Extreme Championship Wrestling ( WWE ) / History History . WWE acquired the Extreme Championship Wrestling name and video library in 2003 and later began reintroducing ECW through a series of DVDs and books . The most notable example is " The Rise and Fall of ECW " , a documentary ( and later a book ) of the promotion ' s history . The enormous popularity of this and other ECW merchandise ; along with a suggestion from Rob Van Dam prompted WWE to organize an ECW " reunion show " pay - per - view in 2005 dubbed ECW One Night Stand . The financial and critical success of the show motivated WWE to organize a second One Night Stand the following year . With rejuvenated interest in ECW , WWE began exploring the possibility of reviving the promotion full - time . On May 26 , 2006 , WWE announced the relaunch of ECW as a stand - alone brand that would complement WWE ' s " RAW " and " SmackDown ! " brands and emanate weekly on the Sci Fi Channel . Despite initial concerns that professional wrestling would not be accepted by Sci Fi Channel ' s demographic , network President Bonnie Hammer believed that ECW would fit the channel ' s theme of " stretching the imagination . " Sci Fi Channel is owned by NBC Universal , parent company of USA Network and exclusive cable broadcaster of WWE programming . To boost success of the new brand , ECW was cross - promoted on WWE programming in the weeks leading up to One Night Stand 2006 . A prime time special called " WWE vs . ECW Head to Head " was aired on USA Network as part of the promotion . The ECW brand initially attempted to differentiate itself from WWE ' s other brands . The hard cameras were placed in a different location and the ring mat had an " ECW " logo on it . The male performers were also referred to as " Extremists " as opposed to Superstars , and female performers were called " Vixens " instead of Divas . Eventually , all of these features were dropped . The ECW brand was initially headlined by original ECW performers such as Rob Van Dam , Sabu , Tommy Dreamer , Balls Mahoney , Al Snow and The Sandman , and new ECW " rebels " like Kurt Angle and The Big Show rounding out the roster . Former ECW owner Paul Heyman was entrusted with booking the brand . However , following the second episode , Heyman ' s role was somewhat reduced . According to an interview in the UK newspaper The Sun , Heyman wrote the brand ' s weekly scripts and submitted them to writers for possible changes , and then Vince McMahon for final approval . Following the 2006 December to Dismember pay - per - view event Heyman was relieved from both his on and off air duties with World Wrestling Entertainment . The WWE website cited " slumping television ratings and a disgruntled talent roster " as the reasons for his dismissal . Behind the scenes , Dave Lagana , former head booker of SmackDown ! , replaced Heyman as head booker of the ECW brand . Changes were made to the brand that differentiated it from the original ECW promotion , including changing the original promotion ' s rules - where weapons were legal in all matches and there were almost never count outs or disqualifications . WWE classifies such matches as " Extreme Rules " bouts , and they are only fought on occasion . By default , all matches on ECW cards are now fought under standard rules unless specified otherwise . ECW was featured as part of WWE ' s " Big Four " cross - branded pay - per - view events : Survivor Series , Royal Rumble , SummerSlam and WrestleMania . The first pay - per - view event hosted by the ECW brand since its launch was December to Dismember . On March 14 , 2007 , WWE announced that all future PPV ' s would feature all three brands . With this announcement , some brand - exclusive PPV ' s , including December to Dismember , were cut . " ECW on Sci Fi " . ECW ' s weekly series was originally given a run of a thirteen episode " summer series " by the Sci Fi Channel . Because of good ratings , it was granted an extended run through the end of 2007 . The premiere of ECW ' s weekly show on the Sci Fi Channel received a 2 . 79 rating , making it the highest rated show on cable in its time slot . While the show started out a ratings success for both Sci Fi Channel and WWE , it began drawing criticism from fans of the original ECW early on . This was most evident by the negative crowd reaction " old school " fans gave the main event of Batista vs . The Big Show at the August 1st , 2006 show from the Hammerstein Ballroom . Unlike the original promotion which primarily ran television tapings in smaller arenas , ECW shows were held in larger arenas as a part of " SmackDown ! " ' s Tuesday night taping schedule . ECW usually aired live on Tuesdays directly after " SmackDown ! " was taped , however , it would occasionally be taped before " SmackDown ! " , and placed on a tape delay until later in the night depending on what circumstances dictated . When touring the west coast , which is in the Pacific time zone , ECW shows were broadcast live before the " SmackDown ! " event was taped . To compliment the weekly television program , WWE . com introduced an online streaming video site called " Hardcore Hangover " that allows fans to stream on - demand video footage of the weekly show . Recurring segments . In addition to wrestling matches and backstage vignettes , " ECW " , like " RAW " and " SmackDown ! " , had recurring weekly segments . The earliest segment , which began on the first episode ( albeit unnamed ) was " Kelly ' s Exposé " , and featured exhibitionist character Kelly Kelly performing a striptease for the crowd . " Kelly ' s Exposé " took a hiatus when Kelly took a leave in December of 2006 , and upon her return in January of 2007 , she was joined by fellow divas Layla El and Brooke Adams to form Extreme Exposé , a three person dance troupe . " Extreme Exposé " performed weekly , utilizing a different song and costume each week . This lasted until late Summer of 2007 , when The Miz had ownership of Extreme Exposé and started a feud over Kelly Kelly with Balls Mahoney . Brooke Adams would soon be released from WWE , and The Miz would soon begin teaming with John Morrison . Another recurring segment , which was only used on occasion , was " Striker ' s Classroom " . This segment was hosted by Matt Striker , who portrayed a teacher ( his former real - life profession ) and featured Striker insulting the audience ' s intellectual capacity . It was also sometimes utilized as a simple promo device , and other times as an interview segment . Arguably the most memorable moment involving " Striker ' s Classroom " was the segment featuring Striker ' s then - rival The Boogeyman . Striker brought out his new right - hand man , Big Daddy V .