List of ECW World Heavyweight Champions

The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion, later used in WWE as the world title of the ECW brand and one of three in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship. It was introduced as the ECW Heavyweight Championship on April 25, 1992. Originally a part of the Eastern Championship Wrestling promotion, which joined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) on September 18, 1993.[1] It was established as a world heavyweight championship in August 1994 following the promotion's secession from the NWA.[2] The promotion became Extreme Championship Wrestling and the title became the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. It remained active until April 11, 2001 when ECW was closed and WWE subsequently purchased its assets. WWE relaunched ECW as a WWE brand in June 2006 with the title being recommissioned and designated as the ECW brand's world title.[3][4] The brand dissolved February 16, 2010, rendering the title inactive.[5]

Ezekiel Jackson was the final ECW Champion.

The championship was contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants execute scripted finishes rather than contend in direct competition. All title changes occurred at ECW or WWE shows. The inaugural champion was Jimmy Snuka, who defeated Salvatore Bellomo in a tournament final on April 25, 1992 to become the first ECW Heavyweight Champion. WWE, however, does not recognize ECW Heavyweight Championship reigns from April 1992 through August 1994. Instead they recognize Shane Douglas' second reign, which originally began on March 26, 1994, but is recognized as starting on August 27, 1994 – the same day the championship was renamed the ECW World Heavyweight Championship – as the inception of the title's history. The Sandman holds the record for most reigns, with five. At 406 days, Douglas' fourth reign is the longest in the title's history. Ezekiel Jackson's only reign was the shortest in the history of the title as it was retired as soon as he won it. He defeated the previous champion, Christian, on February 16, 2010 at an ECW television taping event. Overall, there have been 49 reigns shared between 32 wrestlers, with one vacancy, and 2 deactivations.

Title history

Names

Name	Years
ECW Heavyweight Championship	1992 – 1993
NWA-ECW Heavyweight Championship	1993 – 1994
ECW World Heavyweight Championship	1994 – 2001, 2006
ECW World Championship	2006 – 2007
ECW Championship	2007 – 2010

Reigns

Key

No.	Overall reign number
Reign	Reign number for the specific champion
Days	Number of days held
Days recog.	Number of days held recognized by the promotion

