The legacy of ECW sees fans remembering the good times since Paul Heyman created something special. Quite a few wrestlers struggled to find a place in wrestling until working for ECW. Future stars like Rob Van Dam, Shane Douglas, Taz and Sabu found a home in wrestling to grow as performers and find their own voices under the leadership of Heyman.
RELATED: 10 Most Insane ECW Matches That We Totally Forgot About
However, not all wrestlers panned out to become the top success stories that get all the love today. There were the wrestlers that couldn’t use the ECW landscape to become a bigger star for various reasons. Some left the company too early and it ended up being a regret that limited their potential. Others just couldn’t get over as a noteworthy talent. The following ECW talents showed promise but ended up being busts.
10 Gangrel
WWE’s Gangrel started off in ECW under the name of Vampire Warrior for a short run in 1995. Paul Heyman used him and his real-life wife Luna Vachon as a couple on ECW television feuding with Tommy Dreamer.
RELATED: 5 ECW Wrestlers Who Were Booked Better In WWE (& 5 Who Weren't)
Vampire Warrior looked interesting based on the gimmick, but the short run didn’t give him enough time to stand out. WWE eventually signed him as Gangrel to lead The Brood. No promotion ever got the full potential of his gimmick.
9 The Blue Meanie
ECW fans loved The Blue Meanie for the silliness of the gimmick and the natural charm he presented. The biggest success for Meanie came in the Blue World Order parody faction of WCW’s New World Order with Stevie Richards and Nova.
All three wrestlers had different skill sets, but Meanie had the most limitations in the ring. Any time ECW tried pushing him on his own would end in lackluster fashion. WWE tried signing Meanie during the Attitude Era and struggled to find a role for him.
8 John Kronus
The tag team run of Perry Saturn and John Kronus as The Eliminators saw them becoming ECW’s top duo in the tag division. Saturn eventually left Kronus to get a better job in WCW with the bigger check and a singles run.
ECW tried to use Kronus a little while longer, but it just never worked out for him. Both a tag team stint with New Jack and a singles run on his own ended in disappointment. Kronus couldn’t find long-term success in wrestling.
7 Danny Doring
ECW struggled to find new talent in the final year when most of the top names left for WWE or WCW. Danny Doring was among the younger names getting an opportunity with more roster spots and television time available.
The tag team of Doring and Roadkill received a huge push, but they never reached the level of the all-time best ECW duos. Doring was viewed as a bigger prospect to Paul Heyman due to his mic skills. It never materialized into anything more than a secondary tag run.
6 C.W. Anderson
Another late-era ECW prospect to get a huge opportunity was C.W. Anderson. The hope was that his technical wrestling skills and vicious heel persona would be enough to get him into the main event picture.
Tommy Dreamer did a tremendous job building Anderson up as a credible threat during their lengthy feud. The problem was that Anderson didn’t get his momentum moving fast enough and ECW went out of business. Major promotions weren’t impressed enough to add C.W. after ECW ended.
5 Scotty Riggs
Scotty Riggs aka Scotty Anton entered ECW due to his friendship with Rob Van Dam. WCW rarely used Riggs after his tag team with Buff Bagwell as the American Males ended. Riggs was part of Raven’s Flock but didn’t get much television time.
RELATED: The 10 Worst Finishers In ECW History
The opportunity in ECW saw Riggs hoping to show his potential outside of WCW’s restrictions. Riggs ended up having his biggest match against Rob Van Dam, but he didn’t come off at the same level of RVD. ECW bailed on Riggs’ push and his career started to trend downhill.
4 Kid Kash
ECW found some popularity with Kid Kash, but it was not at the level Paul Heyman hoped for. Kash was among the newer stars in 2000 that received a bigger push than expected to figure out which names would thrive.
The fans enjoyed Kash in a mid-card role, but the main event scene just wasn’t for him. Many fans were surprised at the lack of success for Kash in WWE and TNA after ECW ended. Unfortunately, he couldn’t build on that promise.
3 Crowbar
Devon Storm became known mostly for his work as Crowbar in WCW teaming with David Flair and Daffney, but he had a lot of experience before that. ECW tried using Storm before he came up with the Crowbar persona.
Fans never gravitated towards him like other perennial standouts like Chris Candido or Jerry Lynn who won them over. Storm also did not have the experience needed to make the most of his push.
2 Chris Chetti
Taz’s cousin Chris Chetti was one of the top prospects at ECW’s training school. Paul Heyman decided to give Chetti a chance in the final year due to his natural athletic ability and some obvious charisma that he possessed.
ECW booked Chetti consistently in 2000 with lackluster results. The best role for Chetti was the opening or second match typically putting over others. Chetti never accomplished much outside of ECW when the company went under.
1 Brakkus
WWE signed Brakkus as a prospect out of the bodybuilding world that impressed Vince McMahon. The massive size and jacked physique saw WWE wanting Brakkus to become a major player, but he lacked the skills.
Paul Heyman was asked to use Brakkus as part of WWE’s working relationship with ECW. The big man received some momentum, but he was typically used to put over others. Brakkus’ highlight in ECW was getting squashed by Taz. Neither ECW nor WWE ever used Brakkus as a relevant star.
