5 superstars from the 2005 ECW Invasion: where are they now?
While after both WCW and ECW closed their doors in 2001, their names were kept alive by WWE as part of their storylines. In 2005, Eric Bischoff, former head of WCW, was the Raw General Manager and developed a feud with former ECW owner Paul Heyman, who currently fills the role of advocate for WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar.
However, when Heyman was called out by Bischoff, he didn't come alone; he brought out the likes of Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, The Dudley Boyz, Rhyno, and Balls Mahoney, and in doing so rekindled the passion for ECW, the promotion that pushed the envelope and the direction of the professional wrestling in the 1990s.
What happened during this particular invasion? What happened to those involved, not just before and during the invasion, but afterward? Where they are now may surprise fans. Here are five superstars from the 2005 invasion and where they are now.
#5 Joey Styles
He was the voice of ECW throughout the 1990s, and his famous ‘Oh my God' cry reflected his passion for what he was seeing both in and out of the ring. After ECW closed its doors in 2001, Styles walked away from commentating for a brief time, though he joined MLW as their play-by-play commentator for a year.
In 2005, Styles was brought in as a commentator of Raw, but towards the middle of the following year he decided he was ‘quitting' WWE, but in fact he was joining Paul Heyman as his play-by-play commentator on the new ECW program, alongside another former ECW star from the promotion's initial run in the 1990s.
In 2008, Styles transitioned from an on-air role to that of the Vice President of WWE's Digital Media until 2016. After departing WWE, he commentated for various independent wrestling promotions for a short time, adding notoriety to those companies shows.