Brian Knighton (April 21, 1971 – February 4, 2016), better known by 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 projecting ...
Axl Rotten, 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 or ...
. In the early 1990s, he was a part of the tag team
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 ...
with
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 ...
. He had a short stint with
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
in 1991, but he was best known for his appearances with
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) from 1993 to 1999.
Bad Breed competed in ECW's tag team division in the early years of the company until the team was forced to disband after losing to
The Pitbulls
The Pitbulls (sometimes written as The Pit Bulls) were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe and "Pitbull #2" Anthony Durante. They were best known for their tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where ...
and engaged in a
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 o ...
against each other that ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
'' named Feud of the Year in 1995. After an unsuccessful singles career, Rotten formed short-lived tag teams with
Hack Meyers
Donald Haviland (December 7, 1973 – December 5, 2015) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Hack Meyers. He was best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1993 to 1996.
Professional wrestling ...
and
D-Von Dudley
Devon Hughes (born August 1, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works backstage as a producer. Hughes wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 and for the WWF/E f ...
before forming Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks with
Balls Mahoney
Jonathan Rechner (April 11, 1972 – April 12, 2016), better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney, was an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during the late 199 ...
in 1997. The team lasted until Rotten departed ECW in 1999. Knighton then wrestled on the independent circuit and appeared at
World Wrestling Entertainment
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 vario ...
Knighton was trained to wrestle by Ricky Lawless at a gym on Baltimore's North Avenue, receiving supplementary training from
Joey Maggs
Joseph Magliano (1968/1969 – October 2006), better known by the ring name "Jumping" Joey Maggs, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 1998.
Profession ...
. He debuted 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 the age of 17, adopting the ring name "Axl Rotten", a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsrockers
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose Jr.; born February 6, 1962) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its incep ...
and
Johnny Rotten
John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and agai ...
. Rotten won his first championship teaming with Lawless to win the tag team titles in Frank Cain's Star Cavalcade Wrestling during the summer of 1988. He also succeeded Lawless as the promotion's heavyweight champion when, shortly after reigning champion Ricky Lawless was murdered, he won the vacant title from The Psycho in
Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,413 at the 2010 United States Census, making it the second largest city in southwest Georgia after Albany, Georgia, Albany.
The city deems itself the "C ...
, on November 30, 1988.
In the early 1990s, Rotten trained
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 ...
, who formed a
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 ...
with Axl, masquerading as his brother and taking his stage name from
Cheech Marin
:''The surname'' Marin ''is of Spanish language origin. In Spanish, it is spelled'' Marín'', with an acute accent on the'' í.
Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American actor, musician, comedian, and activist who gained ...
's character in ''
Get Out of My Room
''Get Out of My Room'' is an album and short-form video featuring comedians Cheech & Chong, released in 1985. The album and video marked the last release by the comedy duo, with Cheech leaving in 1986 in order to focus on his mainstream acting c ...
''. The duo, known as
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 ...
, wrestled primarily in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation. Axl later opened his own
professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...
in Maryland called Universal Independent Wrestling. The promotion featured wrestlers such as the Bad Breed,
Bam Bam Bigelow
Scott Charles Bigelow (September 1, 1961 – January 19, 2007) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Bam Bam Bigelow. Recognizable by his close to 400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned most ...
and
Scotty The Body
Scott Levy (born September 8, 1964) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Raven. He is known for his appearances with professional wrestling promotions including Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Champions ...
. It had a television series that aired on Saturday nights on the local
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
channel. The promotion closed in the mid-1990s.
From 1991 to 1993, Axl and Ian Rotten had a run with the
Global Wrestling Federation
Global Wrestling Federation was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. Often the promotion pr ...
(GWF) in Texas, being featured on their daily
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
show. While in GWF, Axl succeeded in winning both the GWF Commonwealth title and the GWF Tag Team Championship, with Ian Rotten.
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nation ...
(WCW), where he feuded with
P. N. News
Paul Neu (born July 9, 1966) is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known under the ring name P. N. News and for his stints in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling.
Professional wrestling career
Early ...
. During his time with WCW, Rotten befriended Paul E. Dangerously, the future owner of Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Eastern / Extreme Championship Wrestling
Bad Breed (1993–1995)
In 1993, the Bad Breed were hired by
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight ...
