This is the final installment of my three part open letter to the new ECW. Sorry for the late entry, my ECW.com'ers. I have been swamped, but thanks for your continued loyalty and support. So, here we go…

I am strictly addressing the New Breed of ECW (consider this my current state of the union address). ECW has such a legacy; it has single-handedly changed the sports-entertainment business. If you were not a part of it, you simply cannot relate, and you need to watch WWE 24/7 or buy the DVDs.

For many people, ECW was their passion; I am one of those people. What is wrong with many professional athletes today is they want to complain about what is given to them. I am a firm believer in paying your dues because it makes you appreciate what you have. I lost ECW for a long time, and it was the hardest thing in my life to overcome. Many wrestlers think that what they have will last forever -- trust me, it doesn't. You should cherish every time you perform in front of a live audience. It is your job to entertain. No person on the entire WWE or ECW roster deserves to be on it, because a spot on this roster must be earned.

Some of you New Breeders moan about working conditions, catering or other trivial stuff. I am not being a grizzled vet, but I have wrestled in some places in ECW where it was snowing in the locker room. Catering was what you brought to the event. Many ECW wrestlers worked without the benefit of knowing if we would get paid for the evening's work. We did it because of how much we wanted to build the company known as ECW.

Many things can never be duplicated, but some new moments are definitely building (Bobby Lashley's dive through the cage on Umaga, for example). ECW is back for two reasons: it has proven that it can make money and, most importantly, the fans wanted it back. Those fans demand that we go out there and bust our tails every night for them. I recently had the pleasure of representing ECW in front of the largest audience I ever thought possible at WrestleMania 23. There with my three closest friends, I never thought I would be in that spot — and I owe it to the new ECW. And, you New Breed owe it to the ECW Originals for getting your asses to ‘Mania as well. You might have been riding the pine if it was not for us.

Personally, I have nothing against any talent in ECW. Just as long as you realize the shoes you have to fill and understand that the guys who fill them are not ready to hang them up. I am a big baseball fan and everyone talks about the New York Yankees and their Murderer's Row. To this day, they still compare them to current lineups and always reflect. I was a part of that Murder's Row in ECW and you guys have a lot of expectations that only time can tell.

New Breed, you all impressed me last week in the Extreme Rules Match (see 4/3/07 Hardcore Hangover). The atmosphere in the audience and the reactions both in front of and behind the scenes was a little blast from the past for us, but I finally saw that passion in some of your eyes. The guys you fought that night did that in their own unique way every night, and still are going strong today. Work hard, bleed and live ECW and you will have the great rewards that I have and still live.