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Tommy Dreamer is obviously among the wrestlers most synonymous with the original ECW, as he was a prominent performer in that organization throughout the Monday Night Wars. Even though ECW was never on the same level as WWE or WCW regarding mainstream exposure, because ECW had a reputation for being an underground phenomenon in the professional wrestling world, some might feel that a top ECW star like Dreamer would've been a good acquisition for WWE to sign for its organization.
When Tommy Dreamer first signed with WWE in 2001, he didn't amount to much during his tenure with the company but was involved in many memorable moments. One of those moments was having a gimmick where Dreamer engaged in disgusting tactics when he was on the Raw brand in 2002.
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Tommy Dreamer's Reputation From ECW
Tommy Dreamer is among the most successful professional wrestlers representing the original ECW. Not long after making his professional wrestling debut in 1989, Dreamer joined the original ECW in 1993, when the organization was almost new and called Eastern Championship Wrestling instead.
When ECW rebranded itself as Extreme Championship Wrestling, Tommy Dreamer went on to have a legendary run in the promotion. Dreamer's ECW accolades include winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship and the ECW World Tag Team Championships on three occasions.
As he stayed with ECW until it ceased operations in mid-2001, there's a reason why Tommy Dreamer's dubbed as the "heart and soul" of ECW. Because of what he accomplished in the organization, one could argue that Dreamer could've taken his talents to a grander scale like WWE and become an even bigger star in the professional wrestling industry.
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Tommy Dreamer Signs With WWE In 2001
Not long after ECW closed its doors in 2001, Tommy Dreamer signed with WWE in mid-2001 when the company was in the middle of its infamous Invasion storyline. From the start of his WWE run, Dreamer represented the villainous Alliance. However, after the Invasion storyline ran its course in late 2001, Dreamer was sent to developmental.
Around the time WWE launched the Brand Extension in mid-2002, Tommy Dreamer was assigned to the Raw brand, where he mostly went after the Hardcore division. Dreamer went on to have some success in that Hardcore division, as he won the Hardcore Championship on fourteen occasions before the belt retired when he lost to Rob Van Dam in a Title Unification match.
Tommy Dreamer is Just A "Regular Guy" In WWE
Although Tommy Dreamer was in his element when chasing after the Hardcore Championship, it's worth noting that during this time on the Raw brand in 2002, he took on a comedic gimmick that some might find hilarious. The premise of Dreamer's comedic persona was that he was a "regular guy" like everybody else. However, according to Dreamer, being a "regular guy" meant engaging in outrageous and disgusting tactics, included eating food off the floor and even his own hair, as Dreamer thought that's what "regular guys" do.
One of the most memorable moments of Dreamer's goofy "regular guy" gimmick was his brief feud with WWE Champion The Undertaker, which stemmed from The Undertaker making Tommy Dreamer drink his tobacco spit on a May 2002 episode of Monday Night Raw. Weirdly enough, Dreamer actually enjoyed drinking The Undertaker's tobacco spit, even though it led to him getting assaulted by The Undertaker upon his enjoyment. The events of that segment led to a match between the two on the next episode of Monday Night Raw, which led to Dreamer getting squashed and having his own vomit bucket at ringside poured on him.
RELATED: Tommy Dreamer Has Done The Math And Discovered He's Better Than Seth Rollins & Will OspreayAs one might expect, Tommy Dreamer's "regular guy" gimmick didn't exactly launch him into main-event stardom in WWE, especially what occurred during his run-in with The Undertaker. However, Dreamer's character served its intended purpose, as it probably entertained many fans regarding how ridiculous and disgusting the tactics Dreamer was willing to do.
Because of this, Tommy Dreamer deserves all the credit in the world for going through these stunts. Especially with what Dreamer was willing to put in his mouth, one could imagine these tactics are something an overwhelming majority of people wouldn't fathom the thought of even doing.