No.	Champion	Championship change			Reign statistics			Notes	Ref.
		Date	Event	Location	Reign	Days	Days recog.
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW)
1	Jimmy Snuka	April 25, 1992	Live event	Mount Tabor, PA	1	1	1	Snuka defeated Salvatore Bellomo in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion. WWE does not recognize this reign in the ECW title lineage.	[6]
2	Johnny Hotbody	April 26, 1992	Live event	Philadelphia, PA	1	79	79	WWE does not recognize this reign in the ECW title lineage.	[7]
3	Jimmy Snuka	July 14, 1992	Live event	Philadelphia, PA	2	78	78	WWE does not recognize this reign in the ECW title lineage.	[8][9]
4	Don Muraco	September 30, 1992	Live event	Philadelphia, PA	1	47	47	WWE does not recognize this reign in the ECW title lineage.	[10]
5	The Sandman	November 16, 1992	Live event	Philadelphia, PA	1	138	138	WWE does not recognize this reign in the ECW title lineage.	[11]
6	Don Muraco	April 3, 1993	Hardcore TV	Radnor, PA	2	127	127	The episode aired on June 1, 1993 via tape delay. WWE does not recognize this reign in the ECW title lineage.	[12][13]
7	Tito Santana	August 8, 1993	Hardcore TV	Philadelphia, PA	1	32	32	The episode aired on August 24, 1993 via tape delay. WWE does not recognize this reign in the ECW title lineage.
8	Shane Douglas	September 9, 1993	Hardcore TV	Roanoke, VA	1	23	23	The episode aired on September 14, 1993 via tape delay. WWE does not recognize this reign in the ECW title lineage.
9	Sabu	October 2, 1993	NWA Bloodfest	Philadelphia, PA	1	85	85	The title change aired on November 2, 1993 episode of Hardcore TV via tape delay. WWE does not recognize this reign in the ECW title lineage.
10	Terry Funk	December 26, 1993	Holiday Hell	Philadelphia, PA	1	90	90	The title change aired on December 28, 1993 episode of Hardcore TV via tape delay. WWE does not recognize this reign in the ECW title lineage.
11	Shane Douglas	March 26, 1994	Ultimate Jeopardy	Devon, PA	2	385	230	This was an Ultimate Jeopardy match also involving, Mr. Hughes, Rocco Rock, Johnny Grunge, Road Warrior Hawk, Kevin Sullivan, and The Tazmaniac. The title change aired on the March 29, 1994 episode of Hardcore TV via tape delay. On August 27, 1994, the title was renamed the ECW World Heavyweight Championship when Douglas relinquished the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. ECW left the NWA and was renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling. WWE recognizes this as the starting point of the title.	[14]
Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW)
12	The Sandman	April 15, 1995	Hostile City Showdown	Philadelphia, PA	2	196	195	The title change aired on the April 18, 1995 episode of Hardcore TV via tape delay.
13	Mikey Whipwreck	October 28, 1995	Hardcore TV	Philadelphia, PA	1	42	41	This was a ladder match. The episode aired on October 31, 1995 via tape delay.
14	The Sandman	December 9, 1995	December to Dismember	Philadelphia, PA	3	49	48	This was a three-way dance also involving Steve Austin. The title change aired on the December 12, 1995 episode of Hardcore TV via tape delay.
15	Raven	January 27, 1996	Hardcore TV	Philadelphia, PA	1	252	251	The episode aired on January 30, 1996 via tape delay.
16	The Sandman	October 5, 1996	Ultimate Jeopardy	Philadelphia, PA	4	63	62	The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer defeated Stevie Richards and Brian Lee in a tag team match. The Sandman gained the pinfall to win the championship after Raven failed to show for the event. The title change aired on the October 8, 1996 episode of Hardcore TV via tape delay.
17	Raven	December 7, 1996	Holiday Hell	Philadelphia, PA	2	127	126	This was a barbed wire match. The title change aired on the December 10, 1996 episode of Hardcore TV via tape delay.
18	Terry Funk	April 13, 1997	Barely Legal	Philadelphia, PA	2	118	118
19	Sabu	August 9, 1997	Born to be Wired	Philadelphia, PA	2	8	8	This was a barbed wire match. The title change aired on the August 11, 1997 episode of Hardcore TV via tape delay.
20	Shane Douglas	August 17, 1997	Hardcore Heaven	Fort Lauderdale, FL	3	60	59	This was a three-way dance also involving Terry Funk.
21	Bam Bam Bigelow	October 16, 1997	Hardcore TV	New York, NY	1	45	45	The episode aired on October 20, 1997 via tape delay.
22	Shane Douglas	November 30, 1997	November to Remember	Monaca, PA	4	406	406
23	Taz	January 10, 1999	Guilty as Charged	Kissimmee, FL	1	252	251		[15]
24	Mike Awesome	September 19, 1999	Anarchy Rulz	Villa Park, IL	1	89	89	This was a three-way dance also involving Masato Tanaka	[16]
25	Masato Tanaka	December 17, 1999	ECW on TNN	Nashville, TN	1	6	5	The episode aired on December 24, 1999 via tape delay.
26	Mike Awesome	December 23, 1999	ECW on TNN	White Plains, NY	2	112	111	The episode aired on December 31, 1999 via tape delay.
