This day in wrestling history helped to legitimize ECW as a legitimate company and the third largest behind WWE and WCW, and it’s due to Terry Funk’s win at ECW’s first PPV Barely Legal.
There were others that helped make this night memorable, and it was their love of the business that helped make this happen.
For many, ECW is a memory, a footnote in wrestling history as arguably the greatest inspiration behind the WWE Attitude Era. For Terry Funk it was one more chance.
Making history
ECW was an afterthought to many as it was mainly a local promotion in Philadelphia and it was looking to grow. To do that, they held their first pay-per-view on April 13, 1997 at Viking Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
But they needed the right champion to be taken seriously by mainstream wrestling fans.
In stepped the great Terry Funk.
By winning, it gave ECW a known and respected champion and immediately gave the feeling that the company was real. It’s something every company needs and why we see companies hire big stars even if they’re older.
Terry Funk talked about this in his More Than Just Hardcore book. Special thanks to @awrestlinghistorian for the excerpts used.)
“The crowd’s reaction to me was amazing. It was something that really moved not just me, but my entire friends and family there. A lot of guys say they’re all business and can’t be moved by the fans. Well, I was.”
A team effort
As we mentioned above, it wasn’t just Terry or Raven that made this happen, but others had a big role in this as well, including Tommy Dreamer for giving up his spot in the PPV.
“Leading up to it, Paul (Heyman) told me I was not going to be on the first pay-per-view and I was devastated. He said, ‘I got a better idea for you.’
“And me being the martyr and the heart and soul of ECW, I gave up my shot on the pay-per-view for my mentor, Terry Funk, which was going to be his last big chance to win the ECW Title. We had so much emotion going into that pay-per-view. Not only it being our first, but also Terry Funk walking to his father’s gravesite and saying, ‘I’m not a young man anymore. I’m an old man, but I’m going to do this for you. I’m going to do this for the Funk name. I’m going to do this for ECW.’ Great stuff. We had done a party to honor Terry Funk the night before, which I was in charge of.” – Tommy Dreamer, WWE.com interview April 11, 2012.
This was a great moment and the greater good saw ECW break through to an extent and eventually become part of the WWE when it was first used, then purchased by Vince McMahon.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgkNP7VgTl4
