW longer.
1 Should have released: Brakkus
Paul Heyman’s working relationship with Vince McMahon led to a few WWE talents working in ECW. Brakkus was a Vince project who badly needed experience. ECW welcomed him as a favor to McMahon, giving the bodybuilder more experience before returning to WWE.
To his credit, Heyman did book it perfectly by having Tazz destroy Brakkus with ease to make Tazz even more credible. However, the entire idea of Brakkus in ECW was a poor one that hurt their reputation.