Do you consider Ezekiel Jackson to be "the last ECW champion"?

[CM Steel]

The original ECW folded in 2001 with "the manbeast" Rhyno as the companies last world champion. But in 2006 the WWE re-launched the ECW brand owning the ECW name and copyrights. But sadly the ECW brand only lasted for four years with Ezekiel Jackson being the brands final champion.

So the question is. Do you consider Ezekiel Jackson to be "the last ECW champion"?

Because as everybody knows the WWE's version of ECW was super watered-down like srinklers in a wrestlers locker room. With the IWC dubbing it the "WWECW". Your opinion?

 

[The Scarred One]

I would have to say yes, Ezekiel Jackson was the last ECW Champion. It follows the same linenage from when it originated in the original ECW, spun off from the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. If you remember back in late 2006, there was a storyline involving John Cena, King Booker and the Big Show, who were the WWE, World Heavyweight and ECW World Champion, to determine who was the champion of champions. So, the WWE did consider it on par with the other championships back then. But around mid-2007, it seemed the title devolved in importance and was treated more on par with the Intercontinental and United States Championships.

So yes, technically, Jackson is the last ECW Champion, even though it hasn't done him any good. That's probably the worst part of that statement. It was supposed to raise his stock after ECW folded, but he's failed to catch on. If anything, it would've been better if Christian was the last ECW Champion.

 

[DirtyD79]

Nope. He may have been champion of that botched abortion WWE was calling ECW but not the real ECW. Just like I refuse to acknowledge the Dudley Boys as ever being WCW tag team champions. I could go to goodwill and buy a bunch of old trophies but that isn't gonna make me the 1983 dwarf tossing champion at the Dew Drop Inn in Robocop, Florida.

 

[Steve-O-Matt]

Simply put, yes, because he was the last ECW Champion. It's in the record books baby, there's no denying it. As for what other people will think, they will choose either Rhyno, RVD or Christain, for 3 different reasons. Personally, I think the last champion that defined the championship is RVD. That was actually back when ECW meant something and when Vince brought it back with the hope of it being good... Which is was, for the first few weeks, it all went downhill when Big Show lost it to Lashley. As much as I love the guy, it turned into a WWE feud which was what ECW shouldn't have been about.

The key moment when ECW turned into WWECW was December to Dismember, I liked the PPV, but as soon as Lashley won, BAM! Bye bye ECW, hello WWECW. Would I have liked them to make ECW a 18+ show? Yes. WWE has the power to do so, heck, they could still do it now, but they didn't want to and they won't do it now, because they are left with the sour taste of their past failures. I wish they did try it again, third brand, 18+ show, extreme rules matches for the main events... It just makes sense to give people what they want. There was a time when the WWE wasn't afraid to take risks, but no that they have to watch their finances, they are playing it safe.

 

[VinnieSunshine]

I view Rhino as the last ECW champion because he was. He has/had the title, he was the last REAL ECW champion, and he was champion when the company folded.

If we want to talk WWECW, Punk was the last champion for me. Basically because it was the start of things to come. He may have been a flash in the pan at the time, but it help build WWE's faith that he could hold either the WWE or WHC...which he went on to do, albeit briefly.

Big Zek was a champion, but not much came of it and then ECW closed up shop again. He really didn't do much as champion and then was brushed aside until finally being placed on the shelf where he continues to collect dust.

 

[Aquaman6686]

It's not even a question. Ezekiel Jackson WAS the final ECW Champion, end of story. WWE owns the title, they did whatever they wanted with it. What an individual fan "considers" is irrelevant. Do I wish they had kept the title on Christian and let him go out as champion? Absolutely. But that's not what happened. Ezekiel Jackson was the final ECW Champion. Period.

 

[Wolf Pac]

Yeah. Refusing to acknowledge Zeke as the last champ and it being written in the record books that Zeke is the last champ are two different things, one is opinion, the other is fact. Like Scarred One said, it follows the same lineage from when it originated in the original ECW, spun off from the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. I don't get how people can consider Booker T a 5 time WCW Champion yet they don't consider Zeke the last ECW Champion just because he didn't win it in the original company. Booker T's 5th WCW title reign came in the WWF, does that mean he's really a 4 time WCW Champion and a 2 time WWE Champion?

