ECW Heat Wave: photos
Summer got a little hotter every year from 1994 to 2000 when ECW's Heat Wave was in town. The July tradition featured some of the extreme company's best matches, and was not free of controversy. Feel the burn with these rare photos from Heat Wave's hardcore history.
In Heat Wave's first-ever match, the team of Ian Rotten & Axl Rotten took on Hack Meyers & Rockin' Rebel.
Meyers, an early extreme competitor, was billed from "The Last House on the Left."
Axl Rotten was an ECW maintstay throughout the majority of the company's history.
Mikey Whipwreck was one of ECW's most popular homegrown competitors.
In 1994, Mikey defended the ECW Television Championship against Chad Austin.
Austin originally won the match, but the bout was restarted when Austin lied and claimed he had won via the use of brass knuckles.
Following a successful title defense, Mikey was attacked by Austin's manager, Jason.
After defeating Stevie Richards, Tommy Dreamer was forced by ECW Champion Shane Douglas to wrestle Mr. Hughes.
Hughes made quick work of Dreamer, and Douglas proudly announced the winner.
After Hughes defeated Dreamer, Douglas asked Angel to be in his corner for his title defense later in the evening.
The Pitbulls were one of ECW's most dangerous tandems.
At Heat Wave 1994, The Pitbulls took on The Tazmaniac & 911.
911 was absent for most of the contest, but Sabu took his place, allowing the man who would come to be known as Tazz to score the pinfall.
Tommy "Pay Your Bills!" Cairo was accompanied to ECW rings by The Sandman's own wife, Peaches.
At Heat Wave 1994, Cairo and The Sandman continued their rivalry in a Dueling Canes Match.
In one of the main events of the first Heat Wave, Sabu challenged Shane Douglas for the ECW Championship.
The back-and-forth battle spilled to the ringside area, where Mr. Hughes and Angel were in the corner of the champion, and 911 and Paul E. Dangerously were in the corner of the challenger.
After missing a springboard moonsault, Sabu went through a table and lost the match via count-out.
The Public Enemy were one of the most popular attractions in the early days of ECW.
The ropes were replaced with barbed wire for Heat Wave 1994's main event.
The Funks, Terry & Dory Jr., challenged The Public Enemy for the ECW Tag Team Championship.
The Public Enemy successfully retained the titles after Terry Funk was caught in the barbed wire.
The brutal contest was a quintessential bout that set the tone in ECW for years to come.
In a tag team battle featuring four professional wrestling all-stars, Dean Malenko teamed with 2 Cold Scorpio to defeat the tandem of Eddie Guerrero & The Tazmaniac at Heat Wave 1995.
In Heat Wave 1995's main event, The Public Enemy were defeated by The Gangstas in a Steel Cage Match.
"Lionheart" Chris Jericho lost the ECW Television Championship to Shane Douglas at Heat Wave 1996 in a Four Corners Match that lasted nearly 40 minutes and also included 2 Cold Scorpio and Pitbull #2.
Joey Styles opened Heat Wave 1997 by interviewing "Ravishing" Rick Rude.
Rude made several appearances in ECW during 1996 and 1997.
The Blue Meanie enjoyed Heat Wave 1997 by sitting among The bWo faithful in Philadelphia's ECW Arena.
Nutley, N.J.'s "Chair Swingin' Freak" Balls Mahoney was a popular hardcore brawler during the later years of ECW.
At Heat Wave 1997, Balls teamed with Chris Chetti to take on Bam Bam Bigelow and Chris Candido.
The Beast from the East had many memorable moments during his tenure in ECW.
Candido, one of the finest grapplers in ECW, also had a brief run in WWE where he won the Tag Team Championship.
In the main event of Heat Wave 1997, Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman & Rick Rude battled Rob Van Dam, Sabu & Jerry "The King" Lawler in a Steel Cage Match.
The match ended without a conclusive winner, and most of the ECW locker room became involved.
Heat Wave 1998 is considered by many to be ECW's greatest show, and the match between former tag team partners Lance Storm and Chris Candido is one reason why. It was the only Heat Wave not to be held in July.
Masato Tanaka and Mike Awesome competed at Heat Wave 1998, and would later battle over the ECW Championship. The event was the first Heat Wave not held at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia.
In the main event of Heat Wave 1998, The Dudley Boyz took on the team of Spike Dudley, Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman in a Street Fight. The event was the first Heat Wave to be broadcast on pay-per-view.
Prior to competing at Heat Wave 1999, Danny Doring proposed to Miss Congeniality, later known as Lita in WWE.
Chris Chetti and Nova ruined the proposal when they defeated the team of Doring & Amish Roadkill.
In a thrilling cruiserweight battle, Super Crazy defeated Little Guido at Heat Wave 1999.
Prior to their match at 1999's event, The Dudley Boyz nearly incited a riot at Dayton, Ohio's Hara Arena. They lost the Tag Team Championship to Spike Dudley and Balls Mahoney, but attacked Spike after the bout.
In the main event of Heat Wave 1999, the team of Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn defeated The Impact Players, Lance Storm and Justin Credible.
Rhyno was the final ECW Champion and ECW Television Champion in the company's original incarnation.
Rhyno successfully defended the Television Title against The Sandman at Heat Wave 2000, held at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Heat Wave 2000 was ECW's first major event on the west coast. An LA-based wrestling company sat ringside and attempted to get involved in the show prior to the main event. The ECW locker room emptied and the unruly fans were escorted away.
In Heat Wave's final bout, Justin Credible retained the ECW Championship against Tommy Dreamer in a Stairway to Hell Match, a contest where a spool of barbed wire hangs above the ring.
