In April 1999, while recovering from back surgery, Shawn Michaels co-founded the Texas Wrestling Academy. He opened the school with other pro wrestling veterans including former ECW alumni - and Michaels' AWA tag team opponent - Paul Diamond.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Wrestling_Academy
Several graduates of his wrestling school then appeared in ECW in 2000 and early 2001, including on ECW's last two shows (Poplar Bluff, Missouri and Pine Bluff, Arkansas in January 2001).
Four names in particular appeared on ECW TV in various capacities:
- Chris Kreuger
- Michael Shane
- Oz
- Phoenix
Some of the names were confirmed by this 2007 Wayback/Archive.org page from the Texas Wrestling Academy's website "Graduates" page:
https://web.archive.org/web/20071110193324/http://www.texaswrestlingacademy.com/TWAgraduates.htm
These videos (all found on YouTube) show these names during their time toward the end of ECW's running shows:
This interview with Michael Shane from 2003 touches briefly on his time in ECW:
