5 ECW Originals who deserve induction into the WWE Hall of Fame

The WWE Hall of Fame was established way back in 1993, originally as a way to pay tribute to the passing of much-loved WWE legend Andre the Giant, who had died two months earlier.

It was a wonderful idea in theory as the company sought to celebrate the three-decade history of the promotion by celebrating the legends of its past.

As the years have ticked by, grapplers who have not wrestled or rarely competed in WWE have been enshrined, such as: Gorgeous George, Nick Bockwinkel, Mad Dog Vachon and Verne Gagne, as WWE looks to promote its very own pro-wrestling Hall of Fame, now not limited to its former employees.

However, one organization that has so far been overlooked in recognition of the WWE Hall of Fame is ECW, Extreme Championship Wrestling.

ECW was founded as Eastern Championship Wrestling, a regional promotion based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1992 and closed its doors in spring 2001, after it was declared bankrupt.

However, in the mid to late 1990s there was not a more influential wrestling promotion in the United States; WWE's famed Attitude Era was directly lifted from ECW who had produced weapons-type matches, featured scantily clad women and used profanity and reality-based angles regularly, years before Vince McMahon and WWE did the same.

However, the pioneers who wrestled at the top of ECW during this period have yet to be recognized inside the Hall of Fame. Former ECW world champion Taz was rumored to be inducted into the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame but later reports suggested that the "Human Suplex Machine" may have to wait a while longer to be honored.

This slideshow looks back on five names from ECW's illustrious past who deserve to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the near future.

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#5 Shane Douglas

Former ECW World Champion, Shane Douglas

Although he is rarely mentioned on WWE television, "The Franchise" Shane Douglas was one of the leading stars of the original ECW.

Douglas ushered in the "extreme" era, establishing ECW as a national presence when he famously double-crossed the diminishing National Wrestling Alliance back in August 1994.

ECW at that point in time was a member of the NWA and Douglas was competing in a tournament to crown a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

Douglas won the belt and in an unforgettable moment denounced the title he had just won, rechristened it, the "ECW World Title" and said he did not want to represent a "dead" promotion such as the NWA.

Only Douglas and ECW bosses Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman were aware of the double cross which infuriated the NWA and made ECW major players overnight.

Eastern Championship Wrestling was renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling and the rest, as they say, is history.

However, Douglas achieved much more for ECW during his tenure in the promotion. He reigned as its world champion on four occasions and also held the TV title twice, competing in famous feuds with the likes of Taz, Terry Funk and Cactus Jack.

Many WWE fans may only know Douglas as the unsuccessful "Dean" character he portrayed for a mere few months in the fall of 1995, however, the man achieved so much in ECW, that he deserves to be remembered for his vast achievements there.

#4 Taz

Taz: ECW's top star between 1997-98

For WWE fans who only know Taz(z) from his WWE tenure, a Hall of Fame berth may seem a bit of a stretch, considering "The Human Suplex Machine" achieved little of note during his in-ring WWE run between 2000-02.

He is better known to WWE fans as a color commentator and was a successful one, holding the role until 2009 before he departed for Total Nonstop Action (now Impact Wrestling).

However, in the mid-1990s, Taz, despite his diminutive size, was a colossal force of nature in ECW, cutting through the competition with his impressive array of devastating suplexes. He defeated every star the company had to offer, winning the ECW World title twice, TV title twice and FTW title twice. He also held the Tag Team Championship on three separate occasions.

He introduced "tapping" out into mainstream wrestling when wrestlers submitted to his Tazmission hold, pre-dating Ken Shamrock doing the same in WWE.

If ECW had had a Hall of Fame during the promotion's operating years between 1993-2001, then Taz would undoubtedly have been one of the inaugural inductees, so immense was his influence in the company.

Taz was no doubt an ECW legend and his feuds with Heyman and Sabu was nothing short of legendary. It was unfortunate that he was plagued by injuries throughout his career and couldn't compete as much in the WWE.

He did a mighty good job as a play-by-play commentator on SmackDown during his non-wrestling stint.

#3 Sabu

The homicidal, suicidal, genocidal, death-defying Sabu!

Sabu debuted for ECW way back in 1993 and remained with the company until early 2000, aside from a seven-month absence in 1995 wherein he wrestled for New Japan and WCW.

