Free to be hardcore

Tuesday night on ECW on Sci Fi, Hardcore Holly made an unexpected appearance and demonstrated to a few Extremists how he earned his moniker. Following a nine-month absence from the ring, Holly most definitely took his return to the extreme.

"Wrestling is my life. And that's what I live for. That's what I wake up for every day, is to get in that ring. This is my livelihood. This is where I belong," Holly said.

Minutes after being seen backstage with Paul Heyman, Holly headed to the ring on Tuesday night and viciously struck Rob Van Dam from behind with a steel chair. After blasting RVD's defeated opponent, Danny Doring, over the head as well, Holly grabbed RVD and delivered a wicked Alabama Slam to the former ECW World Champion.

In his ECW debut, Holly made it perfectly clear to the all Extremists in the locker room that he didn't come to ECW to make friends.

"Everybody's gonna notice me this time," said a confident Holly. "[In ECW], I won't be held back. I can do whatever I want to do because there are no limitations on me. Nobody can tell me I can't do this or that; I can do my own thing and get away with it. Nobody can stop me."

A six-time WWE Hardcore Champion, Holly has battled ECW originals such as Al Snow and Tazz in the past. Now an Extremist himself, Holly assured ECW.com that he is still the same Hardcore Holly that was last seen on SmackDown in late 2005. According to the callous Alabaman, he's come to ECW to surpass restraints on the level of brutality and cruelty that he intends on employing.

"When you're on SmackDown or RAW, you're limited in what you can do to an extent -- you can only go so far. In ECW, you can break all the rules -- and that's what I plan on doing," assured Holly.

Hardcore Holly is known for being a coarse, rugged and merciless in-ring competitor whose bark isn't anywhere near as fierce as his bite. One of the most feared veterans in sports-entertainment, Holly has ventured into a realm where the creed is hardcore.

"I'm the same person; nothing's changed about me," explained Holly. "I'm still mean. I'm still aggressive. I still want to maim people. I'm fixing to find out how hardcore everybody is in ECW. Everybody knows how hardcore I am -- I'm gonna see if they can handle me."

Related content:
Watch Hardcore Holly's debut on ECW
Watch an exclusive interview with Hardcore Holly

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