Anthony Durante (July 26, 1967 – September 25, 2003) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

best known under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or project ...

"Pitbull #2" as one half of the

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

The Pitbulls, with "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe. The team is best known for their time in

Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

(ECW), where the team was the promotion's

World Tag Team Championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championship (professional wrestling), championships in professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotions, promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promo ...

once Once means a one-time occurrence. Once may refer to: Music * ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten'' * ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper * ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...

. Apart from tag team competition, Durante also achieved success briefly as a singles competitor, challenging for the

ECW World Heavyweight Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...

on a few occasions while holding the

ECW World Television Championship The ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in 1992 as part of National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Champi ...

Early life

Durante grew up in Hammonton, New Jersey.

Professional wrestling career

Early career

Durante got his start in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

(WWF), competing as an

enhancement talent In professional wrestling slang, a job is a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect information related to kayfabe from being revealed. The term can be used a numbe ...

under his real name. In his first WWF match, Durante formed a

with Gary Wolfe on the March 4, 1989, episode of ''

Superstars A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity. Superstar or superstars may also refer to: People * Warhol superstars, the associates of Andy Warhol * WWE Superstar, a branding term referring to a WWE wrestler * Superstar Billy Graham (born 1943) ...

'', losing to

The Hart Foundation The Hart Foundation is the name of several derivative tag teams and stables composed primarily of members and close friends of the Hart wrestling family. The name originated in the World Wrestling Federation in 1985 with the original Hart Foundat ...

(

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling back ...

and

Jim Neidhart James Henry Neidhart (February 8, 1955 – August 13, 2018) was an American professional wrestler known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s in the World Wrestling Federation as Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, where he was a two-time WWF Tag T ...

). Durante would face several WWF stars such as Rick Rude,

The Honky Tonk Man Roy Wayne Farris (born January 25, 1953), better known by the ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American retired professional wrestler. He previously wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE ...

and The Barbarian. Wolfe and Durante formed a tag team, initially called American Bulldogs and would later be renamed The Pitbulls and Mad Bull Busters. The team competed in many promotions including

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority sha ...

(NJPW),

South Atlantic Pro Wrestling South Atlantic Pro Wrestling (SAPW, formerly known as the North American Wrestling Association) was a professional wrestling promotion founded by George Scott, John Ringley and Mike Lamberth in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1990, and later taken o ...

and Tri-State Wrestling Alliance (TWA). Durante would compete under the

Pitbull Rex.

Eastern Championship Wrestling (1992)

The Pitbulls debuted in

Eastern Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wres ...

(ECW) at a live event on April 25, 1992, where Pitbull Rex participated in a battle royal with the winner earning an

ECW Heavyweight Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...

match. Later that night, Pitbulls defeated Jeff Royal and Johnny Hotbody in the

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

of the show. The Pitbulls then engaged in a brief

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

with The Super Destroyers before departing the company.

Catch Wrestling Association (1992–1994)

Pitbulls would separate as Durante joined the Austrian promotion

Catch Wrestling Association The Catch Wrestling Association (CWA) was a professional wrestling organization based in Austria and Germany that was founded in 1973. It was run by Otto Wanz. The CWA featured a traditional brand of mat wrestling mixed with various “Strong Man ...

(CWA), where he debuted at the 1992 Euro Catch Festival in Graz under the ring name Mad Bull Buster. In his debut match, Durante teamed with Larry Cameron to defeat the team of Mile Zrno and Steve Regal in a

two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

to win the promotion's

. They successfully defended the titles against Zrno and Regal in a rematch on November 17. Durante and Cameron defeated Zrno and

Derrick Dukes Derrick Dukes (born January 4, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and boxer. He best known for his appearances in the American Wrestling Association in the late-1980s as one-half of the tag team "The Top Guns" with Ricky Rice. Pr ...

in their second title defense at December's Euro Catch Festival in Bremen. They retained the title against David Taylor and Mile Zrno in their third title defense at ''Clash of the Champions'' on July 3, 1993, before losing the titles to Taylor and Zrno in their fourth title defense on July 18, thus ending their year-long title reign at 372 days. Cameron and Buster defeated Mile Zrno and David Taylor on October 24 to win their second CWA World Tag Team Championship. They successfully defended the titles against Robert Fasser and

Ulf Herman Ulf Nadrowski (born April 4, 1966) is a German professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ulf Herman. He is best known in the United States for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling where he was part of The Full Blooded Ital ...

on November 19. The title reign of Cameron and Buster tragically ended on December 13 when Cameron died during a match against

Tony St. Clair Tony St. Clair (born 28 March 1948) is an English retired professional wrestler. He is well known for his stints in Joint Promotions and All Star Wrestling in the United Kingdom, Catch Wrestling Association in Austria and Germany, and New Japan ...

due to a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. As a result, the titles were vacated. Durante wrestled his last match in CWA on February 19, 1994, competing against Ulf Herman in a street fight, which Durante lost via disqualification.