In that time, Sabu earned a reputation for brutally hardcore matches and extreme toughness, often wrestling with severe neck injuries. His body was ridden with scars due to weapon shots, barb wire and other extracurricular appliances.

Sabu opted to superglue wounds shut instead of receiving stitches, gifting him his unique battle-scarred appearance. One barb wire match with the veteran hardcore legend, Terry Funk was so gruesome that Sabu and Funk ended up mangled in the barbed wire so badly that they had to be cut out of it via wire cutters.

Sabu won the ECW World Championship on two occasions, defeating the perennial champion, Shane Douglas and Funk.

He won the Tag Team Championships on three occasions, partnering with Taz and Rob Van Dam.

His most famous feud came versus his former ally, Taz as they wrestled over the world and FTW titles on many occasions.

So synonymous was Sabu with ECW that he was one of a handful of ECW Originals that WWE signed to contracts when they revived the brand in 2006, five years after the promotion folded.

He had a largely forgettable outing during the brand's revival and was soon released by the company.

Sabu has been a star wherever he wrestled and for a man who spent so little time in national companies to be so widely revered is a testament to his dedication and talent. A star who is fully deserving of Hall of Fame induction.

In the video below, Sabu battles John Cena at Extreme Rules. The agility and use of innovative offense by the ECW original is a treat to watch.

#2 Paul Heyman

"The Mad Scientist" Paul Heyman

The man who ran ECW between 1992 and its closure in 2001 is a no-brainer for a WWE Hall of Fame Induction.

Paul Heyman has had a varied wrestling career in many companies and the man who is currently employed as Brock Lesnar's on-screen advocate could be inducted many times over for his achievements in the wrestling business.

However, it is his nine years as the boss of ECW for which he is still most fondly remembered. Heyman took a small regional promotion and his creative genius spurred both WWE and WCW from their slumber and forced the two outdated national promotions to move with the times.

Heyman's influence was felt during the wrestling boom period when WWE and WCW inspired by his booking, moved wrestling into a more story-driven, hardcore, fast-moving style.

His booking philosophy was to "accentuate the positives and hide the negatives." It was a philosophy he used to great effect with wrestlers like The Sandman, Perry Saturn, 911, The Pitbulls, Balls Mahoney and many, many others never enjoyed success anywhere else due to various booking departments not having Heyman's flair for making grapplers maximize their potential.

There are very few individuals in the entire wrestling community that have contributed more than Paul Heyman to make the industry what it is. His impact has transcended eras and has revolutionized wrestling forever.

#1 Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam: Reigned as ECW Television Champion for two years

For WWE fans, the most recognizable wrestler to be associated with ECW is none other than "Mr. Monday Night" himself, Rob Van Dam.

RVD joined ECW way back in 1996 after previously gaining national television exposure in WCW as "Robbie V."

RVD became a star after a series of matches with his longtime rival/ally Sabu. Despite his explosive, unorthodox ring style and connection with the fans, RVD was miffed to learn that he was to be excluded from the very first ECW pay-per-view, barely legal, in April 1997.

RVD did eventually find his way onto the card but only as a late replacement for Chris Candido in a match opposite Lance Storm.

From there, RVD rapidly ascended the ranks and in April 1998 kicked off his nearly two-year ECW World Television title reign when he defeated Bam Bam Bigelow to lift the strap in an exciting encounter.

RVD defended the title regularly in classic matches with the likes of Sabu and Jerry Lynn before he was forced to relinquish the belt due to injury when he was on the cusp of challenging and defeating Mike Awesome for the ECW World title.

When RVD recovered, ECW was in a financial mess. When he failed to be paid by the company over and over, RVD walked out and did not return until the company's final show on January 7, 2001, wherein he defeated his old foe, Lynn once more.

RVD played a major role in WWE's WCW/ECW Invasion angle and was one of the few new stars to get over with the audience. This ultimately led to him convincing WWE boss Vince McMahon to bring back ECW as a one night only event in 2005 and re-establish the brand permanently with RVD as its figurehead and World Champion.

RVD's WWE career on its own is Hall of Fame worthy. When you glance at his ECW record, it makes his case even more compelling. RVD is a surefire Hall of Famer and the most deserving ECW Original for the honor.