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
-based
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 Wrest ...
(ECW)
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
as a fan favorite tag team, debuting for the promotion at
NWA Bloodfest
NWA Bloodfest was a professional wrestling live event produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) on October 1 and October 2, 1993. The event was held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylva ...
on October 1 by defeating
Chad Austin
Chad Slivenski (born September 15, 1972) is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, known by his ringname Chad Bowman, who competed in East Coast and Mid-Atlantic independent promotions during the 1990s and 2000s. Early in his career, Sliv ...
and Todd Shaw. They made their televised debut on the October 5 episode of '' Hardcore TV'', losing to
Badd Company
Badd Company was a professional wrestling tag team in the American Wrestling Association in the late 1980s, which later went by the name the Orient Express. They used the song "Bad Company", by the band of the same name as their theme song.
His ...
. They competed in ECW's tag team division, where they unsuccessfully challenged
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
John Weiss (born February 19, 1963) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Johnny Hotbody. In Eastern Championship Wrestling, he won the ECW Championship, ECW Tag Team Championship, and ECW Television Champions ...
for the
Tag Team Championship
A championship or title in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.
Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rivalri ...
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 ...
. They were initially allied with
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 ...
until the team were sent to
United States Wrestling Association
The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Wrestling ...
(USWA) in 1994. Bad Breed returned to ECW on the June 21 episode of ''Hardcore TV'', where they challenged
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 ...
for the Tag Team Championship, which Public Enemy retained as the match ended in a no contest. Bad Breed defeated
Hack Myers
Donald Haviland (December 7, 1973 – December 5, 2015) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Hack Meyers. He was best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1993 to 1996.
Professional wrestling ...
and
Rockin' Rebel
Charles Williams (January 13, 1966 – June 1, 2018) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Rockin' Rebel. He was best known for his appearances on the U.S. independent circuit with promotions such as Eastern Cham ...
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 ...
, and then unsuccessfully challenged Public Enemy for the World Tag Team Championship in a Baseball Brawl match 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. The footag ...
.
Bad Breed next entered a feud with
The Pitbulls
The Pitbulls (sometimes written as The Pit Bulls) were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe and "Pitbull #2" Anthony Durante. They were best known for their tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where ...
, to whom they lost 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 ...
. On the January 17, 1995, episode of ''Hardcore TV'', Bad Breed lost to Pitbulls in a rematch which stipulated that the losing team would be forced to break up. Both Rotten brothers blamed one another for the loss and Ian turned on Axl by hitting him with a chair after the loss, playing off
real-life
Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on the ...
ill feelings, a
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 o ...
developed that ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
Three Way Dance
Three Way Dance was a professional wrestling live event produced by Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) on April 8, 1995. The event was held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was a "double header" event with ...
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 company ...
and a barbed wire baseball bat barbed wire chair 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 ...
, all of which Axl won. A reunion was teased between Bad Breed at Barbed Wire, Hoodies and Chokeslams on June 17, where they were supposed to take on Public Enemy for the World Tag Team Championship but
Bill Alfonso
William Matthew "Bill" Sierra (born August 11, 1957) is an American former professional wrestling referee and manager better known by his ring name Bill Alfonso. He achieved his greatest success in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the mid-to-late ...
overruled the decision due to Bad Breed being banned from competing as a team. Their feud finally ended 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. The footag ...
, when Axl defeated Ian in a Taipei Deathmatch.
Following his feud with Ian Rotten, it was announced on the July 4 episode of ''Hardcore TV'' that Axl would receive his very first opportunity for the World Heavyweight Championship against
The Sandman
The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes.
Representation in traditional folklore
The Sandman is a traditional charact ...
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 ...
, where Rotten failed to win the title. Rotten then floundered in the mid-card, defeating J.T. Smith 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 ...
.
Teaming with D-Von Dudley (1996–1997)
Rotten lost to the debuting
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
in RVD's first ECW match at
House Party
A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host.
Organization
A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...
on January 5, 1996. Rotten would then team with
El Puerto Riqueño
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...
in a loss to
The Headhunters
The Headhunters are an American jazz fusion band formed by Herbie Hancock in 1973. The group fused jazz, funk, and rock music.