27	Taz	April 13, 2000	ECW on TNN	Indianapolis, IN	2	9	9	Taz had signed with the World Wrestling Federation following his title loss to Mike Awesome on September 19, 1999. However, Awesome unexpectedly signed with World Championship Wrestling in 2000 while still being champion and threatened to bring the title onto WCW TV. As a result, Paul Heyman and Vince McMahon arranged for Taz to return to ECW and defeat Awesome for the title. The episode aired on April 14, 2000 via tape delay.	[17]
28	Tommy Dreamer	April 22, 2000	CyberSlam	Philadelphia, PA	1	<1	<1
29	Justin Credible	April 22, 2000	CyberSlam	Philadelphia, PA	1	162	161
30	Jerry Lynn	October 1, 2000	Anarchy Rulz	Saint Paul, MN	1	35	34		[18]
31	Steve Corino	November 5, 2000	November to Remember	Villa Park, IL	1	63	62	This was a Double Jeopardy match also involving Justin Credible and The Sandman.	[19]
32	The Sandman	January 7, 2001	Guilty as Charged	New York, NY	5	<1	<1	This was a Tables, Ladders, Chairs, and Canes match also involving Justin Credible.	[20]
33	Rhino	January 7, 2001	Guilty as Charged	New York, NY	1	94	92		[20]
—	Deactivated	April 11, 2001	—	—	—	—	—	ECW closed on April 4, 2001, and World Wrestling Entertainment purchased its assets in 2003.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
34	Rob Van Dam	June 13, 2006	ECW	Trenton, NJ	1	21	20	The title was revived by WWE for the ECW brand. Van Dam was awarded the title by Paul Heyman for winning the WWE Championship.	[21][22]
35	Big Show	July 4, 2006	ECW	Philadelphia, PA	1	152	151	This was an Extreme Rules match.	[23][24]
36	Bobby Lashley	December 3, 2006	December to Dismember	Augusta, GA	1	147	146	This was an Extreme Elimination Chamber match also involving CM Punk, Hardcore Holly, Rob Van Dam and Test.	[25][26]
37	Mr. McMahon	April 29, 2007	Backlash	Atlanta, GA	1	35	34	McMahon pinned Lashley in a handicap match, which also involved McMahon's teammates Shane McMahon and Umaga, to win the championship.	[27][28]
38	Bobby Lashley	June 3, 2007	One Night Stand	Jacksonville, FL	2	8	7	This was a Street Fight.	[29][30]
—	Vacated	June 11, 2007	Raw	Wilkes-Barre, PA	—	—	—	The championship was vacated due to Bobby Lashley being drafted to the Raw brand.	[29][31]
39	Johnny Nitro/John Morrison	June 24, 2007	Vengeance: Night of Champions	Houston, TX	1	69	67	Nitro, who substituted for Chris Benoit due to his death (unknown at the time), defeated CM Punk to win the vacant championship. His ring name was changed to John Morrison during his reign on the July 17, 2007 episode of ECW. Beginning in August 2007, the title would be referred to simply as the ECW Championship.[32]	[33][34]
40	CM Punk	September 1, 2007	ECW	Cincinnati, OH	1	143	142	This was a Last Chance match which aired on tape delay on September 4, 2007.	[35][36]
41	Chavo Guerrero	January 22, 2008	ECW	Charlottesville, VA	1	68	67	This was a No Disqualification match. With Chavo being a member of the SmackDown roster, the title becomes shared between SmackDown and ECW.	[37][38]
42	Kane	March 30, 2008	WrestleMania XXIV	Orlando, FL	1	91	91	Kane was a member of the SmackDown brand at the time he won the title, thus making the title exclusive to SmackDown. The title was returned to ECW when Kane defected to the ECW brand two days later. Then the title was exclusive to the Raw brand when Kane was drafted to Raw on June 23, 2008. This gives Kane the distinction of being the only wrestler to carry one championship across all three brands.	[39][40]
43	Mark Henry	June 29, 2008	Night of Champions	Dallas, TX	1	70	69	This was a triple threat match also involving the SmackDown brand's Big Show. Title is once again exclusive to ECW due to Mark Henry being a member of the ECW roster.	[41][42]
44	Matt Hardy	September 7, 2008	Unforgiven	Cleveland, OH	1	127	127	This was a Scramble match that also involved Chavo Guerrero, Finlay and The Miz.	[43][44]
45	Jack Swagger	January 12, 2009	ECW	Sioux City, IA	1	104	102	This episode of ECW aired on tape delay on January 13, 2009.	[45][46]
46	Christian	April 26, 2009	Backlash	Providence, RI	1	42	41		[47][48]
47	Tommy Dreamer	June 7, 2009	Extreme Rules	New Orleans, LA	2	49	48	This was a triple threat hardcore match also involving Jack Swagger. Dreamer became the only wrestler to win the title both in the original ECW, and in the WWE sponsored revival.	[49][50]
48	Christian	July 26, 2009	Night of Champions	Philadelphia, PA	2	205	204		[51][52]
49	Ezekiel Jackson	February 16, 2010	ECW	Kansas City, MO	1	<1	<1	This was an Extreme Rules match.	[53]
—	Deactivated	February 16, 2010	ECW	Kansas City, MO	—	—	—	The title was retired once again immediately after Ezekiel Jackson won it due to the ECW brand being discontinued.	[5]

