Despite the third-place status, crowds at ECW matches started to grow over the past two years, and marketers have come calling. "It seems not that long ago ECW was giving fans free pretzels just to fill seats during the shows," Dreamer remembers. "Now we're turning away hundreds of people at the door." Indeed, the federation received the ultimate proof it had reached the big time last year when it contracted to sell a series of action figures based on the wrestlers, as well as a video game, "ECW: Hardcore Revolution." Dreamer's action figure holds a garbage can lid in one hand, and when a lever on the figure's back is pressed, the five-inch fighter swings punches into the air.

Dreamer was pleased with his inclusion in the video game. The pixelated likeness sported all of his trademark moves, including the Dreamer Driver, his finishing move (the move a wrestler uses to win a match), as well as his catchphrase, "Is that all you got?"

The day the video game hit stores earlier this year, Dreamer and another ECW wrestler, Rob Van Dam, were scheduled to sign autographs at the Virgin Mega-Store in Times Square. Heyman and other ECW officials weren't happy with the scheduling of the event, which was to start at 1 p.m. on a school day. Dreamer told them not to worry, fans would come.

He was right. Fans -- many too old to be in school anyway -- lined the block to wait for autographs and buy the new video game. Dreamer and Van Dam were to sign autographs for an hour. Seeing the huge crowd, both wrestlers offered to stay until everyone had a chance to get an autograph, a promise that took five hours to fulfill. As the day wore on, Dreamer kept smiling for his fans, taking an occasional pause between handshakes to wince and stretch his cramping back.

Dreamer keeps his newfound fame as a role model in perspective. "I think I have a bond with the fans," he says, adding that he knows they respect the pain hardcore wrestlers endure to put on a good show. "ECW fans are the smartest in the world, and we don't try to fool them."

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Days after the Danbury match in March, Dreamer and a wrestler named New Jack fly to Chicago to break new ground for ECW. They are to appear in an episode of "Early Edition," a prime-time CBS TV drama whose main character mysteriously receives an edition of the newspaper that foretells the future. In this episode, Dreamer and New Jack play two biker thugs who start a barroom brawl. Despite the stereotypical characterizations, Dreamer confides to friends that he is thrilled to be acting.

At the Hideout, a dive bar in one of Chicago's seedier East Side neighborhoods where the shoot takes place, Dreamer and New Jack are the center of attention. The other participants -- a mixture of acting extras and real bikers from the neighborhood -- have heard actual pro wrestlers are going to be on the set, but they do not recognize Dreamer and New Jack, nor have they even heard of ECW. The bikers, many much larger than both wrestlers, are scowling, "So, these guys think they're tough?" Meanwhile, the actors are snorting, "Humph, these guys think they're actors?"

Before the shoot begins, a wiry, balding stunt coordinator approaches the two wrestlers. "So, here's what we'd like you to do," the man says to Dreamer. "First, you push him against the bar, then he'll push you. Then you throw a punch at him, but don't worry if you miss because TV lets you cheat. Of course, let's get you two into some padding first."

Dreamer looks at New Jack and smiles. "How 'bout this instead?" he asks the man. "No padding, and I'll punch him for real, then he can hit me with a chair and then I'll hit him with a bottle and then he'll put my face through the table."

The man's face drops. "You're kidding, right?"

But Dreamer isn't kidding, and the scene goes off exactly, flawlessly and unflinchingly as he described it.

After the melee, the cameras stop, and there is a moment of silence. Then, the room erupts in cheers and applause. Dreamer smiles.

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Unfortunately, the loss of the TNN contract ended any more CBS crossover appearances for the wrestlers as well. ECW officials, including Dreamer, are scrambling to find some sort of replacement for the canceled contract, but time is not on their side.

"Without a national TV show, I don't know how long ECW can last," Dreamer says.

Many top ECW wrestlers have defected to one of the two other leagues, and many others are suffering from injuries. ECW recently canceled shows in some cities, something it never had to do before.

As for Dreamer -- the pain in his shoulder eclipsing the pain in his back -- he may be ready to return to the ring within the next few weeks. But privately, he relishes that moment on the CBS set six months ago when, albeit briefly, it appeared there was life after pro wrestling after all.

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