It's been over two decades since the demise of Extreme Championship Wrestling. Since its closure in 2001, many top ECW stars continued wrestling elsewhere, with some succeeding more than others. Many former ECW stars joined WWE during their resurrection of the ECW brand in 2006, but we all know that didn't exactly work out.
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It's worth noting that some ECW legends continue to be relevant in the professional wrestling business, while some have gone on to do other ventures while keeping a low profile. This list covers the five former ECW wrestlers still relevant in today's industry and five former ECW talents who have all but moved on from the business.
10 Relevant: Rob Van Dam
Despite sustaining many injuries over the years, one may find it hard to believe that ECW Legend and former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam is still competing, as part of All Elite Wrestling. It's also worth noting that Rob Van Dam has made several WWE appearances in recent years, including being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
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Due to Rob Van Dam having put many years into his in-ring career, he has many stories to tell in the many shoot interviews he's done. Rob Van Dam also runs a podcast called "1 Of A Kind With RVD," telling countless stories of his upbringing in the professional wrestling business.
9 Not Relevant: Sandman
A legendary ECW original, Sandman was a beloved ECW performer who achieved a championship throughout his ECW run. One of the most unorthodox professional wrestlers in history, Sandman's brawler-like personality was what put his name on the map of hardcore wrestling.
However, since his WWE run ended in 2007 when he took part in the ECW revival, Sandman has mostly taken a step back from professional wrestling. Besides his brief run in IMPACT Wrestling in 2010, Sandman has mostly become an afterthought in modern professional wrestling.
8 Relevant: Rey Mysterio
Some could argue that Rey Mysterio doesn't get enough credit for being a former ECW original, as his ECW stint during the mid-1990s helped generate a name for himself in the United States. But after many years, Rey Mysterio became so relevant that he became one of the biggest stars in WWE history.
Despite pusing 50, Rey Mysterio is still an active member of the WWE roster for the SmackDown brand. He was also inducted into this year's WWE Hall of Fame class.
7 Not Relevant: Lance Storm
A former ECW original, Lance Storm is someone many cite as an underrated professional wrestler. Although he was never known as the most charismatic performer, Lance Storm is most known for his talents as an in-ring performer.
Furthermore, although Lance Storm works for IMPACT Wrestling as a producer, he has since retired from the ring in 2016. However, Lance Storm still gives shoot interviews where he'll give his insight on the current generation of the product.
6 Relevant: Chris Jericho
Despite being over 50, former ECW original Chris Jericho has been among the top professional wrestling stars in recent years. As he was one of the AEW originals when the company launched in early 2019, Chris Jericho won the AEW World Heavyweight Championship that same year.
To this day, Chris Jericho is featured prominently on AEW TV. Chris Jericho's one of the very few ECW originals who's still an active in-ring performer, keeping up with the evolving talent of this generation.
5 Not Relevant: Spike Dudley
The scrappy on-screen little brother of Bubba and D-Von Dudley, Spike Dudley, he's made a name for himself in professional wrestling as a hardcore cruiserweight. Even though he was never the biggest to step foot in the ring, Spike Dudley's ability to take a beating no matter who it's from showed he belonged in an industry where the toughest survived.
With that said, with Spike Dudley retiring from in-ring wrestling in 2012, he has mostly kept a low profile in today's professional wrestling business. He's moved past the professional wrestling business and works as a financial specialist.
4 Relevant: Bubba Ray Dudley
Bully Ray may not be the most liked figure based on his shoot interviews, but one can't deny that he's still among the best tag team specialists in the history of the business. It's also worth noting that Bully Ray deserves all the credit in the world for his ability to carry himself as a singles star, especially during his heel run as Bully Ray in IMPACT Wrestling.
Despite being 52, Bubba Ray Dudley is still active in the ring as he wrestles for IMPACT Wrestling. Whether one agrees with his views on the professional wrestling industry, one can also listen to Bubba on Busted Open with Dave LaGreca, one of the most popular professional wrestling podcasts today.
3 Not Relevant: Raven
Someone who many cite as one of the most underrated professional wrestlers in history, Raven made a name for himself in the original ECW. A former two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion, Raven was one of the top heels of 1990s wrestling, especially during the Monday Nights Wars when he was in WCW.
Raven has since taken a step back from the ring as he's now 59, although his old-school insight on professional wrestling sometimes gets cited. However, Raven recently wrestled a match in April 2023, when he wrestled in a multi-man Battle Riot match at MLW Battle Riot V.
2 Relevant: Tommy Dreamer
One of the all-time best in ECW, there's a reason why Tommy Dreamer is known as "the heart and soul of ECW." However, long after the original ECW closed its doors in 2001, Tommy Dreamer continued his in-ring career for over two decades, including a run in WWE's ECW from 2006 to 2009.
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Although he's 52 and his body has gone through unimaginable pain over the years, Tommy Dreamer continues his three-decade-plus in-ring. As of today, Tommy Dreamer is on the active IMPACT Wrestling roster, where's he the current Impact Digital Media Champion.
1 Not Relevant: Joey Styles
Joey Styles played an integral role in ECW's success based on his play-by-play announcing role in the original ECW, as he was known as the voice of ECW. From his announcing run in the original ECW to when he did commentary for the revised version in WWE, Joey Styles arguably established himself at the top of the list of best announcers in professional wrestling.
However, Joey Styles has since stepped away from the wrestling business, never quite finding the right fit since ECW's demise. Since getting fired by Evolve from his last announcing gig in 2016, Joey Styles retired from professional wrestling and has kept a low profile.
