ECW Heat Wave

Heat Wave
NXT Heatwave logo used since 2022
PromotionsExtreme Championship Wrestling (1994–2000)
WWE (2022–present)
BrandsNXT (2022–present)
First eventHeat Wave (1994)

Heat Wave, also stylized as Heatwave, is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE for its developmental brand, NXT. It was originally a pay-per-view event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) that took place annually from 1994 to 2000. ECW folded in 2001 and WWE acquired its assets in 2003. In 2022, WWE revived the Heat Wave name for NXT, but stylized as Heatwave, and it has since been held annually, first as a television special of NXT in 2022 and 2023, then as a livestreaming event in 2024 as WWE ceased airing NXT pay-per-views from 2022. The event's name is a reference to it being held in the summer as all events have been held in either July or August.

Events

NXT-branded event
Event Date City Venue Main Event Ref.
Eastern Championship Wrestling
Heat Wave (1994): The Battle for The Future July 16, 1994 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ECW Arena The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) vs. Terry Funk and Dory Funk, Jr. in a barbed wire match
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Heat Wave (1995): Rage In The Cage! July 15, 1995 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ECW Arena The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) vs. The Gangstas (New Jack and Mustafa Saed) in a steel cage match
Heat Wave (1996) July 13, 1996 The Sandman, Terry Gordy and Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven (c), Brian Lee and Stevie Richards in a steel cage match
Heat Wave (1997) July 19, 1997 Rob Van Dam, Sabu and Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and Rick Rude in a steel cage match
Heat Wave (1998) August 2, 1998 Dayton, Ohio Hara Arena Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and Spike Dudley vs. The Dudleys (Buh Buh Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley and Big Dick Dudley) in a Street Fight
Heat Wave (1999) July 18, 1999 Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn vs. Impact Players (Lance Storm and Justin Credible)
Heat Wave (2000) July 16, 2000 Los Angeles, California Grand Olympic Auditorium Justin Credible (c) vs. Tommy Dreamer in a Stairway to Hell match for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
WWE: NXT
NXT Heatwave (2022) August 16, 2022 Orlando, Florida WWE Performance Center Bron Breakker (c) vs. JD McDonagh for the NXT Championship [1][2][3]
NXT Heatwave (2023) August 22, 2023 Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Wes Lee for the NXT Championship
NXT Heatwave (2024) July 7, 2024 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Scotiabank Arena Trick Williams (c) vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Ethan Page vs. Shawn Spears for the NXT Championship [4]

References

  1. ^ "WWE NXT to Go Against AEW All Out, WWE Bringing Back Former ECW Event, NXT Tapings Booked". 26 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Two Title Matches Set for WWE NXT Heatwave". 27 July 2022.
  3. ^ "WWE Files Trademarks for WCW & ECW PPV Names". 11 December 2019.
  4. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (January 4, 2024). "WWE Money In The Bank To Be Held On July 6 In Toronto, NXT Heatwave Set For July 7". Fightful. Retrieved January 4, 2024.