Eastern / Extreme Championship Wrestling (1994–1997, 2000)

After quitting CWA, Durante returned to ECW, where he received the biggest exposure of his career. He made his televised debut in ECW as a

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. '' Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a charact ...

Hostile City Showdown Hostile City Showdown was a professional wrestling supercard event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media compan ...

by attacking

The Tazmaniac Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz) is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator and manage ...

after Tazmaniac defeated The Pitbull in a dog collar match. As a result, Durante reformed The Pitbulls with Gary Wolfe and began using the

"Pitbull #2". Durante made his in-ring debut on the July 5 episode of '' Hardcore TV'', challenging

Mikey Whipwreck John Michael Watson (born June 4, 1973), better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler working for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a trainer, and global ambassador. He is best known for his career w ...

for the ECW Television Championship. Durante was disqualified after his partner Pitbull #1 interfered in the match. Pitbulls began a

with Tazmaniac as they lost to Tazmaniac and Sabu at

Heat Wave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...

. On the July 26 episode of ''Hardcore TV'', Pitbulls attacked their tag team partner

Jimmy Snuka James Reiher Snuka (born James Wiley Smith; May 18, 1943 – January 15, 2017) was a Fijian American professional wrestler. He is better known by the ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Snuka wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010 ...

after they lost a match to

Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971), is an American professional wrestler and promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Impact Wrestling and is the owner and promoter of the House of Hardcore (HOH) promo ...

Terry Funk Terrence Funk (born June 30, 1944) is an American retired professional wrestler, rapper, disc jockey and actor. Funk is known for the longevity of his career – which spanned more than 50 years and included multiple short-lived retirements – a ...

and

Dory Funk, Jr. Dorrance Earnest Funk (born February 3, 1941), known professionally as Dory Funk Jr., is an American retired professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. The son of Dory Funk (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk) and brother of Terry Funk, he was the promote ...

This led to Tazmaniac making the save, leading to a match between Pitbulls and the team of Snuka and Tazmaniac at

Hardcore Heaven Hardcore Heaven was a professional wrestling event produced by Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place annually from 1994 to 2000, with the exception of 1998. The 1997, 1999 and 2000 iterations aired on pay-per-view Pay-per-v ...

, which Pitbulls lost, thus ending the feud. Pitbulls defeated

The Bad Breed The Bad Breed was the professional wrestling tag team of Axl Rotten with his storyline brother/real life protégé Ian Rotten. The team achieved their greatest fame in the Philadelphia professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestlin ...

(

Axl Rotten Brian Knighton (April 21, 1971 – February 4, 2016), better known by the ring name Axl Rotten, was an American professional wrestler. In the early 1990s, he was a part of the tag team The Bad Breed with Ian Rotten. He had a short stint with Worl ...

and

Ian Rotten John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the United States Wrestling A ...

) in a match at

November to Remember November to Remember (commonly abbreviated to N2R) was a professional wrestling List of ECW supercards and pay-per-view events, event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was held during the month of November from 1993 to 2000. Star ...

and lost a

handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

911 911 or 9/11 may refer to: Dates * AD 911 * 911 BC * September 11 ** 9/11, the September 11 attacks of 2001 ** 11 de Septiembre, Chilean coup d'état in 1973 that outed the democratically elected Salvador Allende * November 9 Numbers * 91 ...

Holiday Hell In professional wrestling, Holiday Hell was a supercard produced by the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States-based promotion Eastern Championship Wrestling/Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). Themed around the Christmas and holiday season, ...

. The Pitbulls defeated

Tony Stetson Anthony Matteo (born March 21, 1959) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Hitman" Tony Stetson. He is best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during the 1990s. Stetson was one of ECW's ini ...

and Johnny Hotbody at Three Way Dance on April 8, 1995, which stipulated that Stetson and Hotbody would be fired by

Raven's Nest Raven's Flock was a professional wrestling stable led by Raven that was present in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) between 1995 and 1997. Later, Raven created other incarnations of the group in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) such as Th ...