History (and name)
Hancock had grown dissatisfied with his prior band, Mwandishi, and wanted to make a band with a st ...
at
Big Apple Blizzard Blast
Big Apple Blizzard Blast was a professional wrestling live event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on February 3, 1996. The event was held in the Lost Battalion Hall in Queens, New York City, New York in the United States.
Excerp ...
. His failures in singles competition continued as he would lose against the likes of J.T. Smith,
The Sandman
The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes.
Representation in traditional folklore
The Sandman is a traditional charact ...
and
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 ...
in subsequent matches. Rotten began a rivalry with
The Full Blooded Italians
The Full Blooded Italians (or F.B.I.) are an American professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from the mid-1990s to early-2000s and for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) during the mid-20 ...
, defeating FBI member
Little Guido
James Maritato (born March 12, 1972) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring names Little Guido and Nunzio. A high-school footb ...
at
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 company ...
. At
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 ...
, Rotten teamed with
Hack Meyers
Donald Haviland (December 7, 1973 – December 5, 2015) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Hack Meyers. He was best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1993 to 1996.
Professional wrestling ...
against FBI members J.T. Smith and Little Guido in a losing effort. Rotten then formed a tag team with Meyers as they took on
The Samoan Gangsta Party
In professional wrestling, the Samoan SWAT Team was a tag team who competed in promotions including World Wrestling Council, World Class Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The team la ...
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. The footag ...
, which ended in a no contest due to interference by
The Gangstas
The Gangstas was a professional wrestling tag team and stable, consisting of New Jack and Mustafa Saed in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). The group originally started as a three-man group with D'Lo Brown in Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW), b ...
and
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 ...
. 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 ...
, Rotten competed against
Tarzan Goto
, better known by his ring name , was a Japanese professional wrestler who wrestled on the independent circuit most of his career. He is best known for his exploding steel cage matches against Atsushi Onita in Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling ( ...
in a losing effort.
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 ...
, Rotten competed against
D-Von Dudley
Devon Hughes (born August 1, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works backstage as a producer. Hughes wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 and for the WWF/E f ...
in a match which ended in a no contest after interference by
Dudley Brothers
The Dudley Brothers were a professional wrestling stable active in Extreme Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1999.
The gimmick of the group was that, despite their obvious differences in physical appearance and race, the members were all s ...
. Rotten left with D-Von after the match and formed a tag team with D-Von, thus turning into a villainous
character
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
for the first time in his ECW career. Beginning 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 ...
, Rotten and Dudley wrestled Dudley Brothers in a series of matches throughout the fall of 1996. Rotten defeated his former tag team partner Hack Meyers 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 ...
. Rotten and D-Von pursued the
World Tag Team Championship
The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championships in professional wrestling promotions.
Nomenclature
The name of the promotion is often preceded to the term "world tag team championship" as the ...
, receiving title shots against The Gangstas on the December 10 episode of ''Hardcore TV'' and The Eliminators at
House Party
A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host.
Organization
A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...
on January 11, 1997, but failed to win the titles. Rotten followed with a feud against Dudley Brothers member
Spike Dudley
Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing as Spike Dudley in the 1990s with E ...
, whom he defeated in matches at ''Winter Blowout'' and
CyberSlam
CyberSlam was a professional wrestling supercard event and fan convention produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1996 to 2000.
Background
It began in 1995 with the Double Tables event, held at the ECW Arena. The event was held for ...
.
Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks (1997–1999)
D-Von Dudley went on to form a tag team with
Buh Buh Ray Dudley
Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and Impact Wrestling under the ring name Bully Ray. He was previously known as one-half of The Dudley Boyz tag tea ...
called
Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...
at
Crossing the Line Again
Crossing the Line Again was a professional wrestling event held by the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States-based professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on February 1, 1997. The commentator for the event was ...
, which broke up Rotten's team with D-Von and Rotten moved on to singles competition. Shortly after, he formed a tag team with newcomer
Balls Mahoney
Jonathan Rechner (April 11, 1972 – April 12, 2016), better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney, was an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during the late 199 ...
called The Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks, thus turning into a fan favorite again. The team began pursuing the
World Tag Team Championship
The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championships in professional wrestling promotions.