Combined reigns

Record five-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion The Sandman

Shane Douglas, who reigned for a combined 874 days as champion. His fourth reign at 406 days is the longest single reign in the title's history.

Christian is the longest reigning champion under the WWE banner, with a record of 205 days

Symbol	Meaning
<1	The reign is shorter than one day.

Key

Rec.	Recognized by the promotion
†	Current champion; reign changing daily
<1	Reign was less than a day

Rank	Champion	No. of reigns	Combined days
1	Shane Douglas	4	874	718
2	The Sandman	5	446	443
3	Raven	2	379	377
4	Taz	2	261	260
5	Christian	2	247	245
6	Terry Funk	2	208
7	Mike Awesome	2	201	200
8	Don Muraco	2	174
9	Justin Credible	1	162	161
10	Bobby Lashley	2	155	153
11	Big Show	1	152	151
12	CM Punk	1	143	142
13	Matt Hardy	1	127
14	Jack Swagger	1	104	102
15	Rhino	1	94	92
16	Sabu	2	93
17	Kane	1	91
18	Jimmy Snuka	2	79
	Johnny Hotbody	1	79
20	Mark Henry	1	70	69
21	Johnny Nitro/John Morrison	1	69	67
22	Chavo Guerrero	1	68	67
23	Steve Corino	1	63	63
24	Tommy Dreamer	2	49	48
25	Bam Bam Bigelow	1	45
26	Mikey Whipwreck	1	42	41
27	Jerry Lynn	1	35	34
	Mr. McMahon	1	35	34
29	Tito Santana	1	32
30	Rob Van Dam	1	21	20
31	Masato Tanaka	1	6	5
32	Ezekiel Jackson	1	<1

See also

• List of former championships in WWE
• World championships in WWE

References

General

• "History of the ECW Championship". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
• Benaka, Matt; Westcott, Brian; Roelfsema, Eric; Dean, Joe; Fitzgerald, Jason. "ECW World Heavyweight Title History". Wrestling Title Histories by Gary Will and Royal Duncan. Solie.org.
• Gary Will and Royal Duncan (2006). "(United States: 19th Century & widely defended titles – NWA, WWF, AWA, IW, ECW, NWA) NWA/WCW TV Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
• Thom Loverro (2007). The Rise & Fall of ECW. Simon & Schuster Adult. ISBN 1-4165-1312-4.