. As a result of winning, Pitbulls joined Raven's Nest. Pitbulls began pursuing the

, challenging

The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American all-talking pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward ...

(

Johnny Grunge Michael Lynn Durham (July 10, 1966 – February 16, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Johnny Grunge. He is known for his appearances with Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestli ...

and

Rocco Rock Theodore James Petty (September 1, 1953 – September 21, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "Flyboy" Rocco Rock. Rock is best known for his appearances in Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Champion ...

) for the titles at

but failed to win the titles. They received another title shot in a double dog collar match at

Enter the Sandman Enter the Sandman (also known as Enter Sandman) was a professional wrestling live event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on May 13, 1995. The event was held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. The ...

, where they lost again. Dissension began between Pitbulls and Raven's Nest when Raven cost them matches against

Taz Taz or TAZ may refer to: Geography *Taz (river), a river in western Siberia, Russia *Taz Estuary, the estuary of the river Taz in Russia People * Taz people, an ethnic group in Russia ** Taz language, a form of Northeastern Mandarin spoken by ...

and

2 Cold Scorpio Charles Bernard Scaggs (born October 25, 1965) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name 2 Cold Scorpio (sometimes spelled Too Cold Scorpio). He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Extrem ...

and The Dudleys (

Snot Dudley Michael Deek (born June 21, 1970) is an American professional wrestler, currently wrestling on the independent circuit under the ring name Anthony Michaels. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling as a member of Th ...

and Dudley Dudley) by abandoning them to solve the issue between

Stevie Richards Michael Stephen Manna (born October 9, 1971), better known by his ring name Stevie Richards, is an American professional wrestler. Over the course of his career, Richards has performed for major professional wrestling promotions including Easte ...

Francine :''This is a disambiguation page for the common name Francine.'' Francine is a female given name. The name is of French origin. The name Francine was most popular in France itself during the 1940s (Besnard & Desplanques 2003), and was well used i ...

and

Beulah McGillicutty Trisa Laughlin ( née Hayes; born March 14, 1969) is an American author and retired professional wrestling valet, better known by her ring name, Beulah McGillicutty. She is best known for her appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 19 ...

. This led to Pitbulls refusing to follow Raven and Richards' orders of superbombing

Luna Vachon Gertrude Elizabeth Vachon ( ; January 12, 1962 – August 27, 2010) was an American-Canadian professional wrestler, better known as Luna Vachon.Lisa S. Davis,Ex-wrestler Luna Vachon, 48, found dead", ''Tampa Bay Online'' (August 31, 2010). Over ...

and attacked their leaders, thus turning fan favorites at

. As a result, Pitbulls aligned with Raven's Nest rival

and began feuding with Raven and Stevie Richards, defeating them in a two out of three falls dog collar match to win the World Tag Team Championship, thanks to interference by Francine at Gangstas Paradise. They lost the title back to Raven and Richards on October 7. Francine would become the manager of Pitbulls. Pitbulls began feuding with

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

's next tag team

The Eliminators The Eliminators were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Perry Saturn and John Kronus who were best known for their time in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) between 1995 and 1997. History Formation While working as the m ...

(

John Kronus George B. Caiazzo (January 13, 1969 – July 18, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, John Kronus, and later simply Kronus. Caiazzo worked for Extreme Championship Wrestling, the United States Wrestling Asso ...

and

Perry Saturn Perry Arthur Satullo (born October 25, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name, Perry Saturn. Since debuting in 1990, Saturn wrestled for promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Champions ...

) after Jason confronted Francine. The two teams traded wins with each other at

and December to Dismember. At the 1996 CyberSlam event, Francine and the Pitbulls defeated Stevie Richards and Eliminators in a dog collar match. After the match, Eliminators attacked Pitbulls. Pitbulls challenged Eliminators for the World Tag Team Championship at

Big Ass Extreme Bash Big Ass Extreme Bash was a professional wrestling doubleheader live event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on the weekend of March 8 and March 9, 1996. The March 8 card was held in the Lost Battalion Hall in the Queens neighborhoo ...

on March 8, but failed to win the titles, thus ending the feud. On May 11, Durante received his first opportunity for the

A Matter of Respect A Matter of Respect was a professional wrestling supercard event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company ...

