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Profile: Tommy Dreamer
An Extreme Championship Wrestling mainstay from 1993 to the company's closure in 2001, Tommy Dreamer has remained associated with the letters ECW throughout his World Wrestling Entertainment tenure. Influential behind the scenes of both the old promotion and the new brand, Dreamer joined fellow ECW Originals Rob Van Dam, Sabu and The Sandman in the first half of 2007 to battle the New Breed, representing the shift in focus of the new ECW.
During his time in the original ECW, Dreamer became a firm favorite of the fans with his willingness to subject himself to extreme punishment, gaining acceptance with the hardcore-hungry crowd. Memorable feuds included a worked shoot with The Sandman, who played up his "blinding" at the hands of Dreamer for an extended period at home before returning to remove the bandages and attack his foe, and a bitter rivalry with Raven, which saw Dreamer struggle for over two years to get a pinfall victory over his "childhood friend."
In 2000, when ECW World Champion Mike Awesome (who had signed with World Championship Wrestling) dropped the title to Taz(z) (who was under contract to the World Wrestling Federation), Dreamer was the one to finally bring the gold "home," defeating Taz the following week. However, just eighteen minutes later, Tommy lost the title to Justin Credible, giving Dreamer the second shortest reign in ECW history.
After the original ECW folded, he debuted in the WWF as part of the WCW/ECW Invasion angle, representing the soon-to-be-established Alliance. After this faction lost the war, Dreamer worked as a babyface, assigned to the Raw brand in the first Draft Lottery, where he won fourteen WWE Hardcore Titles before losing to Intercontinental Champion RVD in a unification match. He went on to briefly showcase a hidden talent for eating revolting things such as his own vomit and The Undertaker's tobacco spit, before focusing his attention away from TV appearances.
By the mid-2000s he had worked as a road agent, a member of Monday Night Raw's creative team, and a scout/director for WWE's developmental leagues. When the ECW brand was relaunched in 2006, Dreamer resumed his role as an on-air talent, jobbing to the likes of The Big Show and The Great Khali before forming the ECW Originals to feud with The New Breed, picking up his first WrestleMania victory in an eight-man tag between the factions in April 2007.
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