ECW World Heavyweight Championship History
Complete list of every ECW World Heavyweight Championship reign — who held it, when they won it, and how long they kept it. Established Apr 25, 1992.
Shane Douglas
The Sandman
Full Title Lineage
| # | Champion | Won | Reign |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Rhino The final ECW World Heavyweight Champion before the promotion folded. | Jan 7, 2001ECW Guilty as Charged 2001New York, NY | 94 days |
| 32 | The Sandman5th reign | Jan 7, 2001ECW Guilty as Charged 2001New York, NY | <1 day |
| 31 | Steve Corino | Nov 5, 2000ECW November to Remember 2000Villa Park, IL | 63 days |
| 30 | Jerry Lynn | Oct 1, 2000ECW Anarchy Rulz 2000Saint Paul, MN | 35 days |
| 29 | Justin Credible | Apr 22, 2000ECW CyberSlam 2000Philadelphia, PA | 162 days |
| 28 | Tommy Dreamer | Apr 22, 2000ECW CyberSlam 2000Philadelphia, PA | <1 day |
| 27 | Taz2nd reign Awesome had signed with WCW while still champion; Heyman arranged for Taz, by then WWF-bound, to return and take the title back. | Apr 13, 2000ECW on TNNIndianapolis, IN | 9 days |
| 26 | Mike Awesome2nd reign | Dec 23, 1999ECW on TNNWhite Plains, NY | 112 days |
| 25 | Masato Tanaka | Dec 17, 1999ECW on TNNNashville, TN | 6 days |
| 24 | Mike Awesome1st reign | Sep 19, 1999ECW Anarchy Rulz 1999Villa Park, IL | 89 days |
| 23 | Taz1st reign During this reign Taz unified his FTW Championship into the ECW World title. | Jan 10, 1999ECW Guilty as Charged 1999Kissimmee, FL | 252 days |
| 22 | Shane Douglas4th reign | Nov 30, 1997ECW November to Remember 1997Monaca, PA | 406 days |
| 21 | Bam Bam Bigelow | Oct 16, 1997ECW Hardcore TVNew York, NY | 45 days |
| 20 | Shane Douglas3rd reign | Aug 17, 1997ECW Hardcore Heaven 1997Fort Lauderdale, FL | 60 days |
| 19 | Sabu2nd reign | Aug 9, 1997ECW Born to be WiredPhiladelphia, PA | 8 days |
| 18 | Terry Funk2nd reign | Apr 13, 1997ECW Barely LegalPhiladelphia, PA | 118 days |
| 17 | Raven2nd reign | Dec 7, 1996ECW Holiday Hell 1996Philadelphia, PA | 127 days |
| 16 | The Sandman4th reign Raven failed to appear; The Sandman & Tommy Dreamer beat Stevie Richards & Brian Lee, with Sandman scoring the pinfall. | Oct 5, 1996ECW Ultimate Jeopardy 1996Philadelphia, PA | 63 days |
| 15 | Raven1st reign | Jan 27, 1996ECW Hardcore TVPhiladelphia, PA | 252 days |
| 14 | The Sandman3rd reign | Dec 9, 1995ECW December to Dismember 1995Philadelphia, PA | 49 days |
| 13 | Mikey Whipwreck | Oct 28, 1995ECW Hardcore TVPhiladelphia, PA | 42 days |
| 12 | The Sandman2nd reign | Apr 15, 1995ECW Hostile City Showdown 1995Philadelphia, PA | 196 days |
| 11 | Shane Douglas2nd reign During this reign, on August 27, 1994, Douglas declared himself champion of the new Extreme Championship Wrestling, throwing down the NWA World title belt as ECW split from the NWA. | Mar 26, 1994ECW Ultimate Jeopardy 1994Devon, PA | 385 days |
| 10 | Terry Funk1st reign | Dec 26, 1993ECW Holiday Hell 1993Philadelphia, PA | 90 days |
| 9 | Sabu1st reign | Oct 2, 1993NWA BloodfestPhiladelphia, PA | 85 days |
| 8 | Shane Douglas1st reign Tito Santana forfeited the title to Douglas and left ECW. | Sep 9, 1993ECW Hardcore TVRoanoke, VA | 23 days |
| 7 | Tito Santana | Aug 8, 1993ECW Hardcore TVPhiladelphia, PA | 32 days |
| 6 | Don Muraco2nd reign | Apr 3, 1993ECW Hardcore TVRadnor, PA | 127 days |
| 5 | The Sandman1st reign | Nov 16, 1992Live eventPhiladelphia, PA | 138 days |
| 4 | Don Muraco1st reign | Sep 30, 1992Live eventPhiladelphia, PA | 47 days |
| 3 | Jimmy Snuka2nd reign | Jul 14, 1992Live eventPhiladelphia, PA | 78 days |
| 2 | Johnny Hotbody | Apr 26, 1992Live eventPhiladelphia, PA | 79 days |
| 1 | Jimmy Snuka1st reign Defeated Salvatore Bellomo in a tournament final to become the inaugural champion. | Apr 25, 1992Live eventMount Tabor, PA | 1 days |
The top prize of Extreme Championship Wrestling and a symbol of the hardcore revolution Paul Heyman built in Philadelphia. Tracing back to Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992, it became the centerpiece of ECW after Shane Douglas threw down the NWA World title belt in August 1994 to declare a new, extreme promotion. Across its run it was carried by Sabu, The Sandman, Raven, Taz, Mike Awesome and Rhino. The Sandman's five reigns are the most in company history; Shane Douglas's fourth reign (406 days) the longest.
ECW World Heavyweight Championship — FAQ
The ECW World Heavyweight Championship is no longer active. Deactivated in April 2001 when ECW ceased operations, with Rhino as the final champion of the company. WWE acquired ECW's assets and revived the title for its ECW brand from 2006 until 2010, when it was retired with Ezekiel Jackson as the final champion. The final champion was Rhino.
Jimmy Snuka was the inaugural ECW World Heavyweight Championship, winning it on Apr 25, 1992 at Live event.
The Sandman has the most reigns with 5.
Shane Douglas's reign beginning Nov 30, 1997 is the longest at 406 days.
There have been 33 reigns across 19 different champions since the title was established.