In 2001, ECW filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations, but its legacy continues to be felt. The promotion's influence can be seen in modern promotions like WWE's NXT, which has incorporated elements of hardcore wrestling into its product.
The legacy of ECW’s extreme strip poker segments is complex. On one hand, it successfully served its immediate purpose: it garnered mainstream press, generated high buy-rates from a coveted young male demographic, and established ECW as a truly rebellious entity. It proved that sex sold just as effectively as high-flying maneuvers and barbed-wire matches.
Conversely, modern retrospective analysis often views these segments through a critical lens. Critics point out that such segments prioritized objectification over athletic competition, often stalling the momentum of the wrestling card to deliver cheap ratings spikes. As the industry transitioned into the more corporate, PG-rated era of the mid-2000s, adult-only novelty matches were largely phased out in favor of athletic work rate and mainstream advertiser-friendly content.