Despite Extreme Championship Wrestling going under in early 2001, fans still would fervently chant “E-C-Dub” whenever someone either went through a table or someone who once represented the promotion came through the curtain. Thanks to fan support, tremendous sales of The Rise And Fall Of ECW DVD, and the presence of Rob Van Dam, ECW had returned for what was then thought of as a one night only reunion show - One Night Stand.
Featuring the members of the roster that had come up through ECW, and some surprise appearances from ECW alumni, Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer were able craft a huge send-off for one of the most popular promotions of all time.
7 Rey Mysterio Jr. Vs. Psicosis
The ECW faithful were ready for some extreme Lucha action between two of the men ECW helped to put on the map. They got a little less than that, considering Psicosis worked a more mat-based style and took off his mask - which elicited the crowd to chant for him to put it back on. Rey Mysterio didn’t get much of a hero’s welcome either when he dialed up the 6-1-9 (since that wasn’t his finisher in ECW). Mysterio’s 6-1-9 even got booed during the grand finale when all of the ECW alum beat the heck out of Eric Bischoff, along with the Raw and Smackdown invaders.
6 Lance Storm Vs. Chris Jericho
Despite the kind of match that the Thrill Seekers could have against each other, even today, the opening match for One Night Stand was a little tepid for what would happen throughout the rest of the evening. Lance Storm came out to the ring with his former valet, Dawn Marie. Meanwhile, Y2J resurrected his old Lionheart persona for the match. The back and forth technical match saw Jericho about to win, but the interference and reemergence (if only for the night) of The Impact Players to cost The Lionheart the win.
5 Sabu Vs. Rhyno
Rob Van Dam and Fonzie came out to greet the crowd at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom. RVD was nursing and injury and unfortunately it prevented him from participating in the ring. But that didn’t stop the last champion for the promotion, Rhyno, from goring RVD out of his sneakers.
Van Dam’s ECW tag partner Sabu came out to fend off the assault and face down The Man Beast. The most hardcore competitor in the history of ECW was able to take out Rhyno, with some help from RVD and a steel chair.
4 Super Crazy Vs. Little Guido Vs. Tajiri
One thing ECW always was able to do well was blend various styles of wrestling, all within the same match. Nunzio returned to his Little Guido roots and took on both of his former foes, luchador Super Crazy, and the Japanese Buzzsaw Yoshihiro Tajiri. The three battled all over the Hammerstein, and on the way to his eventual victory, Super Crazy did an amazing moonsault off of the first floor balcony.
3 Eddie Guerrero Vs. Chris Benoit
Both Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero had short but memorable stints in ECW, alongside Dean Malenko, who all left for WCW in 1995.
These two technically-proficient wrestlers faced each other many times in their careers, and while they had better matches before, it was still a solid outing at One Night Stand. Chris Benoit got the victory after making Eddie Guerrero tap to the Crossface.
2 The Dudley Boyz Vs. Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman
The event might have been called One Night Stand, but it was actually the Dudley Boys’ last stand in WWE for a decade. The team was able to resurrect their ECW personas, taking on Tommy Dreamer and the Sandman in an old fashion ECW "anything goes, burn the place down" tag team match.
While it’s obviously not allowed to air on Peacock due to rights issues, the Hammerstein Ballroom went bananas when Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” piped through, signaling the arrival of the former beer-drinking ECW champion. The match finally began after a ruckus including Balls, Axl, Kid Kash, and a bWo invasion.
1 Mike Awesome Vs. Masato Tanaka
No matter what fans think of Mike Awesome leaving ECW with the title for WCW like a thief in the night, he had plenty of stones to return to the promotion. At One Night Stand, the former ECW champion reignited his blood feud with Japanese superstar Masato Tanaka. The two superstars made their name in ECW by brutalizing each other with steel chairs, tables, and nasty dives to the outside.
For anyone who want to see old school strong style, look no further than this match. Despite vitriolic comments from Joey Styles all throughout the match, the fans were chanting “this match rules!” Awesome was still able to dominate for the victory, hurling Tanaka through table on the outside before plunging himself into Tanaka’s heart for the victory.