Nomenclature
The name of the promotion is often preceded to the term "world tag team championship" as the ...
and feuded with teams such as Dudley Boyz,
The Full Blooded Italians
The Full Blooded Italians (or F.B.I.) are an American professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from the mid-1990s to early-2000s and for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) during the mid-20 ...
and
The Gangstanators
The Gangstanators were a professional wrestling tag team in Extreme Championship Wrestling. The team consisted of New Jack, formerly of The Gangstas, and John Kronus, formerly of The Eliminators, with "Gangstanators" being a portmanteau of the nam ...
for the title. Rotten made his
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 ...
debut 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 ...
, where Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks competed against Gangstanators, FBI and Dudley Boyz in a four-way dance for the tag team titles, where they were the last team eliminated by defending champions Full Blooded Italians. Mahoney and Rotten often teamed with the likes of
New Jack
Jerome Young (January 3, 1963 – May 14, 2021) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name New Jack. He was best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he became notorious for his willingnes ...
and
Spike Dudley
Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing as Spike Dudley in the 1990s with E ...
to feud with Dudley Boyz and The Full Blooded Italians.
Mahoney and Rotten were frequent contenders for the World Tag Team Championship but came up short in their bid for the titles. They received several title shots against
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
Lance Storm
Lance Timothy Evers (; born April 3, 1969), known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Extreme Championship Wrestling (EC ...
for the tag team titles including one at
Wrestlepalooza
Wrestlepalooza was a professional wrestling event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place in 1995, 1997, 1998 and 2000. The 1998 iteration aired on pay-per-view. The footage from the four Wrestlepalooza events is owned by ...
on May 3, 1998, but came up short in their title opportunities. Rotten was out of action due to injury in September and returned to ECW on December 4 by attacking Buh Buh Ray Dudley with a barbed wire baseball bat after a match between Dudley Boyz and The Gangstanators. Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks would then challenge
Rob Van Dam and Sabu
Rob Van Dam and Sabu are a professional wrestling tag team who often compete in Extreme Championship Wrestling and WWE's ECW brand. While teaming in the original ECW, the duo was managed by Bill Alfonso.
History
Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
for the World Tag Team Championship on numerous occasions including the
House Party
A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host.
Organization
A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...
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 eve ...
on January 16, 1999, but failed to win the title. They also entered a feud with
Danny Doring and Roadkill
Danny Doring and Roadkill were a tag team in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1996 to 2001. They were the final ECW World Tag Team Champions, holding the titles until the promotion closed in 2001.
History Extreme Championship Wrestling
In De ...
after beating Doring and Roadkill and FBI in a
three-way dance
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. So ...
at Guilty as Charged, resulting in Mahoney and Rotten taking on Doring and Roadkill in a series of matches including one at ''Crossing the Line'', which Mahoney and Rotten won. At
CyberSlam
CyberSlam was a professional wrestling supercard event and fan convention produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1996 to 2000.
Background
It began in 1995 with the Double Tables event, held at the ECW Arena. The event was held for ...
Anarchy Rulz
Anarchy Rulz was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling
HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media compan ...
, Rotten issued a challenge to
Mike Awesome
Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestl ...
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 ...
match but was confronted and attacked by
Impact Players
The Impact Players were a professional wrestling stable in Extreme Championship Wrestling that was composed of Lance Storm and Justin Credible.
History
The Impact Players formed when Lance Storm and Justin Credible started teaming in ECW in Febr ...
and
Johnny Smith
Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote "Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
Early life
During the Great Dep ...
, who was the scheduled opponent for World Television Champion
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
. Balls Mahoney and Spike Dudley made the rescue for Rotten by attacking Impact Players and Smith, resulting in Mahoney substituting for Smith and went on to lose. Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks would feud with the likes of The New Dangerous Alliance and Da Baldies during the fall of 1999. 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 ...
, the Freaks teamed with New Jack to take on Da Baldies ( Spanish Angel,
Tony DeVito
Anthony DeVito (born January 20, 1972) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation, Extreme Championship Wrestling and Ring of Honor.
Professional wrestling career
Early caree ...
,
P. N. News
Paul Neu (born July 9, 1966) is an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known under the ring name P. N. News and for his stints in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling.
Professional wrestling career
Early ...
and
Vito LoGrasso
Vito Joseph LoGrasso (born June 18, 1964) is an American actor and professional wrestler, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment and working for their " developmental te ...
) in a three-on-four
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 ...
