Rob Van Dam is the longest reigning champion at 700 days.

The ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship contested for in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was the secondary title of ECW.

Originally, ECW was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an organization with many member promotions. ECW withdrew as an NWA member in 1994.[1] The championship remained active until April 2001, when ECW filed for bankruptcy. All of ECW's assets were later purchased by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in mid-2003, including the copyrights to ECW's championships.[2] In May 2006, WWE extended its promotion by adding ECW as a third additional brand, the others being Raw and SmackDown, in a brand extension.[3] The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was the only former ECW title to be recommissioned by WWE for the new brand.[4] While this championship remains decommissioned, its records are under the name "ECW Television Championship" on the official WWE website.[5]

Title reigns were determined by professional wrestling matches, often contested under hardcore wrestling regulations, with wrestlers involved in pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines or were awarded the title due to scripted circumstances. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains or heroes as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a match or series of matches for the championship.[6]

As implied by its name, the championship could only be won on television or on pay-per-view events. The title was won in one Canadian municipality and in five American states. The inaugural champion was Johnny Hotbody, who defeated Larry Winters at a live event to win the title in August 1992. Rhino, who won the title in September 2000, was the final wrestler to hold the title before ECW filed for bankruptcy. 2 Cold Scorpio had the most reigns as champion, with four. At 700 days, Rob Van Dam's reign from 1998 to 2000 was the longest in the title's history. The Tazmaniac and 2 Cold Scorpio's reigns in 1994 were the shortest title reigns at less than one day. Overall, there were 31 title reigns.

Reigns

Names

Name Years
ECW Television Championship August 12, 1992 – September 18, 1993
NWA-ECW Television Championship September 18, 1993 - August 27, 1994
ECW World Television Championship August 27, 1994 – April 11, 2001