 

[theBec2101]

No. maybe I would if it was even remotely a little extreme. I think after Lashley it was watered done to all their other products. I would even go to the extent that between RVD and Big Show title runs, when they first brought it back was the best ECW that the WWE could offer. I would say Show or even Lashley. I know the belt then came back again but still it just wasn’t the same even with Dreamer, yea there was some dings in a chair and a very few smashed tables but be get that on Mondays and Fridays/Tuesdays.

Technically-Ezekiel Jackson
Realistically-Bobby Lashley
Actuality (Lets just be real)-Rhino

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

I forgot he even won the ECW title. I mean, technically yes he was. But I doubt many people will say he was.

Kinda like saying Vince McMahon is a former WWF Champion, ECW Champion and Royal Rumble winner. How does that sound? Because it's technically correct.

 

[Dagger Dias]

It seems like a pointless question at first, but the threadstarter actually raises an interesting point. The answer comes down to whether you count WWE's ECW Championship title reigns as part of the same belt history. WWE own the rights to ECW including the belt, so due to that I do count it as the same belt lineage. Ezekiel Jackson was the last person to hold the ECW Championship before it was deactivated. The belt and brand are the same regardless of how terrible WWE's version was in comparison to the "real" ECW.

Some may not count WWE's ECW as being the same brand or championship as the original. I understand where they are coming from 100%. WWE's ECW was a third brand they never needed and they turned it into a secondary show after they realized it was not doing well. That's a topic for a whole other thread though. WWE own the original ECW and they said that they brought the brand as well as the championship back, and they get the final say what with them owning it and everything. The haters can argue all they want but Ezekiel Jackson was the last ECW Champion and it's the same belt first held by Jimmy Snuka in the original ECW.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

For better or worse, i consider Ezekiel Jackson the last ECW Champion, for those saying it was Rhyno, while he was the last champion under the original ECW ownership, you in essence are disregarding Rob Van Dam's being given the ECW Championship by Paul Heyman after he won the WWE Championship from John Cena. While I would have liked to see RVD win the title under Heyman's ownership of the promotion, his winning of the WWE Title was a great storyline justification to give him a title that eluded him during his ECW run.

With that said, we have to take the good with the bad, and if acknowledging Ezekiel Jackson as the last ECW Champion comes with that territory, then it's a small price to pay, and like other posters have said, for better or worse WWE owns the ECW legacy and the intellectual properties associated with it. For those in the "Rhyno was last ECW Champion" camp, it would be like saying that Booker T was the last WCW Champion, and despite ownership changes, Chris Jericho should have that distinction, plain and simple. Or if you really want to get technical or depending on WWE's mentality on it, you could make a case that unlike the ECW Title, the WCW Title does somewhat exist albeit as the World Heavyweight Title, but that's another story for another day.

 

[JJ15776]

Please. Let me clear this up. Buying the name of something and using it on something else does not make it the same thing. The original ECW was a company. WWE's version of ECW was an in storyline brand extension. Those are not the same thing. If WWE had re-opened ECW as its own separate company, you could make an argument that it was a continuation of the original and therefor the title was the same.

They didn't. That means it wasn't. Ezekiel Jackson was the last champion in the WWE brand ECW. Rhyno was the last champion in the company ECW. That makes Rhyno the last ECW Champion. And that's not an opinion, that's a fact.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Please. Let me clear this up. Buying the name of something and using it on something else does not make it the same thing. The original ECW was a company. WWE's version of ECW was an in storyline brand extension. Those are not the same thing. If WWE had re-opened ECW as its own separate company, you could make an argument that it was a continuation of the original and therefor the title was the same.

They didn't. That means it wasn't. Ezekiel Jackson was the last champion in the WWE brand ECW. Rhyno was the last champion in the company ECW. That makes Rhyno the last ECW Champion. And that's not an opinion, that's a fact.

Your facts, plain and simple are inaccurate. You have a strong argument no doubt about that, but what you're stating is a matter of debate and not cold, hard fact. Just like the rest of us what you're stating is opinion. Plain and simple. While I was not a fan of the WWE branded ECW, the WWE still ran an ECW entity, even though in so many ways other than RVD getting the strap, it was a debauchery of the original product. So to reiterate my last post and the posts of others who will contest your statement, all you are stating is opinion and nothing more. While I will certainly be open to any counterpoint on my stance, I'll not resort to labeling my own comment as the be all end all, but I truly do believe that others who held the ECW Title after the 2001 dissolution of the ECW brand should be acknowledged as ECW Champions, all the way from Rob Van Dam to even Ezekiel Jackson. Granted there was a five year stretch where no ECW Champions were crowned but just the same, it still counts even if it's not up to the expectations of what we had for the product.

