Types of ECW Matches

Extreme Championship Wrestling, or ECW, was born when Eastern Championship Wrestling split from the National Wrestling Alliance in 1994 over a disputed tournament. When the split occurred, Paul Heyman, the eventual owner of ECW, changed the name to reflect the new hardcore style of wrestling that he planned to promote. After this, ECW became a cult phenomenon, drawing fans from all over the world to its bloody matches in ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ECW as an independent wrestling company lasted from 1994 to 2001, when it went bankrupt.

  1. Barbed Wire Match

    • The barbed wire match originated in Japan but was popularized in the United States by ECW. In a barbed wire match, the ring ropes were replaced by barbed wire. When wrestlers threw their opponents against the wire, the barbs cut the opponent, causing him to bleed profusely. By the end of the match, the wire and the mats were covered in blood and the wrestlers were often cut in several places.

    Flaming Tables Match

    • The flaming tables match was made popular by The Dudley Boyz, a tag team duo in ECW. Under the rules of this match, a tag team won if one of the opponents was thrown through a table that had been previously set ablaze by the winning team. For the win to count, the table had to break under the weight of the opponent.

    Singapore Cane Match

    • The Singapore Cane Match was the trademark of a wrestler called The Sandman. The canes used in the match are called kendo sticks, A kendo stick is a bamboo cane used to represent the Japanese sword in martial arts. During a Singapore Cane Match, the opponents beat each other with the kendo sticks in an effort to tire or injure their opponent. The rules of the Singapore Cane Match were the same as a regular match in that a wrestler wins by pinfall, or pinning his opponent on the mat or submission, which is making the opponent quit because of extreme pain.

    Stairway to Hell Match

    • The Stairway to Hell Match utilizes ladders, both as weapons and as tools to reach the weapon hanging from a rope tied to the rafters. The wrestler that reached the weapon first could then gain an advantage by using it against his opponent. The weapon could be anything in the ECW arsenal. A wrestler could win this match by pinning his opponent to the mat or by making him submit.

    Three-Way Dance

    • The three-way dance was a normal ECW match because weapons were allowed and the normal rules of victory were similar to other matches: pinfall or submission. The match was called a three-way match because a third wrestler was allowed in the ring, so instead of having the usual single opponent, each fighter had three. Variations of this match were the four-way dance, with four wrestlers, or the five-way dance, with five wrestlers.