One of the most scientifically skilled big wrestlers.  A former two-time ECW World
Champion.  Since 2000, Awesome has competed in ECW, WCW and the WWF.  He made his
debut in early 1989 and wrestled off and on in ECW between 1992 and 1994, while he
continued to gain experience.  Awesome lost to Sabu in an ECW TV Title Match on March 5,
1994 in Philadelphia.  He ventured to Japan and competed as the Gladiator in FMW.  
Awesome was very successful in his role and won several World Championships.

     In 1998, he returned to the U.S. to work for Paul Heyman in Extreme Championship
Wrestling.  Immediately, his stock as a wrestler rose.  Other organizations were realizing what
kind of a talent he was and how they may have missed the boat.  Awesome took Jeff Jones as
his manager.  On July 18, 1998 at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, he teamed with Justin
Credible in a loss to Masato Tanaka and Jerry Lynn.  He knew Tanaka well as he had feuded
with him in FMW for some time.  Tanaka pinned Awesome on August 8th in Philadelphia.  On
September 19, 1999 in Villa Park, Illinois, Awesome beat Taz and Tanaka in a three-way
dance and won the ECW World Heavyweight Title.

     The win came on the Anarchy Rules pay-per-view.  He pinned Mikey Whipwreck on
October 23rd before 1,500 in Philadelphia and then beat Credible on November 27th.  
Tanaka beat Awesome for the belt in mid-December in Nashville, but six days later in White
Plains, he regained the title.  He entered the Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham as the
champion on January 9, 2000 against Spike Dudley.  Awesome put Dudley through a table
using his Awesome-Bomb, one of the most devastating moves in the industry, and won the
Guilty as Charged PPV Match.  On the 15th in Philadelphia, Awesome again beat Dudley by
pinfall.  He teamed with Raven to win the World Tag Team Title on March 4th at the ECW
Arena from Tommy Dreamer and Tanaka.

     Awesome held both the World Singles and Tag Belts at the same time.  They lost the
belts at Living Dangerously on March 12th in Danbury to the Impact Players, Lance Storm
and Justin Credible.  Awesome took an impromptu match against Kid Kash and retained his
belt.

     In an odd series of events, WCW made a deal with ECW and took the heavyweight
champion out of Pennsylvania and brought him south to Georgia.  Awesome would make his
first appearance for WCW while still the ECW World Champion.  He traveled to Denver for the
April 10, 2000 edition of Monday Nitro and seemingly joined Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo’s
New Blood.  Awesome also attacked Kevin Nash, a man on crutches.

     He did the honorable thing and appeared in Indianapolis for an ECW show there April
13th and lost the ECW World Title to Taz, who was an employee of the WWF at the time.  
Awesome was accompanied by WCW security.  All three major organizations were present.  
Back in WCW, he entered the vacant WCW United States Title Tournament three-nights later
in Chicago at Spring Stampede.  He beat Ernest Miller before being eliminated by Scott
Steiner after being locked in a submission hold.  Awesome wrestled Kanyon to a no-contest
at Slamboree on May 7th in Kansas City.

     Despite the way in which he found himself in WCW, Awesome wasn’t immediately the star
many thought he should have been.  He had been a World Champion in another region, but
in WCW, he was feuding through the mid-card.  At the Great American Bash, he beat a
former WCW Champ, Dallas Page in a special ambulance match.  Because of the win, his
status was lifted to many who hadn’t previously known his work record.  Awesome began to
be known as “Mullet” for his haircut and the fans offered the joke every chance they could.  
During the July 3rd Nitro, Awesome attacked numerous people and wrestlers and broke many
tables.  Four ambulances were set up outside the arena prior to the show’s start just for
Awesome.  By the end of the show, all of them were full.

     He beat former WCW TV Champion, Rick Steiner by pinfall on July 5th in Columbus,
Georgia during Thunder.  Four days later, he wrestled Rick’s brother Scott for the U.S. Title
at the Bash at the Beach, a historic WCW pay-per-view.  Steiner beat Awesome, but suffered
the consequences.  WCW Commissioner, Ernest Miller stripped Steiner of the belt for his use
of the “Steiner Recliner,” a move banned in that organization.  The following night in
Jacksonville, Miller awarded the U.S. Belt to Awesome.  He turned it down, stating that he
wanted to win the title in the ring.