With that said then should we not acknowledge any WWWF/WWF World Champion as a true World Champion of that particular organization prior to the buyout of Capitol Wrestling by Titan Sports in 1982? Sure, Vince McMahon bought the company from his father, but the ownership and hierarchy of the organization was completely separate and many changes followed. Truth be told, the WWWF/WWF was a member of the NWA for a good amount of time prior to Vincent K. McMahon's global expansion efforts. Therefore, we should consider the criteria of their World Champions prior to this occurrence then, shouldn't we? Anyway, that's my case on it, but this whole discussion is a matter of opinion and not fact like you're trying to state with your rebuttal. The only fact here is that all of what we're discussing is a matter of opinion, and nothing more.

 

[King Patrick Star]

Do you consider the last WCW Champion to be Booker T., The Rock, Chris Jericho, Triple H, or, and this is a bit of a stretch, Brock Lesnar or, and this is a stretch and a half, Big Show?? Booker T. was the last WCW Champion in WCW. The Rock was the last holder of the Big Gold Belt named the WCW Championship in the WWE. Chris Jericho was the last holder of the then unbranded Big Gold Belt. Triple H physically unified the WWE and WCW Titles, therefore, still technically holding the WCW Title while Undisputed Champion. Brock Lesnar was the last Undisputed Champion before he “forfeited” the WCW / World half of the Undisputed Title and kept the WWE half. Some might even consider Big Show as the last and current WCW World Champion. I said some.

With things like these to consider, I can see why some people would say Rhino, Christian or Ezekiel Jackson could be the last ECW Champion.

I think Ezekiel Jackson is the last ECW Champion, but I also think Chris Jericho is the last WCW Champion. Yes, Triple H won the Big Gold Belt at WM X8, but by then, the Belts were collectively known as the Undisputed WWE World Championship, and not officially the Undisputed WWE / WCW World Championship. It might not make complete sense, but it makes sense in my head.

 

[vampirek]

Do you consider the last WCW Champion to be Booker T., The Rock, Chris Jericho, Triple H, or, and this is a bit of a stretch, Brock Lesnar or, and this is a stretch and a half, Big Show?? Booker T. was the last WCW Champion in WCW. The Rock was the last holder of the Big Gold Belt named the WCW Championship in the WWE. Chris Jericho was the last holder of the then unbranded Big Gold Belt. Triple H physically unified the WWE and WCW Titles, therefore, still technically holding the WCW Title while Undisputed Champion. Brock Lesnar was the last Undisputed Champion before he “forfeited” the WCW / World half of the Undisputed Title and kept the WWE half. Some might even consider Big Show as the last and current WCW World Champion. I said some.

With things like these to consider, I can see why some people would say Rhino, Christian or Ezekiel Jackson could be the last ECW Champion.

I think Ezekiel Jackson is the last ECW Champion, but I also think Chris Jericho is the last WCW Champion. Yes, Triple H won the Big Gold Belt at WM X8, but by then, the Belts were collectively known as the Undisputed WWE World Championship, and not officially the Undisputed WWE / WCW World Championship. It might not make complete sense, but it makes sense in my head.

To answer the first bit, Chris Jericho is the last WCW champion. Upon winning the WWF title and unifying the belts the WCW title seized to exist (its renaming to World Title was simply showing WCW was dead and buried for good, doesn't change its history so Rock wasn't the last champion on that basis). In essence Jericho was WCW champion for less than 30 minutes in that reign. The two belts were kept until a new one was made and given to the then champion.
When the titles were then split, a new title was created which used the design of the old title and modified slightly to include the WWE logo. It had a new history and HHH was the first to hold that belt. Brock was the last Undisputed champion and not a first of anything... the WWE title was simply renamed to drop the word Undisputed out of it.

As for the ECW title, Jackson is the last man to hold the title. Like or hate it, thats a fact. The ECW title was brought back and continued with the same line of history it wasn't changed or replace with anything to make a new history. It is like if the US title is retired tomorrow, Cesaro would be the last US champion.

 

[TheBadGuy92]

No I dont count it, Once Vince bought ECW, All their stats ended and started over with ECW/WWEs stats. Rhyno was the last ECW champion and Big Zeke was the last WWECW champion.

