Extreme Rising
| Company type | Independent professional wrestling promotion |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional wrestling |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Shane Douglas |
| Defunct | April 2014 |
| Fate | Operations discontinued; all events cancelled |
| Headquarters | United States |
Key people | Shane Douglas, Steve O'Neill |
| Products | Professional wrestling events and internet pay-per-views |
Extreme Rising—originally known as Extreme Reunion—was an independent professional wrestling organization in the United States, established in 2012 to address the absence created by the closure of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). The promotion initially showcased former ECW stars but gradually integrated emerging wrestlers into its lineup. Operations were discontinued in April 2014 following the cancellation of all scheduled events.
History
In January 2012, Shane Douglas, a principal founder of the company, revealed plans for Extreme Reunion, motivated by his dissatisfaction with the current state of professional wrestling and inspired by ECW's legacy. To generate buzz for the debut event scheduled on April 28, Douglas staged a guerrilla marketing tactic by interrupting WWE Raw, which attracted media coverage but elicited mixed responses.
The inaugural event was met with criticism from both fans and reviewers, including hostile chants aimed at Douglas, who had positioned himself in the main event. Several notable ECW alumni, such as Sabu and Justin Credible, withdrew due to health concerns. Following this, Douglas publicly apologized and rebranded the promotion as Extreme Rising. This transition included a strategic shift toward featuring younger wrestlers like Matt Hardy and Homicide, alongside incorporating lucha libre performers to broaden the roster’s appeal.
During late 2012, Extreme Rising produced two internet pay-per-view events: Remember November and Card Subject to Change. The latter event saw Stevie Richards become the first-ever World Champion by defeating Rhino. Attempts to hold three shows during WrestleMania 29 weekend in 2013 were aborted due to poor ticket sales, highlighting challenges in expanding market presence.
After a short break, leadership shifted to Steve O'Neill, who revived event scheduling in December 2013 at the ECW Arena—an intentional effort to capitalize on historic venues and regional audiences. O'Neill also secured local television distribution in Philadelphia with ambitions to grow international reach and enhance brand recognition.
Despite these initiatives, on April 22, 2014, Extreme Rising unexpectedly cancelled all forthcoming events and deactivated its social media platforms. This announcement arrived just days before a planned Philadelphia show; attendees were advised to request refunds via their payment providers. The shutdown reflected ongoing struggles with financial viability and maintaining competitive positioning within the niche hardcore wrestling market.
Extreme Rising World Championship
In 2012, Extreme Rising organized an eight-competitor tournament to determine its first world champion. Participants included former ECW titleholders Sabu and Rhino; ECW veterans Stevie Richards, Devon Storm, and Perry Saturn; as well as independent talents Homicide, Luke Hawx, and Papadon. The competition spanned two nights at the Remember November iPPV on November 17 and the Card Subject To Change iPPV on December 29, 2012. Stevie Richards secured the championship by defeating Rhino in the final match.
In 2013, Richards announced intentions to defend his title against Danny Doring within a video game context. Doring—who held one half of the last ECW World Tag Team Championships and possessed the physical championship belt—also risked his title in a contest framed as "defunct promotion versus defunct promotion." After Richards referred to Extreme Rising as "defunct," the promotion requested that he return their championship belt.
Richards retained the title into 2014 but was defeated by Luke Hawx during a match promoted as a title defense at an East Coast Wrestling Association event. However, Extreme Rising clarified that this bout was not sanctioned for their championship and continued to recognize Richards as champion. Nevertheless, Hawx claimed ownership of the title and scheduled a defense against Matt Hardy at Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW). Steve O'Neill, owner of Extreme Rising, denied authorizing this match. MCW promoter Dan McDevitt explained that their contest was for the MCW Heavyweight Championship exclusively, leaving it up to Hardy or Hawx to bring additional titles into play. Hawx ultimately lost to Hardy, who retained MCW’s championship and took possession of the Extreme Rising belt but was not officially acknowledged as Extreme Rising champion.
Title history
| Reign | Number of the champion's reign |
|---|---|
| Location | City where the championship was secured |
| Event | Promotion event during which the title was won |
| † | Denotes title changes not acknowledged by Extreme Rising |
| No. | Wrestlers | Reign | Date won | Location | Event | Duration held (days) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stevie Richards | 1 | December 29, 2012 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Card Subject To Change | Template:Age in days | Captured the title by defeating Rhino in the tournament final. Recognized as the sole official champion by Extreme Rising.[1] |
| 2 | Luke Hawx | 1† | March 1, 2014 | Newark, Delaware | ECWA live show | Template:Age in days | Extreme Rising does not acknowledge this title change.[1] |
| 3 | Matt Hardy | 1† | July 19, 2014 | Joppa, Maryland | MCW Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup 2014 | less than one day | Won against Hawx in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. This title change was not officially recognized by either promotion.[2] |