Reigns

Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
Defenses Number of successful defenses
N/A Unknown information
<1 Reign lasted less than a day
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days Defenses
1 Johnny Hotbody August 12, 1992 Live event Philadelphia, PA 1 31 N/A Defeated Larry Winters for the vacant championship. Following outside interference; Hot Body originally won the match via disqualification after Winters hit referee John Finnegan but Tod Gordon ordered the match to continue; due to pre-match stipulations. [7]
— Vacated September 12, 1992 — — — — — Johnny Hotbody legitimately injured his ankle, and as a result, ECW forced him to relinquish the title.
† Glen Osbourne[a] September 30, 1992 Live event Philadelphia, PA – [b] N/A Defeated Mr. Sandman for the vacant Championship. [8]
— Vacated February 1993 — — — — — ECW forced Glen Osbourne to vacate the title to set it up to be defended in a tournament after beginning its television show Hardcore TV.
2 Jimmy Snuka March 12, 1993 Hardcore TV Radnor, PA 1 203 N/A Defeated Glen Osbourne in a tournament final. Aired on April 19, 1993, via broadcast delay. [9][10]
3 Terry Funk October 1, 1993 NWA Bloodfest: Part 1 Philadelphia, PA 1 43 N/A Aired on October 5, 1993, episode of Hardcore TV via broadcast delay. [11]
4 Sabu November 13, 1993 November to Remember Philadelphia, PA 1 113 N/A This was a tag team match featuring Sabu and Road Warrior Hawk against Terry Funk and King Kong Bundy, with Sabu's ECW Heavyweight Championship also on the line. [12]
5 The Tazmaniac March 6, 1994 Hardcore TV Philadelphia, PA 1 <1 N/A Aired on March 15, 1994, via broadcast delay. [13]
6 J.T. Smith March 6, 1994 Hardcore TV Philadelphia, PA 1 41 N/A Aired on March 22, 1994, via broadcast delay. [14]
7 The Pitbull April 16, 1994 Live event Philadelphia, PA 1 27 N/A [15]
8 Mikey Whipwreck May 13, 1994 Hardcore TV Philadelphia, PA 1 92 N/A Aired on May 17, 1994, via broadcast delay. [16]
9 Jason August 13, 1994 Hardcore Heaven Philadelphia, PA 1 83 N/A Aired on August 16, 1994, episode of Hardcore TV via broadcast delay. [17]
10 2 Cold Scorpio November 4, 1994 Hardcore TV Hamburg, PA 1 <1 N/A Aired on November 22, 1994, via broadcast delay. [18]
11 Dean Malenko November 4, 1994 Hardcore TV Hamburg, PA 1 134 N/A Aired on November 29, 1994, via broadcast delay. [19]
12 2 Cold Scorpio March 18, 1995 Extreme Warfare Philadelphia, PA 2 21 N/A Aired on March 21, 1995, via broadcast delay. [20]
13 Eddie Guerrero April 8, 1995 Three Way Dance Philadelphia, PA 1 104 N/A Aired on April 11, 1995, episode of Hardcore TV via broadcast delay. [21]
14 Dean Malenko July 21, 1995 Hardcore TV Tampa, FL 2 7 N/A Aired on August 1, 1995, via broadcast delay. [22]
15 Eddie Guerrero July 28, 1995 Hardcore TV Middletown, NY 2 28 N/A Aired on August 8, 1995, via broadcast delay. [23][24]
16 2 Cold Scorpio August 25, 1995 Live event Jim Thorpe, PA 3 126 N/A [25]
17 Mikey Whipwreck December 29, 1995 Holiday Hell New York, NY 2 7 N/A This was a match where Scorpio put both his World Television Championship and the ECW World Tag Team Championship held by Scorpio and The Sandman on the line. [26]
18 2 Cold Scorpio January 5, 1996 House Party Philadelphia, PA 4 127 N/A [27]
19 Shane Douglas May 11, 1996 A Matter of Respect Philadelphia, PA 1 21 N/A [28]
20 Pitbull #2 June 1, 1996 Fight the Power Philadelphia, PA 1 21 N/A [29][30]
21 Chris Jericho June 22, 1996 Hardcore Heaven Philadelphia, PA 1 21 N/A [31][32]
22 Shane Douglas July 13, 1996 Heat Wave Philadelphia, PA 2 329 30 This was a four-way dance also involving Pitbull #2 and 2 Cold Scorpio. Aired on July 23, 1996, episode of Hardcore TV via broadcast delay. [33]
23 Taz June 7, 1997 Wrestlepalooza Philadelphia, PA 2 267 43 [34]
24 Bam Bam Bigelow March 1, 1998 Living Dangerously Asbury Park, NJ 1 34 5 [35]
25 Rob Van Dam April 4, 1998 Hardcore TV Buffalo, NY 1 700 121 Aired on April 8, 1998, via broadcast delay. [36]
— Vacated March 4, 2000 — Philadelphia, PA — — — Rob Van Dam was legitimately injured, and as a result, The Network forced him to relinquish the title.
26 Super Crazy March 12, 2000 Living Dangerously Danbury, CT 1 27 8 Defeated Rhino in a tournament final. [37][38]
27 Yoshihiro Tajiri April 8, 2000 ECW on TNN Buffalo, NY 1 14 1 Aired on April 14, 2000, via broadcast delay. [39]
28 Rhino April 22, 2000 CyberSlam Philadelphia, PA 1 126 11 [40]
29 Kid Kash August 26, 2000 Midtown Massacre New York, NY 1 14 2 Aired on September 8, 2000 on ECW on TNN, via broadcast delay. [41]
30 Rhino September 9, 2000 ECW on TNN Mississauga, ON 2 214 10 Rhino was the final wrestler to hold the title. Aired on September 21, 2000, via broadcast delay. [42]
— Deactivated April 11, 2001 — — — — — ECW closed on April 4, 2001, and World Wrestling Entertainment purchased its assets in 2003.
† Matt Cardona[c] January 14, 2022 GCW Most Notorious — 1 1 1 Cardona defeated Rhino for the championship. The next day he threw the title into a garbage can. This reign is not recognized since WWE owns the rights to the title. [43]

Combined reigns

Two-time and final champion Rhyno
Record four-time champion 2 Cold Scorpio
Rank Wrestler No. of
reigns 		Combined
days 		Combined days
rec. by WWE
1 Rob Van Dam 1 700 700
2 Shane Douglas 2 350 348
3 Rhino 2 340 338
4 2 Cold Scorpio 4 274 271
5 Taz 2 267 266
6 Jimmy Snuka 1 203 202
7 Dean Malenko 2 141 139
8 Eddie Guerrero 2 132 130
— Glen Osbourne — 124 - 151 —
9 Sabu 1 113
10 Mikey Whipwreck 2 99 97
11 Jason 1 83 82
12 Terry Funk 1 43 42
13 J.T. Smith 1 41 9
14 Bam Bam Bigelow 1 34 33
15 Johnny Hotbody 1 31 30
16 The Pitbull 1 27 26
Super Crazy 1 27 26
18 Pitbull #2 1 21 20
Chris Jericho 1 21 20
20 Kid Kash 1 14 13
Yoshihiro Tajiri 1 14 13
— Matt Cardona — 1 —

Notes

  1. ^ This title change was excluded from the title history published by World Wrestling Entertainment.[5]
  2. ^ This reign lasted between 124 and 151 days.
  3. ^ This title change is not recognized by WWE.[5]