, where he faced Raven and The Sandman in a

three-way dance Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

, but failed to win the title. At

Fight the Power Fight the Power may refer to: * "Fight the Power (Part 1 & 2)", a 1975 song by the Isley Brothers * "Fight the Power" (Public Enemy song) (1989) * '' Fight the Power... Live!'', a 1989 music video compilation by Public Enemy * '' Fight the Power: G ...

, Durante challenged

Shane Douglas Troy Allan Martin (born November 21, 1964) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (W ...

to a match for the

after Douglas provoked Durante into a match by insulting him and Francine, leading to Durante defeating Douglas for the title. At

, Durante lost the title to

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...

after a distraction by Shane Douglas. At

, Durante faced Jericho, Douglas and

in a four-way dance for the title, which Douglas won after Francine turned on Pitbulls. Douglas broke Wolfe's neck resulting in Wolfe being sidelined and Pitbull #2 feuded with Douglas throughout the rest of the year attempting to regain the World Television Championship and avenging his tag team partner's injury. Pitbull #2 unsuccessfully challenged Douglas for the title at

The Doctor Is In ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. At

Natural Born Killaz "Natural Born Killaz" is a collaborative single released by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube for the soundtrack of the film ''Murder Was the Case''. It was originally intended for the scrapped album ''Heltah Skeltah''. It would later be used by professional ...

, Durante and The Sandman defeated Douglas and Raven in a double dog collar match when Durante pinned Raven. As a result of pinning Raven, Durante earned a title shot against Raven for the World Heavyweight Championship at

When Worlds Collide ''When Worlds Collide'' is a 1933 science fiction novel co-written by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie; they also co-authored the sequel ''After Worlds Collide'' (1934). It was first published as a six-part monthly serial (September 1932 through Fe ...

, which he failed to win. In early 1997, Pitbull #1 recovered from injury and the two resumed their tag team to feud with

The Triple Threat The Triple Threat was a professional wrestling villainous stable that existed in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1998. It was Shane Douglas's answer to Ric Flair's Four Horsemen. Douglas disliked Flair since he felt that Flair ...

(Shane Douglas,

Chris Candido Christopher Barrett Candito (March 21, 1972 – April 28, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. Candito is best remembered for his tenures with promotions such as World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, New Japan Pro-W ...

and Brian Lee). On April 13, Durante wrestled Shane Douglas for the World Television Championship at ECW's first

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of e ...

, Barely Legal, where he failed to win the title. Pitbulls would lose the feud against The Triple Threat at

Chapter 2 Chapter Two, Chapter 2, or Chapter II may refer to: Film, television, and theatre * ''Chapter Two'' (play), a 1977 play by Neil Simon * ''Chapter Two'' (film), a 1979 adaptation of Neil Simon's play Television episodes * "Chapter 2" (''American H ...

and then took a hiatus in July. Pitbulls returned to ECW at

As Good as it Gets ''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by James L. Brooks, who co-wrote it with Mark Andrus. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted, and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt ...

, where they turned

villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

by aligning themselves with Lance Wright and confronting Taz, who attacked Pitbulls. As a result, Pitbull #2 began feuding with Taz and faced for the World Television Championship in a losing effort at

. Pitbulls made their last televised appearance in ECW on the December 20 episode of ''Hardcore TV'', after which they left ECW. On March 4, 2000, they would return to ECW as they lost to

Amish Roadkill Michael DePoli (born August 10, 1976) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling under the ring name Roadkill, where he wore traditional Amish dress and was billed from Lan ...

and

Danny Doring Daniel Morrison (born February 19, 1974) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Danny Doring. He is best known for his appearances with the professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1997 t ...

Independent circuit (1997–2002)

After leaving ECW, Pitbulls competed in various promotions on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

. At Jersey All Pro Wrestling's (JAPW) ''Halloween Hell'' event on October 31, 1997, Durante participated in a battle royal for the inaugural

JAPW Heavyweight Championship The Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship in the United States of America, American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promot ...

. He was eliminated by Joe Rules. Immediately after the match, Durante defeated Rules to win the title. His reign would last until December 5, 1997, when he would be stripped due to

injury An injury is any physiological damage to living tissue caused by immediate physical stress. An injury can occur intentionally or unintentionally and may be caused by blunt trauma, penetrating trauma, burning, toxic exposure, asphyxiation, o ...