     Awesome received his first match against the new World Champion, Booker T and was
defeated.  Afterwards, he saved Booker from a Steiner attack.  It seemed that he was going
through an attitude change and fans began to respect him all the more.  The “Mullet” chants
could still be heard.  Awesome participated in yet another U.S. Title Tournament on Tuesday,
July 18th in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  Among the others in the tourney were the Great Muta,
Lance Storm and Shane Douglas.  He met “Positively” Kanyon in the opening round and
pinned his foe to advance.  Muta beat Vampiro on his side of the bracketing and the second
round match was set.  Awesome-Muta was as good as many thought it would be.  Mark
Madden, a WCW Commentator, was misted by Muta in the fracas.  Awesome landed a
running powerbomb and successfully made it to the finals.  Storm beat Douglas by
submission for the other finals spot.  Rather than receive the gold for free, Awesome had
fought to get into the deciding match.  Lance Storm, another ECW alumni, was on the other
side of the ring.  Both men possessed stamina and amazing agility.  Storm finally forced
Awesome to submit and won the title.  A contingent of large women helped him from the ring.

     At New Blood Rising in Vancouver, Awesome challenged Storm, who by that time was also
the World Hardcore and Cruiserweight Champion, for the U.S. Title.  He seemed to win the
contest, but the special senior referee, Jacques Rougeau Jr. allowed the bout to continue.  
Storm finally won with a standing ten count.  It was obvious that Awesome was screwed out of
the win.

     He again altered his persona and became “That ‘70’s Guy,” a revert back to the disco
era.  Began his own segment on television, the “Lava Lamp Show.” Awesome also formed a
short-lived tag team with Crowbar.  At Fall Brawl on September 17th in Buffalo, he got a big
win over Jeff Jarrett.  Gary Coleman, star of the television sitcom, Different Strokes, offered
up some assistance.  Coleman received a Jarrett guitar shot for his actions afterwards.  
Awesome pinned Vampiro, earning a future World Title shot, on October 29th in Las Vegas
at Halloween Havoc.  He also fended off an unruly fan.

     Officials scheduled him in bout with another large WCW competitor on November 26th at
Mayhem, Sergeant A-WOL,  but was attacked by his opponent before their match and carted
off on a stretcher.  Bam Bam Bigelow replaced him and beat A-WOL.  In December, Crowbar
told Awesome that the ’70’s gimmick was hurting his career and that he needed to get away
from it.  Awesome remained in the gear for several more days and then abandoned it.  He
beat Bigelow at Starrcade in Washington DC after Bam Bam went through the top of an
ambulance.  On December 18th in Richmond during a live edition of Nitro, Awesome was one
of four men to compete for a spot in the main event of Sin in January.  Jeff Jarrett used a
guitar to eliminate him.

     Later in the night, during a Thunder TV Taping, Awesome entered a different war.  He
consoled Jim Duggan after a speech he gave to the fans and told him to stick around the
arena rather than just bail out.  Duggan agreed.  Team Canada members, Lance Storm and
Elix Skipper attacked Duggan and Awesome ran out to apparently save him.  But he did not
stick to Duggan’s side in the brawl.  Instead of being the savior, he joined the beating.  He
also revealed a Maple Leaf under his shirt.  Awesome had gone north and joined a new
crew.  Duggan later joined Team Canada.  On Monday, January 15th, Konnan gave
Awesome a haircut after pinning him.  The war with the Filthy Animals heated up each week
on both WCW programs.  That Thursday, Awesome wrestled Billy Kidman and dominated a
good portion of the match.  He missed an important frog splash, but ended things with a
running Awesome-Bomb and a pin.  He attempted to cut Kidman’s hair, but the Animals ran in
to halt the trimming.

     World Championship Wrestling was purchased by the WWF in March 2001 and Awesome
was one of those named  to the new roster when it was relaunched during the summer.  On
June 25th in New York City, Awesome proved that timing was everything when he jumped the
new WWF World Hardcore Champion, Rhyno after he had beaten Test for the belt at
Madison Square Garden.  Awesome pinned Rhyno and became the first WCW employee to
win a WWF Championship.  He was the Hardcore Champion.  In Birmingham on July 10th,
Awesome was upset by Jeff Hardy during a television taping and lost the belt.  When ECW
reorganized and formed an alliance with WCW, Awesome joined Paul Heyman’s group once
again.  Stephanie McMahon Helmsley was the new owner.  Among the other big names to
rejoin ECW were Taz, Rob Van Dam, Rhyno, Justin Credible, Lance Storm and the Dudley
Boys.  The ECW/ WCW impact on the WWF was going to be huge.

     Unfortunately for Awesome’s fans, he suffered an injury and missed the action.  In
November 2001, the Alliance forcably disbanded.




TITLE HISTORY:
     -A two-time FMW World Brass Knuckles Champion
             -Defeated Hayabusa (1995)
             -Defeated Super Leather (1996)
     -FMW Independent World Heavyweight Title (1996-’97) defeated Kanemura
     -A two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion
             -Defeated Masato Tanaka and Taz (1999)
             -Defeated Masato Tanaka (1999)
     -Co-holder of the ECW World Tag Team Title (2000) w/ Raven
     -WWF World Hardcore Title (2001) defeated Rhyno







Research by Tim Hornbaker
Mike Awesome Wrestling History
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