The rules were loosely based on Texas Hold 'Em, but with a distinctively "Extreme" twist. If you lost a hand, you didn't lose chips; you lost clothes. It was a concept ripped straight from the pages of National Lampoon, designed to titillate the young male demographic that was the bread and butter of wrestling viewership.
However, the poker game eventually devolved into chaos. As the Divas reached their final layers of lingerie, Candice Michelle Maria Kanellis
The original ECW, run by Paul Heyman, was a cult phenomenon built on hardcore wrestling, anti-establishment rebellion, and a gritty realism that appealed to smarks (smart fans). However, the WWE’s version of ECW was a different animal. It was televised on the Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy), a network looking to broaden its horizons beyond alien invasions and creature features. The network wanted edge; the writers wanted viral moments.
: The segment ended when the ECW original, The Sandman, entered the ring and "caned" the participants and the set. This was intended to signal that the "old" ECW didn't have time for such fluff, but for many viewers, the damage to the brand's credibility was already done. Historical Significance