 

[Devlin]

I honest don't see the WWE version of ECW being a continuation of the original ECW, the same way I did not see the WCW/ECW invasion as a continuation of either company there.

WWECW was it's own entity, ECW was it's own entity. Rhyno was the last ECW champion, Ezekiel Jackson was the Last WWECW champion, simple as that.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

Please. Let me clear this up. Buying the name of something and using it on something else does not make it the same thing. The original ECW was a company. WWE's version of ECW was an in storyline brand extension. Those are not the same thing. If WWE had re-opened ECW as its own separate company, you could make an argument that it was a continuation of the original and therefor the title was the same.

They didn't. That means it wasn't. Ezekiel Jackson was the last champion in the WWE brand ECW. Rhyno was the last champion in the company ECW. That makes Rhyno the last ECW Champion. And that's not an opinion, that's a fact.

That is not a fact. WWE bought ECW and brought it back as its own show. Now I liked ECW and think that ECW>WWECW but it doesn't change the fact that it still is ECW. Doesn't matter who we think was the last ECW champ the fact is Big Zeke was the last ECW champ.

 

[HBsam31]

Unfortunately, I have to say yes. Whether or not WWE's version was watered down or not it was still recognized as the ECW championship, and it really would not make sense to not acknowledge him as the last champion. I know a lot of people will want to say Rhino, and I honestly wish that was the case, but to properly address history it has to be Zeke.

 

[Diet Soda]

Yes, Ezekiel Jackson was the last ECW champion, and it's not worth getting flustered over since the original ECW title was hardly in the same leagues as the NWA, WCW, or WWF world championships.

I mean, Jackson, Chavo Guerrero, Bam Bam Bigelow, Mikey Whipwreck, Shane Douglas, to name but a few are a million miles away from the likes of Flair, Hogan, Andre, Savage, Sting, and so on in terms of world champion material. Essentially, the ECW championship has always been worthless, and it's only fanboys of garbage wrestling who kick off over WWE flogging the dead horse for a bit longer than it was welcome for.

 

[The mind]

I'm actually going to say yes, but I wish to put an asterix next to it.

Whereas ECW folded, and was "Restarted" by WWE, who owned the copyright and properties of the company, was,in fact, trying to pick up where the folded promotion left off. Because non of the original ECW title holders were under contract to the WWE, they were left with having to put the belts around new wrestlers. It would have been the same if the WWE had opted to restart WCW.

 

[Aquaman6686]

No I dont count it, Once Vince bought ECW, All their stats ended and started over with ECW/WWEs stats. Rhyno was the last ECW champion and Big Zeke was the last WWECW champion.

You can believe this all you want, but it's wrong. WWE owns ECW, and they continued the lineage of the ECW Championship. Ezekiel Jackson was the final ECW Champion. That's not an opinion, that's a fact.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Ezekiel Jackson was the last ECW World Champion in WWE.

Personally I wouldn't consider EJ "the last ECW Champion". But then again I don't consider Rhino (the last "OG" ECW Champion) the true "last Champion of ECW" either.

So while Jackson being the last Champ in WWE is obviously fact, a true "last Champion of ECW" is up to personal discretion. I would probably consider Paul Heyman that person simply because he has the most Legacy, wealth, & health because of the company & it was all his brain-child.

 

[Antichrist]

The Sandman. I didn't like Rhino winning the belt just as ECW was about to end, i think it would have been mediocre if Sandman kept the title but giving rhino the title was cowardly it ruined the ecw title for whoever bought the company that they pulled the trigger on rhino who was more popular than goldberg or ryback or lesnar, i mean he was so popular he popularized the spear. Heyman killed the ECW story that night. If RVD had of been champion for a year in WWECW it could have worked in WWE but when Big Show got the championship and Kurt Angle wrestled on the show it was never going to work again. Once the lineage between Snuka Funk Raven Bam Bam etc was severed ECW was ruined, the feuds from the old ECW had to continue on for it to be ECW. What if Star Wars 7 skips Luke and Hans 30's 40's and 50's they are dead or old and we get no explaination how thats how ECW was in Invasion and 2006. If RVD had of kept the title i would have believed him to be the real heir rather than Rhino because i think Heyman sabotaged ECW for anyone else by giving a heel the belt at the last show.