Paul Heyman took to social media to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Barely Legal, ECW‘s first-ever pay-per-view event, which saw the white-hot hardcore promotion take its first stride toward greater (albeit fleeting) success. The event was Extreme Championship Wrestling’s inaugural pay-per-view, displaying their pioneering hardcore-style wrestling like never before.
Twenty five years later, the revolutionary has truly taken over! pic.twitter.com/7Zbdb4Pbab
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) April 14, 2022
Paul Heyman reflected on his extreme legacy with ECW
Terry Funk won the ECW Championship in the main event, and the main event is remembered as one of ECW’s best matches ever. It was one of the the most important wrestling PPV events of the 1990s. Former ECW owner Paul Heyman has reflected on Barely Legal on Instagram.
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In the early 2000s, ECW ceased its operations. The company was purchased by WWE and was later relaunched as part of the WWF Invasion storyline.
Paul Heyman had problems on getting ECW on pay-per-view
Although ECW Barely Legal would set the tone for the following four years, getting it on the air was a challenge. When a journalist informed them about the Mass Transit incident, pay-per-view provider Request TV discontinued its association with the event. During the match, New Jack and a wrestler known as Mass Transit engaged in a real-life assault.
#ECW #BarelyLegal did not take place (when) there was 1 brand so dominant, it was easy for companies to call themselves alternative … We took on two billion-dollar companies during the most hyper-competitive environment in the history of the industry. https://t.co/XxdJAptzQa pic.twitter.com/xk3GLtoHm8
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) April 14, 2022
The event went on television with a different pay-per-view provider, Premier, after a fan email campaign, although it still received complaints about its graphic material. Looking back on the event, Heyman expressed his gratitude to the fans and all that contributed to the success of Barely Legal. Heyman concluded by saying that he will always be indebted to the ECW fanbase, not only for keeping the promotion alive but also for assuring that he would remain in the business of professional wrestling.
