| |
| Extreme Championship Wrestling | |
| History | |
| Acronym | ECW |
| Former names | Eastern Championship Wrestling (1992–1994) Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994–2001) |
| Industry | Professional wrestling |
| Foundeds | April 25, 1992 |
| Founders | Tod Gordon (Eastern; Chairman) Paul Heyman (Extreme; CEO) |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Television, Merchandise |
| Other | |
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon. ECW closed when-then owner Paul Heyman declared bankruptcy in April 2001. The promotion showcased various international styles of professional wrestling, ranging from lucha libre to puroresu and hardcore wrestling, and became known for having an intelligent, often rowdy and vocal fanbase that rejected the more cartoonish programming of ECW's competitors.
After purchasing the assets of ECW in 2003, World Wrestling Entertainment relaunched the Extreme Championship Wrestling franchise as a third brand with their existing Raw and SmackDown brands. It debuted on June 13, 2006 on Sci Fi in the United States and ran for close to four years until it aired its final episode on February 16, 2010 on the rebranded Syfy.