Somehow, Bubba Ray Dudley knows what Napster is.
Bubba Ray Dudley, known as Buh Buh Ray Dudley back then, was a integral part of the rise of ECW in their heyday. Alongside tag team partner D-Von Dudley, the duo held the ECW World Tag Team Championships eight times and were some of the biggest stars in the company.
While appearing on the Broken Skull Sessions, Ray spoke about why he thought ECW got the buzz that it did -- even going as far to compare it to an early music streaming service.
"I compare wrestling to rock and roll all the time. It’s like seeing the Sex Pistols for the first time. It’s like seeing The Ramones for the first time. It’s like seeing KISS for the first time. You’re like ‘Wow. I’ve never seen this before. It’s different. I’m not sure if it’s good or not, but it’s different and it’s got me.’ That’s what ECW was. I always compare ECW to Napster. Napster went bankrupt, but it changed music forever. ECW went bankrupt, but it changed pro wrestling forever. It was this different way of going about things, it wasn’t safe. We lived on the edge. It was better to burn out then fade away because that’s what we did, we burned out. We lived on the edge of the lightning bolt."
ECW did indeed burn out, as Paul Heyman officially closed down ECW on April 4th, 2001 to due financial issues. The company last event would be held in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on January 13th, 2001. Despite the fact that the promotion went up in flames quickly, Heyman has went on record and stated he doesn't regret any of it. Click here to learn more about that.
To learn about ECW manipulated the law to curate their memorable soundtracks, click here.
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