. Pitbulls' next notable stint was with

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

(NWA) territory NWA New Jersey, where they captured the

NWA United States Tag Team Championship The NWA United States Tag Team Championship is a name used for several secondary tag team championship used by various National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) members since 1958. There are eleven different versions of the NWA United States Tag Team Champ ...

by defeating

Lance Diamond Lance Diamond (born William Shingles), (July 3, 19452015 in review: ...

and

Steve Corino Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino (born May 29, 1973) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE as a trainer and producer for their developmental territory NXT. He is best known for his tenure with Extreme Championship ...

on August 22, 1998. During this time, they also made an appearance in World Wrestling Federation on the August 29 episode of ''

Shotgun Saturday Night ''WWF Shotgun Saturday Night'' is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It aired from January 4, 1997 through August 21, 1999 as a syndicated broadcast. ''Shotgun Saturday Night'' ...

'', losing to

The Headbangers The Headbangers are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh (Charles Warrington) and Thrasher (Glenn Ruth). As the name of the team implies, their gimmick is that they are a pair of metalheads, complete with heavy metal related T-sh ...

. They appeared at the NWA 50th Anniversary Show, where they teamed with defending champion

and Dead Man Walking against Steve Corino, Lance Diamond,

Doug Gilbert Douglas Gilbert (born February 5, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with regional professional wrestling promotions throughout the Southern United States, as well as for Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

and Rik Ratchett in a

steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

for the NWA National Heavyweight Championship, in which Richards lost the title to Gilbert. Pitbulls lost the United States Tag Team Championship to The Misfits (Derek Domino and Harley Lewis) on November 13. They toured many promotions including Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW), Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) and World Wrestling Council (WWC). They disbanded for a brief period of time in 2000, and reunited for only one night on May 12, 2002, at International Wrestling Association (Puerto Rico), International Wrestling Association event in Puerto Rico defeating Bryan Madness and Maniac. This would be the last time the Pitbulls would be together. It was also the last match for Durante.

Death

Durante died on September 25, 2003, along with his girlfriend, Dianna Hulsey, both from a Fentanyl-induced overdose. He and his girlfriend were found after lying in their home dead for days, with needle marks on their bodies, all while their two small children, a 21-month-old boy and 8-month-old girl, were apparently alone in the house among the bodies for 24 to 48 hours.Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story of ECW
By Scott E Williams, George Tahinos, Shane Douglas p. 211 The 21-month-old boy left a trail of food from room to room, with a spilled quart of milk, chicken nuggets and bits of bread he had pulled from the refrigerator, and the 8-month-old girl was found in her crib. Both children were unharmed and custody was granted to their grandparents.

Championships and accomplishments

*Allied Powers Wrestling Federation **APWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Pitbull #1 *

**CWA World Tag Team Championship (Germany), CWA World Tag Team Championship (CWA World Tag Team Championship (Germany)#Title history, 2 times) – with Larry Cameron *Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre **Occidental Tag Team Championship (1 time) *

**ECW World Tag Team Championship (List of ECW World Tag Team Champions#Title history, 1 time) – with Gary Wolfe (wrestler), Pitbull #1 **

(ECW World Television Championship#Title History, 1 time) ** 2300 Arena#Hardcore Hall of Fame, Hardcore Hall of Fame (2014) *Grande Wrestling Alliance **GWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Pitbull #1 *High Risk Championship Wrestling **HRCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Pitbull #1 * Jersey All Pro Wrestling **

(JAPW Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) *Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation **MEWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

**NWA United States Tag Team Championship (New Jersey version) (NWA United States Tag Team Championship (New Jersey version), 2 times) – with Pitbull #1 *Pro Wrestling Illustrated **PWI ranked him # 76 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1997

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0–2 , Todd Broadway , Submission (armbar) , IFC: Battleground 2000 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 , Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Kristof Midoux , Submission (armbar) , IFC: Montreal Cage Combat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 , Montreal, Quebec, Canada , , -

References

External links

Anthony "Pitbull II" Durante
2009-10-25)

contains a summary of his pay-per-view television appearances
December 30th, 2008 Interview with Anthony Durante's Partner Pitbull #1 Gary Wolf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durante, Anthony 1967 births 2003 deaths American male professional wrestlers Drug-related deaths in Rhode Island People from Hammonton, New Jersey Professional wrestlers from New Jersey ECW World Television Champions ECW World Tag Team Champions 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers