A wrestling professional promotion was founded in Philadelphia in 1992 is Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) which was promoted by Tod Gordon, and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001. Extreme Championship Wrestling is known for its loyal fan base as well as its tendency to push the envelope with storylines.

The group has showcased many different styles of professional wrestling, ranging from lucha liber to hardcore wrestling. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) bought the rights to ECW and its library after its 2001 closure and revived the promotion in a full-time fashion on June 13, 2006 with a weekly television series on Sci Fi Channel in the United States, FOX8 in Australia, SIC Radical in Portugal and Sky Sports 3 in the United Kingdom.

With regard to history, the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance and Eastern Championship Wrestling Technically, ECW had its origins in 1991 under the banner Tri-State Wrestling Alliance. Joel Good hart was the owner of Tri-State Wrestling Alliance. When Eastern Championship Wrestling was founded, it was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance or NWA.

In 1992, Good hart sold his share of the company to his partner, Tod Gordon, who in return renamed the promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling. After Tod Gordon had a falling out with head booker Eddie Gilbert, Gordon chose Gilbert's friend and WCW alumnus Paul Heyman to replace him. Eddie exhibited unstable behavior and drug abuse before he was replaced.