When WWE acquired Extreme Championship Wrestling, ECW in 2001, WWE first released several compilation and documentary DVDs about the original promotion. The DVDs sold well enough to create interest in a one-off reunion/farewell show, financed by WWE called One Night Stand.

The success of One Night Stand, which was largely written by Paul Heyman, who owned the original ECW led to a third "brand" to complement their Brand Extension, called ECW. The WWE ECW Brand differed from the other WWE Brands at the outset, but still with a WWE touch, such as a WWE-style names for the wrestlers (Extremists) and women (Vixens). Shortly after announcing ECW as a third WWE "brand", a second One Night Stand pay-per-view was held, with this event incorporating WWE wrestlers with minimal or no connection to the original ECW. The original goal was to hold an ECW brand "One Night Stand" annually, along with other ECW branded pay-per-view events that would be created.

ECW "Original" Rob Van Dam would capture the WWE Championship at the second One Night Stand, and when the new ECW television show would début the next night, Paul Heyman would declare Van Dam the ECW World Heavyweight Champion, as well. In keeping with the Brand Extension, a second ECW pay-per-view was added, December To Dismember. However, by the time December To Dismember aired, the weekly ECW TV shows were slowly beginning to lose the few differences between it and the other two WWE brands, and TV ratings declined as a result. The December To Dismember pay-per-view had little build-up, featured wrestlers from all WWE brands, not just ECW, and drew poorly. Just two months after December To Dismember, it was announced that all future pay-per-views would feature wrestlers from all the WWE brands, leading to brand exclusive pay-per-views, such as ECW, being dropped.

In an attempt to increase ratings for the weekly ECW TV shows, it was announced in late 2007 that ECW would have a "talent exchange" with Smackdown, with talent being able to appear on either show. The following year, a similar agreement was announced between RAW and ECW. By 2010, WWE announced that ECW would be cancelled in favour of a new television show, WWE NXT.

While WWE still produces merchandise about the original promotion, it is no longer used as a WWE Brand, nor do any other TV programmes or pay-per-views use the ECW name.

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