Tom Laughlin

Biography: Tommy Dreamer was a member of ECW since its inception in 1993. And despite numerous offers to jump to the old WCW or WWE, Dreamer stayed true to his roots, and became perhaps the most recognized ECW star in the company's history.

The journey that the "Innovator of Violence" took to WWE, however, was so arduous that Dreamer said he needed to stop and regroup for a few moments after he made his shocking appearance on RAW. The brutal marathon had finnally come to an end. "I broke my neck in ECW. I broke my back in ECW," Dreamer said. "I stayed there from the beginning to the end. I thought everything I did was worthless. For us to get the ovation (we got on RAW), it meant alot to me." But Dreamer, who's had 16 doucumented concussions and scars remaining from the time he was caned 10 times in 1994, says he has no regrets. After all. "this is all I ever wanted to do." Throughout all the heartache and pain, Dreamer became and ECW icon and stood for everything ECWTommy Dreamer was a member of ECW since its inception in 1993. And despite numerous offers to jump to the old WCW or WWE, Dreamer stayed true to his roots, and became perhaps the most recognized ECW star in the company's history.

The journey that the "Innovator of Violence" took to WWE, however, was so arduous that Dreamer said he needed to stop and regroup for a few moments after he made his shocking appearance on RAW. The brutal marathon had finnally come to an end.

"I broke my neck in ECW. I broke my back in ECW," Dreamer said. "I stayed there from the beginning to the end. I thought everything I did was worthless. For us to get the ovation (we got on RAW), it meant alot to me."

But Dreamer, who's had 16 doucumented concussions and scars remaining from the time he was caned 10 times in 1994, says he has no regrets. After all. "this is all I ever wanted to do."

Throughout all the heartache and pain, Dreamer became and ECW icon and stood for everything ECW represented. For years, fans admired Dreamer's tenacity during his bloody feud with his childhood enemy, Raven. Believe it or not, Dreamer and Raven reluctantly formed a tag team and became ECW Tag Team Champions.

At one point, Dreamer was crowned ECW World Champion--albeit for about 20 minutes before losing the belt to Justin Credible. But giving his heart and sould to the business has always meant more to Dreamer than championship gold.

Smackdown Match Results: (every match Tommy was ever on, in WWE Smackdown, every single match ever on Smackdown was on Smackdown's 5th Anniversary Magazine, and I checked every match.)

October 25, 2001 (Omaha, NE)
15 Man Battle Alliance Battle Royle
Match Includes: Booker T, Steven Richards, Tazz, Justin Credible, Hugh Morrus, Chavo Guerrero, Tommy Dreamer, Mike Awesome, Lance Storm, Kanyon, D-Von Dudley, Bubba Ray Dudley, Raven, Rob Van Dam, and Test
Winner:Booker T
(This was Tommy Dreamer's only match on Smackdown!)

ECW

In the WWE Smackdown Magazine, December 2004, the magazine had several articles about ECW. They had one artice featuring current WWE employees talking about their favorite ECW moment and the ECW Legacy. Here is what Tommy said.

Favorite Match/Moment:
That had to be when we went off the air following our first pay-per-view. The mood in the ECW arena--with fans crying, wrestlers cheering and hugging, and everyone celebrating--was very emotional. It finally felt like all of our hard work was paying off--like we had won The World Series or The Super Bowl. It was just an emotional, great night.

ECW's Legacy:
The fans made ECW an underground succes. We were an alternative to what WCW and WWE were offering, and much like the Jerky Boys tapes and South Park, we were [a] word of mouth [phenomenon]. I also think it had a lot to do with the birth of the Internet, because fans began talking about the crazy things going on in Philidelphia in this company called Extreme Championship Wrestling. I feel ECW changed the business in almost every aspect. We catered to that 18-34 male demographic--not to children--and we never insulted out fan's intellegence. ECW's style changed the entire industry from soup to nuts. It was made of a bunch of guys who went over there and worked their tails off night after night, and put their bodies on the line for the enjoyment of the fans.… Expand