2005’s ECW One Night Stand event is fondly remembered by wrestling fans but the show originally had another ending that involved WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
In 2005 WWE gave ECW the send-off it never got when the company folded originally in 2001. A host of former ECW stars were brought back for the show that was to celebrate all things Extreme. Cruiserweights were represented by the likes of Rey Mysterio and Psicosis. Technical expertise was provided by Lance Storm and strong style was demonstrated by Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka.
The all-action hardcore brawls that have become ECW folklore were represented in the night’s main event as The Dudley Boyz took on the team of Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman.
Former ECW ring announcer Stephen D’Angelis was speaking on the Insiders Edge Podcast where he spoke about the inaugural One Night Stand event in 2005. According to D’Angelis, the show’s script originally had another ending that would’ve involved Vince McMahon:
“The original script for ECW One Night Stand actually ended, in the script, they didn’t do it that way, they changed it. Was Paul and Vince backstage, and Vince saying, ‘gee Paul, maybe ECW’s not dead after all.’ As you know, they didn’t end it that way. But that was my first hint that maybe there would be something else, moving on.”
“It took a year later for them to do it. But there was like a hint of maybe promise of something. Or maybe they were just going to bring some ECW guys in and they wanted to acknowledge it on some level. But that was in the script.”
The show ultimately ended with a huge brawl between the ECW locker room and the WWE ‘crusaders’ that had come to mock the show. Stone Cold Steve Austin dropped then-Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff with a Stunner to send the New York crowd home very happy.
As it turned out, One Night Stand in 2005 was indeed not the end for the ECW brand. A second One Night Stand event took place in 2006, which is most famous for Rob Van Dam’s iconic WWE Championship win over John Cena. Following that WWE did revive the ECW brand until its eventual demise again in 2010. McMahon did become synonymous with that version of ECW when he became ECW Champion in 2007.