Specific

1. "ECW World Championship official title history". WWE. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
2. "History of the ECW World Title". WWE. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
3. Sitterson, Aubrey (2008-06-25). "Tangled Titles". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2008-06-27. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
4. Rote, Andrew (2008-06-29). "Worlds Strongest Extreme Champion". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2008-07-02. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
5. Medalis, Kara A. (2009-07-26). "Results:Dominant farewell". WWE.com. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
6. Oliver, Greg (1999-10-09). "The highs and lows of Superfly". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
7. https://www.wwe.com/titlehistory/ecw-championship
8. https://www.wwe.com/titlehistory/ecw-championship
9. Hoops, Brian (July 14, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (July 14): Bruiser & Crusher vs. Stevens & Bockwinkel, Gagne vs. Superstar, Lex Luger wins WCW title, Snuka wins ECW title, Sting wins TNA belt". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
10. https://www.wwe.com/titlehistory/ecw-championship
11. https://www.wwe.com/titlehistory/ecw-championship
12. https://www.wwe.com/titlehistory/ecw-championship
13. F4W Staff (April 3, 2015). "ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING TITLE CHANGE HISTORY: GOTCH VS. HACKENSCHMIDT, INOKI VS. HANSEN, GUERRERO VS. JERICHO". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
14. "Shane Douglas, August 27, 1994 - April 15, 1995". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
15. Ritchie, Sean (1999-01-11). "ECW PPV delivers". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
16. Oliver, Greg (1999-09-20). "ECW PPV delivers". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
17. Molinaro, John F. (2000-04-14). "Tazz wins ECW World title". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
18. Powell, John (2000-10-02). "Jerry Lynn new ECW champ". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
19. Powell, John (2000-11-06). "ECW has an Old School champ". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
20. Powell, John (2001-01-08). "Confusion reigns at Guilty As Charged". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
21. Keller, Wade (2006-06-13). "Keller's ECW on Sci-Fi report 6/13: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of program". PWTorch.com. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
22. "Rob Van Dam, June 13, 2006 - July 4, 2006". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
23. Keller, Wade (2006-07-07). "Keller's ECW on Sci-Fi report 7/4: Show vs. RVD, Punk's debut, Test returns". PWTorch.com. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
24. "Big Show, July 4, 2006 - December 3, 2006". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
25. "Bobby Lashley, Dec. 3, 2006 - April 29, 2007". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
26. Mackinder, Matt (2006-12-04). "Lashley has a December to remember". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
27. "Mr. McMahon, Apr. 29, 2007 - June 3, 2007". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
28. Elliott, Brian (2007-04-30). "No filler makes for a consistent Backlash". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
29. "Bobby Lashley, June 3, 2007 - June 11, 2007". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
30. Mackinder, Matt (2007-06-04). "One Night Stand a PPV gong show". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
31. Golden, Hunter (2007-06-11). "Raw results - 6/11/07 - Wilkes Barre, PA (2007 WWE Draft & more)". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
32. Golden, Hunter (2007-07-18). "ECW on Sci Fi results - 7/17/07 - Laredo, TX ('Nitro's announcement')". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
33. "John Morrison, June 24, 2007 - September 1, 2007". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
34. Powell, John; Powell, Justin (2007-06-25). "Vengeance banal and badly booked". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
35. "CM Punk, September 1, 2007 - January 22, 2008". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
36. Combs, Jason (2009-09-05). "8/21 ECW on Sci-Fi: Combs's in-depth report - Punk captures ECW Title over Morrison". PWTorch.com. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
37. "Chavo Guerrero, January 22, 2008 - March 30, 2008". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
38. Medalis, Kara A. (2008-01-23). "ECW on Sci Fi Results - 1/22/08 - Charlottesville (New ECW Champion)". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
39. "Kane, March 30, 2008 - June 29, 2008". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
40. Plummer, Dale (2008-03-31). "Mayweather, Orton survive Mania; Edge, Flair don't". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
41. "Mark Henry, June 29, 2008 - September 7, 2008". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
42. Bishop, Matt (2008-06-30). "Big names still on top after Night of Champions". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
43. "Matt Hardy, Sept. 7, 2008 - January 13, 2009". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
44. Bishop, Matt (2008-09-11). "Scramble matches make for wild Unforgiven". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
45. "Jack Swagger, Jan. 13, 2009 - April 26, 2009". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
46. Stephens, David (2008-01-14). "ECW on Sci Fi Results - 1/13/09 - Sioux City, IA". WrestleView.com. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
47. "Christian, April 26, 2009 - June 7, 2009". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
48. Bishop, Matt (2009-04-27). "Backlash: All 3 world titles change hands". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
49. "Tommy Dreamer, June 7, 2009 - July 26, 2009". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
50. Mackinder, Matt (2009-06-07). "Extreme Rules sees many title changes, but fails to live up to its name". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
51. "Christian, July 26, 2009 -". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
52. Elliott, Brian (2009-08-01). "Night of Champions: Punk loses title, but keeps star performer tag". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
53. "Ezekiel Jackson, February 16, 2010". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-16.

External links

• WWE.com