When Vince McMahon announced a pay-per-view dedicated to the defunct ECW brand, purists were skeptical. They feared a mockery—a cartoon version of the gritty promotion they loved. What transpired on June 12, 2005, however, was the antithesis of those fears. It was a hostile takeover of the narrative. The Hammerstein Ballroom, decked out in the black and yellow of the ECW banner, felt like a sanctuary for the hardcore faithful.
The night concluded with a massive brawl between the ECW Originals and the WWE Crusaders, featuring a surprise appearance by Stone Cold Steve Austin and the return of , who choked out Kurt Angle. Complete Match Results
No ECW show is complete without gratuitous violence. This match was the spiritual successor to the legendary bouts between Tommy Dreamer and Raven
