ECW Championship

The Extreme **Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship** was a 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, complementing the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship. The championship also briefly appeared as the only world title featured on the Raw brand in 2008. It was established under ECW in 1994 but was originally introduced in 1992 by the precursor to ECW, Eastern Championship Wrestling.

### Original ECW

The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was introduced originally in 1992 as the NWA-ECW Heavyweight Championship with Jimmy Snuka becoming the inaugural champion on April 25. However, its origin is attributed to events that began in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an organization with many member promotions. In the early 1990s, Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) was a member of the NWA and by 1994, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the world title of the NWA, was vacant. Consequently, a tournament was organized to crown a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion and on August 27, NWA-ECW Heavyweight Champion Shane Douglas defeated 2 Cold Scorpio in the finals to win the title. However, Douglas immediately relinquished the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and instead proclaimed himself the new ECW World Heavyweight Champion. ECW subsequently seceded from the NWA and became Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was thus established, spun off from the NWA title. It remained active until April 11, 2001 when ECW closed and World Wrestling Entertainment subsequently purchased its assets.

### Recommission in WWE

By 2005, WWE began reintroducing ECW through content from the ECW video library and a series of books, which included the release of The Rise and Fall of ECW documentary. With heightened and rejuvenated interest in the ECW franchise, WWE organized ECW One Night Stand on June 12, a reunion event that featured ECW alumni. Due to the financial and critical success of the production, WWE produced the second ECW One Night Stand on June 11, 2006, which served as the premiere event in the relaunch of the ECW franchise as a third WWE brand, complementary to Raw and SmackDown. On June 13, Paul Heyman, former ECW owner and newly appointed figurehead for the ECW brand, recommissioned the ECW World Heavyweight Championship to be the brand's world title and awarded it to Rob Van Dam as a result of winning the WWE Championship at One Night Stand 2006. Heyman had originally stated that either the WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship would "become" the ECW World Heavyweight Championship if a competitor designated to the ECW brand became WWE Champion or World Heavyweight Champion at the event. However, Rob Van Dam later declared that he would hold both titles simultaneously instead. The title became known as the ECW World Championship in June 2006, and later simply as the ECW Championship in August 2007.

The SandmanMike AwesomeTazzRhino - The Last Original ECW ChampionRVD - First WWE ECW ChampionDreamer - Only person to hold the original and revived title
## Championship Lineage

### Original ECW

* Jimmy Snuka: April 25, 1992 - Live Event
* Johnny Hotbody: April 26, 1992 - Live Event
* Jimmy Snuka 2: July 14, 1992 - Live Event
* Don Muraco: September 30, 1992 - Live Event
* The Sandman: November 16, 1992 - Live Event
* Don Muraco 2: April 3, 1993 - Live Event
* Tito Santana: August 8, 1993 - Live Event
* Shane Douglas: September 9, 1993 - Live Event
* Sabu: October 2, 1993 - NWA Bloodfest
* Terry Funk: December 26, 1993 - Holiday Hell
* Shane Douglas 2: March 26, 1994 - Ultimate Jeopardy
* The Sandman 2: April 15, 1995 - Hostile City Showdown
* Mikey Whipwreck: October 28, 1995 - Live Event
* The Sandman 3: December 9, 1995 - December to Dismember
* Raven: January 27, 1996 - Live Event
* The Sandman 4: October 5, 1996 - Ultimate Jeopardy
* Raven 2: December 7, 1996 - Holiday Hell
* Terry Funk 2: April 13, 1997 - Barely Legal
* Sabu 2: August 9, 1997 - Born To Be Wired
* Shane Douglas 3: August 17, 1997 - Hardcore Heaven
* Bam Bam Bigelow: October 16, 1997 - Live Event
* Shane Douglas 4: November 30, 1997 - November to Remember
* Taz: January 10, 1999 - Guilty as Charged
* Mike Awesome: September 19, 1999 - Anarchy Rulz
* Masato Tanaka: December 17, 1999 - ECW on TNN
* Mike Awesome 2: December 23, 1999 - ECW on TNN
* Taz 2 April 13, 2000 - ECW on TNN
* Tommy Dreamer: April 22, 2000 - CyberSlam
* Justin Credible: April 22, 2000 - CyberSlam
* Jerry Lynn: October 1, 2000 - Anarchy Rulz
* Steve Corino: November 5, 2000 - November to Remember
* The Sandman 5 January 7, 2001 - Guilty as Charged
* Rhino: January 7, 2001 - Guilty as Charged

Deactivated and Vacated — April 11, 2001 — ECW closes

### WWE ECW

* Rob Van Dam: June 13, 2006 - ECW
* Big Show: July 4, 2006 - ECW
* Bobby Lashley: December 3, 2006 - December to Dismember
* Mr. McMahon: April 29, 2007 - Backlash
* Bobby Lashley 2: June 3, 2007 - One Night Stand

Vacated — June 11, 2007

* Johnny Nitro/John Morrison: June 24, 2007 - Vengeance: Night of Champions
* CM Punk: September 1, 2007 - ECW
* Chavo Guerrero: January 22, 2008 - ECW
* Kane: March 30, 2008 - WrestleMania 24
* Mark Henry: June 29, 2008 - Night of Champions
* Matt Hardy: September 7, 2008 - Unforgiven
* Jack Swagger: January 13, 2009 - ECW
* Christian: April 26, 2009 - Backlash
* Tommy Dreamer 2: June 7, 2009 - Extreme Rules
* Christian 2: July 26, 2009 - Night of Champions
* Ezekiel Jackson: February 16, 2010 - ECW

Deactivated — February 16, 2010