References

  1. ^ Loverro, Thorm (2006). The Rise and Fall of ECW. Paul Heyman, Tazz Dreamer, Tazz, Tommy Dreamer. Simon and Schuster. pp. 5–24. ISBN 1-4165-1058-3. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  2. ^ "United States Bankruptcy Court: Case No. 01-B-11982 (ASH)" (PDF). United States Bankruptcy Court. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  3. ^ "WWE Launches ECW As Third Brand". World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate. 2006-05-26. Archived from the original on 2008-12-23. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  4. ^ Hoffman, Brett. "An Extreme Debut". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  5. ^ a b c "ECW Television Championship History on WWE.com". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
  6. ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Archived from the original on 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2008-12-02.
  7. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 12, 1992). "ECW - Event @ Chestnut Cabaret in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  8. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (September 30, 1992). "ECW - Event @ Chestnut Cabaret in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  9. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (March 12, 1993). "ECW Television Title Tournament (1993)". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  10. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (March 12, 1993). "ECW Hardcore TV #3 - TV-Show @ Cabrini College Field House in Radnor, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  11. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (October 1, 1993). "NWA Bloodfeast - Tag 1 - Event @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  12. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (November 13, 1993). "ECW November To Remember - Event @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  13. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (March 6, 1994). "ECW Hardcore TV #48 - TV-Show @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  14. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (March 6, 1994). "ECW Hardcore TV #49 - TV-Show @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  15. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 16, 1994). "ECW Hardcore TV #56 - Dark Match @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  16. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (May 13, 1994). "ECW Hardcore TV #57 - TV-Show @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  17. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 13, 1994). "ECW Hardcore Heaven - Event @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  18. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (November 4, 1994). "ECW Hardcore TV #83 - TV-Show @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  19. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (November 4, 1994). "ECW Hardcore TV #84 - TV-Show @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  20. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (March 18, 1995). "ECW Hardcore TV #100 - TV-Show @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  21. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 8, 1995). "ECW Three Way Dance - Event @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  22. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (July 21, 1995). "ECW - Event @ Expo Center in Tampa, Florida, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  23. ^ Hoops, Brian (July 28, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (July 28): Lou Thesz wrestles the husband of the world's greatest all-time female athlete". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  24. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (July 28, 1995). "ECW Hardcore TV #120 - TV-Show @ Expo Park in Tampa, Florida, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  25. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 25, 1995). "ECW - Event @ Flagstaff in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  26. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (December 29, 1995). "ECW Holiday Hell 1995 - Event @ Lost Battalion Hall in New York City, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  27. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (January 5, 1996). "ECW House Party - Event @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  28. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (May 11, 1996). "ECW A Matter Of Respect 1996 - Event @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  29. ^ Hoops, Brian (June 1, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (June 1): Rogers beats Gomez, Gordman & Goliath, Baba loses PWF Title, Flair Vs. KVE, Lawler Vs. Son, Undertaker Vs. Edge". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  30. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (June 1, 1996). "ECW - Event @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  31. ^ Hoops, Brian (June 22, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (June 22): Ric Flair vs. Wahoo, Stan Hansen vs. Nick Bockwinkel cage match, Chris Jericho wins ECW gold". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  32. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (June 22, 1996). "ECW Hardcore Heaven 1996 - Event @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  33. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (July 13, 1996). "ECW Heat Wave 1996 - Event @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  34. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (June 6, 1997). "ECW Wrestlepalooza 1997 - Event @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  35. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (March 1, 1998). "ECW Living Dangerously 1998 - Pay Per View @ Asbury Park Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  36. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 4, 1998). "ECW Hardcore TV #259 - TV-Show @ Flickinger Center in Buffalo, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  37. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (December 3, 2000). "ECW World Television Title Tournament (2000)". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  38. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (December 3, 2000). "ECW Living Dangerously 2000 - Pay Per View @ O'Neill Center in Danbury, Connecticut, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  39. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 8, 2000). "ECW on TNN #34 - TV-Show @ Flickinger Center in Buffalo, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  40. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (April 22, 2000). "ECW Hardcore TV #366 - TV-Show @ ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  41. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (August 26, 2000). "ECW - House Show @ Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, New York, USA". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  42. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip (September 9, 2000). "ECW Hardcore TV #387 - TV-Show @ Mississauga, Ontario, Canada". Cagematch - The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  43. ^ "Matt Cardona 'Wins' ECW TV Title By Beating Rhino At GCW Most Notorious". Wrestle Zone. Retrieved January 14, 2022.

External links

Extreme Championship Wrestling
ECW World Television Champions
Categories