6 WWE/TNA Wrestlers Who Would’ve Been Perfect For The Original ECW

The original ECW was a one of a kind wrestling company the likes of which we will most likely never see again. Many people remember it its brutality but it also provided us with some of the best pure wrestling matches in history. The legacy of ECW refuses to die and in 2006 WWE actually revived the brand with lackluster results. You can’t water down something that refuses to be restricted and hope for the best.

It’s obvious when watching some modern day wrestlers that they grew up watching ECW. You can tell by the way they carry themselves that ECW had a big impact on them but could you imagine if these guys actually got the chance to compete in ECW? Let’s take a look at 3 wrestlers from TNA and 3 from WWE who would’ve fit right in.

Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe is a wrecking ball that can float through the air like a dove. Never has a man his size been able to move so gracefully yet bring so much power to the table at the same time. The bottom line is this…Samoa Joe is hardcore. One of the best things about ECW was that just about everyone on the roster was unique and if there’s one word that could sum up Samoa Joe it’s unique.

Joe would have been a perfect opponent for Taz when Taz was ECW champion. Taz may not seem all that intimidating as a TNA commentator but as ECW champion he was feared. Joe would have been pretty much the perfect rival for a guy like Taz and no doubt would have given Taz an arch nemesis that he could have feuded with throughout his entire career. TNA obviously thought the two would work well together since they tried pairing them up a few years ago but since Taz can’t wrestle anymore we’ll never know just how great a Samoa Joe/Taz feud really could have been.

Aside from Taz Joe would have been a great match for guys like Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka. Anything involving Samoa Joe facing off a big guy that can move fast is bound to be entertaining and a Samoa Joe VS Mike Awesome VS Masato Tanaka triple threat match would have blown the roof off every building in the neighborhood.

AJ Styles

They don’t call AJ Styles phenomenal for nothing. Time and time again AJ is always finding a way to shock us with his in ring ability so could you imagine if he was a member of the ECW roster back in the day? ECW was built on wrestling meant to shock people so AJ would have fit right in.

Just thinking about AJ Styles going up against RVD, Eddie Guerrero, Super Crazy, Tajiri or Jerry Lynn in their prime makes you long for the classics you could have seen. Although he has faced some of those wrestlers he didn’t face them in their prime and he didn’t face them in ECW. AJ has proved time and time again that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make his match unforgettable and ECW was a platform that encouraged its roster to do just that.

Austin Aries

Austin Aries is a guy who you can tell wrestles with a chip on his shoulder. He thinks he’s the best and he wants to prove it which time and time again makes for some very entertaining television. Austin’s superior wrestling skill and take no prisoners attitude would have made him one of the shining stars of the ECW roster.

Austin Aries can adapt to any style but there’s no doubt he made quite a name for himself thanks to the x-division. Aries always wants to take it to the limit and seeing him face off against some of ECW’s best high flyers would have made for some very memorable matches. A match involving Austin Aries VS a guy like Jerry Lynn in his prime has classic written all over it.

Dean Ambrose

When it comes to being creepy Dean Ambrose has it down. Dean often gets compared to The Joker and with good reason. He seems to possess that same mad man aura that The Joker has and it works for his character. Paul Heyman and ECW without a doubt would have given Dean the chance to develop that persona to the extreme.

Ambrose is no stranger to violence as he spent some time in CZW so you know he has no problem getting hardcore but it’s his personality that would’ve made him a valuable asset to the company. Dean Ambrose going up against a young Raven would have been a match made in heaven as far as feuds go. Raven was the master manipulator and Ambrose seems to have a few screws loose. If we had a time machine we would put them together and watch the sparks fly.

Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan has a reputation for being one of the most skilled wrestlers on the planet. His superior in ring ability helped him make a name for himself but it’s his character development as of late that’s made him a big star. Had Daniel Bryan been a member of the ECW roster it’s highly unlikely that he would have done much else besides wrestle.

Paul Heyman was great at bringing out a wrestlers strength and hiding their weaknesses. With that being said Paul would have let Daniel have free reign to show off his ability without worrying about developing a character but his wrestling ability would have made him a star regardless.

Just thinking about the number of reversals we would see if Daniel Bryan had the chance to face off against a young Dean Malenko is enough to make you dizzy and the thought of a Chris Benoit/Daniel Bryan dream match is almost too much to handle.

CM Punk 

There is literally no one in wrestling today that would have been a better fit for the ECW roster than CM Punk. Not only could CM Punk have been a huge player in ECW he most likely would have been the face the company so desperately needed to establish itself. Everything about CM Punk screams ECW from his tattoos, to his attitude, his wrestling style, his look and even his choice in music.

Trying to imagine some of the promos we would have heard from CM Punk if he was able to get a spot on the ECW roster when the company was in its prime is bound to get anyone excited. CM Punk manages to make his segments highly controversial on a PG rated WWE show so you can imagine what he would do with no restrictions.

When it comes to feuds it doesn’t really matter. You could have put CM Punk against anyone in ECW and it would’ve been a good fit. Punk knows how to push the limits of a feud which is what every member of the roster was trying to do at the time.

Although Punk did have a run in WWECW…it’s not even close to the same thing. The one thing ECW desperately needed near its end was a poster boy, a face for their company and had it worked out timing wise CM Punk would have been the perfect guy for that spot.