The most infamous event in ECW history - the story behind
The Mass Transit Incident
In 1996, ECW, which was known for its shoddy production values, blue collar, fouled mouthed characters, and bloody violence, ran a live house show in Revere, Massachusetts. One of the scheduled matches was D’von Dudley and Axl Rotten taking on the team of New Jack and Mustafa Saed, collectively known as the Gangstas. Rotten failed to show up for the card sending ECW owner, Paul Heyman, in a panic. Just then, a 17-year-old kid named Eric Kulas approached Heyman lying to him about his age (he said he was 21) and in ring experience (he claimed to have been trained by the legendary 'Killer' Kowalski) in an attempt to live out his dream of competing in a pro wrestling ring. Heyman, worried about his show, reluctantly agreed and sent the underaged teen to the ring.
Kulas, who was untrained and weighed over 300 pounds, debuted as 'Mass Transit', a transit worker character complete with a bus driver’s uniform. He had never bladed before, so he asked New Jack (a certifiable psycho) to do it for him. A surgical scalpel was used, causing him to bleed uncontrollably. The Gangstas continued to beat on the helpless Kulas while blood flowed from his head like water from a tap. Medical attention was sent out immediately while New Jack showed no remorse. Kulas’ father screamed “he’s only a kid!” from the audience towards his son’s beating.
This event thankfully wasn’t televised but made the rounds due to footage being recorded on a fan’s camcorder. The video included in the link is the best quality version I have seen, but I'm not sure if that is a recommendation!