ECW debuted on June 13, 2006, on Sci Fi in the United States and Global Television Network in Canada on Saturday mornings and ran until its final episode on February 16, 2010, on the rebranded Syfy.

[5] On May 25, 2006, WWE announced the launch of ECW as a stand-alone brand, congruous to Raw and SmackDown!, with its own show on Sci Fi (now Syfy).

[6] Despite initial concerns that professional wrestling would not be accepted by Sci Fi's demographic, network President Bonnie Hammer stated that she believed ECW would fit the channel's theme of "stretching the imagination".

[7] Sci Fi (now known as Syfy) is owned by NBC Universal, parent company of USA Network and exclusive cable broadcaster of Raw.

For televised events, the main ring-facing cameras were placed on a different location in the arena while the wrestling ring itself featured an ECW logo on the mat and blank turnbuckle covers.

According to an interview in the UK newspaper The Sun, Heyman wrote the show's weekly scripts and submitted them to writers for possible changes, and then Vince McMahon for final approval.

[12] While the show started out a ratings success, it began drawing criticism from fans of the original ECW early on.

[23] Past episodes of ECW were previously viewable on the video streaming website Hulu,[24] which are available on the WWE Network worldwide and Peacock in the United States.

[25] The show generally aired live on Tuesdays directly before — when touring the west coast — or after SmackDown was taped,[26][27] though it was also recorded and placed on a broadcast delay until later in the night depending on what circumstances dictated.

ECW's initial theme song was "Bodies" by Drowning Pool, which had been used by WWE for Extreme Championship Wrestling before the establishment of the brand.

"Don't Question My Heart" by Saliva featuring Brent Smith was later used to open ECW for the rest of the program's run.