Mike Awesome
Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler best known for wrestling with Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and the WWF/WWE best known under the ring name Mike Awesome.
| Mike Awesome | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ring name(s) | The Pro[1] The Gladiator[1] The Career Killer Mike Awesome[1] Fat Chick Thriller[1] That 70s Guy[1] |
| Billed height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)[1] |
| Billed weight | 132 kg (291 lb)[1] |
| Born | January 24, 1965[1] Tampa, Florida, U.S.[1] |
| Died | February 17, 2007 (aged 42)[1] Tampa, Florida |
| Trained by | Steve Keirn[1] |
| Debut | 1989[1] |
| Retired | 2006[1] |
ECW
During his time with ECW, he won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship two times and the ECW World Tag Team Championship one time with Raven.
WCW
He joined WCW in 2000 and started his "Career Killer" gimmick when he threw Chris Kanyon off the top of the first level of a triple cage and he landed on the entrance ramp. His gimmick was somewhat changed and he started calling himself "The Fat Chick Thrilla" after his heavy women. He would later change his gimmick once again and was known as "That '70s Guy" Mike Awesome which was a reference to That '70s Show. As The '70s Guy, he would dress up in different 1970s inspired outfits and also hosted an interview segment called the "Lava Lamp Lounge". He also used to drive a bus which was painted like the bus in The Partridge Family into arenas for his entrance. He also feuded with Vampiro and Insane Clown Posse members Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope.
WWF/WWE
He became part of The Invasion storyline and debuted on WWE television when he attacked Rhyno with a metal pipe after Rhyno defeated Test for the Hardcore Championship. After he attacked Rhyno, he powerbombed him onto a ladder and pinned him to become Hardcore Champion because of the 24/7 rule. He become the first member of the Invaders to win a title in the WWF but he finally lost the title when he was pinned by Jeff Hardy on SmackDown!. He was later assigned to appear on WWE Velocity where he jobbed before being released on September 27, 2002. He later said in the book, The Death of WCW, that "Being in the WWE (formerly the WWF) sucked. I hated it. You had to kiss everybody's ass... You had to be on your political toes all the time. You would not believe the backstage politics. You were getting stabbed in the back constantly. I was so happy when I was told I was gone [fired]."
He left the WWE and appeared on the independent circuit for five years before retiring from professional wresting in February 2006 to spend more time with his family.
Death
He was found hanged in his Tampa home by a group of his friends on February 17, 2007.[2]
Mike Awesome Media
Alfonso performing a dive at an ECW show at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York, 1999
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 "Mike Awesome Profile". Online World Of Wrestling. Archived from the original on 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2013-01-01.
- ↑ "Mike Awesome found dead". Canoe.ca - SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2012-12-29.