Extreme Championship Wrestling, better known as ECW, was a pro wrestling promotion founded in 1992. Its main focus was "hardcore" style wrestling, encompassing a variety of violent (and often entertaining) match stipulations that set the company apart from more mainstream promotions such as WCW and WWE.
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Several legendary WWE stars were featured on ECW programming at one time or another, such as Mick Foley, Stone Steve Austin, and Rob Van Dam to name just a few. In WWE 2K22, players can download many excellent CAWs that bring several former ECW stars to life. When looking to take one's game to the "extreme," consider downloading these CAWs in WWE 2K22.
8 Tommy Dreamer
- Creator: EJRAWK#05773
- Hashtag(s): #Dreamer #ECW #Extreme
When wrestling fans think of ECW, it's hard not to think of Tommy Dreamer, one of the promotion's most iconic and successful talents. Throughout the mid and late 90s, Dreamer held multiple championships, including the ECW World Heavyweight Championship and the Tag Team titles.
The CAW includes two attires, which consist of Wrestlepalooza 1997 and One Night Stand 2006. No faithful recreation of ECW in WWE 2K22 is complete without this excellent custom superstar.
7 Terry Funk
- Creator: Coolman#05380
- Hashtag(s): #TerryFunk #mickfoley
Much like Tommy Dreamer, it's almost unthinkable to forget Terry Funk when discussing hardcore wrestling. In fact, it's fair to say that hardcore wrestling wouldn't have been quite as successful without Terry Funk. The legendary superstar also wrestled for ECW in the mid and late 90s, where he became the ECW World Heavyweight Champion and ECW Television Champion on several occasions.
This custom rendition of Terry Funk comes with an accurate moveset, entrance, and victory animation, so players won't have to spend much time fooling around with minor tweaks. Instead, they can get right into the action!
6 The Sandman
- Creator: SuperChampionBrand#68453
- Hashtag(s): #Sandman #ECW #WU
Although he wrestled for several different promotions throughout his career, The Sandman was one of ECW's hottest stars during the company's heyday. Longtime fans of pro wrestling likely remember The Sandman's signature kendo stick, a weapon he would utilize to great effect in the "land of extreme." The Sandman's memorable legacy included five stints as ECW World Heavyweight Champion.
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This CAW captures The Sandman as he appeared in his prime. After he's been downloaded, why not recreate the famous feud between him and Tommy Dreamer from the mid-90s?
5 Taz
- Creator: MysteriousContenderTube#05778
- Hashtag(s): #Taz #ECW
Younger fans may know Taz from his extensive work as a commentator for various promotions, including WWE and TNA. However, Taz had an extensive pro wrestling career of his own, much of which occurred during his time in ECW. Taz captured the ECW World Heavyweight Championship on two separate occasions and was also one of the company's Triple Crown Champions.
As one of ECW's most stalwart performers, it would be ill-advised to ignore this well-made CAW of "the Tazmaniac."
4 Sabu
- Creator: BruiserSavageEU#68240
- Hashtag(s): #Sabu #ECW #Grafitti420
Much like the other entries on this list, Sabu was one of ECW's most popular draws. Sabu represented hardcore wrestling at his finest (and often its bloodiest). Today, many fans of Sabu likely remember his match with Tommy Dreamer at the ECW pay-per-view Barely Legal, where the two engaged in the infamous barbed wire match.
Even though barbed wire matches can't be reenacted in WWE 2K22, having Sabu and Tommy Dreamer relive their feud is too good a chance to pass up. Best of all, this particular CAW comes with two full attires as well as an accurate moveset and entrance.
3 Psicosis
- Creator: JerseyDevil#76887
- Hashtag(s): #PsicosisWCW
Psicosis may not have the cachet as some of the other names here, but he was still an entertaining wrestler to watch. Psicosis garnered fame during his stint in WCW, where he won several Cruiserweight Championships. However, his first big break came with ECW in 1995, where he had a memorable match with Rey Mysterio at the Gangstas Paradise PPV.
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Since WWE 2K22 is centered around Rey Mysterio's career, why not relive this often forgotten match? The creator of this CAW also includes a pretty faithful recreation of Psicosis' attire from the Gangstas Paradise ECW pay-per-view for added authenticity.
2 Rhino
- Creator: Tanganga#37035
- Hashtag(s): #Rhyno #Rhino #ECW
Rhino (sometimes spelled Rhyno) was yet another familiar face on ECW television during the late 90s and early 2000s. His aggressive, energetic style complemented the promotion's high-octane action perfectly. He feuded with The Sandman on several occasions, eventually winning the ECW Heavyweight Championship in 2001.
No Hardcore match in WWE 2K22 is complete without Rhino. This particular CAW is perfect for recreating some of Rhino's most popular matches in ECW as well as his hardcore bouts during his time in WWE's "Ruthless Aggression" era.
1 The Dudley Boyz – Buh Buh Ray & D-Von Dudley
- Creator: mpcaws#43312
- Hashtag(s): #Dudley #ECW #Bubba #Dvon
Of course, what's a Hardcore match without the Dudley Boyz? Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley enjoyed great success in the WWE, but their ECW roots shouldn't be forgotten either. Much like their tenure in the WWE, the Dudley Boyz were an entertaining and effective tag team in ECW. They captured the ECW World Tag Team Championship a total of eight times!
These two CAWs, made by the same creator, feature the Dudley Boyz in their signature tie-dye attires from their ECW days. All that's left for fans to do next is get the tables!
WWE 2K22 is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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