, which they lost to Baldies. On the December 19 episode of ''
ECW on TNN
''ECW on TNN'', also known as '' ECW Wrestling'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and aired on The Nashville Network (TNN, now Paramount Network). Created by Paul ...
'', Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks defeated Baldies members P. N. News and Vito LoGrasso in a
falls count anywhere 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 ...
, in which the loser of the fall would be forced to leave ECW, thus forcing Vito out of ECW. Rotten wrestled his last ECW match on December 9, in which he and New Jack defeated Tony DeVito and P.N. News.
Return to the independent circuit (1999–2014)
Rotten eventually left ECW in 1999 and appeared with
Xtreme Pro Wrestling
Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion owned by Rob Zicari.
Zicari originally ran the promotion out of Los Angeles from 1999 to 2003. He appeared on shows as the on-camera owner under the name Ro ...
and the
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese
Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on July 28, 1989, by Atsushi Onita as (FMW). The promotion specializes in hardcore wrestling involving weapons such as barbed wire and fire. They held their f ...
promotion. Rotten then wrestled 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 ...
throughout the early 2000s.
Rotten performed at the ECW reunion event
Hardcore Homecoming
Hardcore Homecoming was a series of professional wrestling events which were advertised as a reunion of talent from the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion. The tour was booked and promoted by Cody Michaels, Shane Douglas (a former ...
on June 10, 2005, reuniting with Ian Rotten in a loss to
The Gangstanators
The Gangstanators were a professional wrestling tag team in Extreme Championship Wrestling. The team consisted of New Jack, formerly of The Gangstas, and John Kronus, formerly of The Eliminators, with "Gangstanators" being a portmanteau of the nam ...
. At the follow-up event, November Reign, on November 6, 2005, Rotten defeated Ian Rotten in a Taipei Death match. Rotten also wrestled at the
Extreme Reunion
Extreme Rising (formerly Extreme Reunion) was an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 2012. Meant to fill the void of hardcore wrestling left behind by the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Extreme Rising ...
event on April 28, 2012, facing Balls Mahoney.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2005)
In June 2005, Rotten was temporarily hired by
World Wrestling Entertainment
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 vario ...
(WWE) for its ECW tribute
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 ...
,
One Night Stand
A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...
. He debuted in WWE on the June 6, 2005, episode of ''
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'', storming the ring with several other ECW alumni. At One Night Stand on June 12, 2005, Rotten, Balls Mahoney and
Kid Kash
David Tyler Cash (born July 31, 1969) better known by his ring name Kid Kash, is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, best known for his tenures with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (T ...
brawled with
The Blue World Order
The Blue World Order (bWo) was a stable of professional wrestlers formed at Extreme Championship Wrestling's November to Remember 1996 event at the ECW Arena. The stable lasted until August 1998 and was revived briefly in World Wrestling Enterta ...
prior to the main event. Rotten went to wrestle several
dark matches
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...
for WWE in July 2005.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010)
Rotten made a one-night appearance with
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
on August 8, 2010, at the ECW tribute show
Hardcore Justice
Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling Impact Plus event produced by Impact Wrestling. It was originally introduced as a pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 200 ...
Rotten appeared in an uncredited, non-speaking role on the first episode of the show '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', entitled "
Gone for Goode
"Gone for Goode" is the first episode of the first season of the American police drama television series '' Homicide: Life on the Street''. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 31, 1993, immediately following Super Bowl XXVI ...
Fell's Point
Fell's Point is a historic waterfront neighborhood in southeastern Baltimore, Maryland. It was established around 1763 along the north shore of the Baltimore Harbor and the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River. The area has many antique, musi ...
neighborhood of
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
eleventh grade
Eleventh grade, 11th grade, junior year, or grade 11 (called Year 12 in Wales and England and fifth form in Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the ...
to pursue his ambition of becoming a professional wrestler.
Knighton experienced a spine injury in his final years that forced him out of the ring and required the use of a wheelchair. He was living in Anchorage Rehab Center in
Salisbury, Maryland
Salisbury () is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, Wicomico County, Maryland, United States, and the largest city in Eastern Shore of Maryland, the state's Eastern Shore region. The population was 33,050 at the 2020 United ...
.
Death
Knighton was found dead by police in a
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
bathroom next to the hotel he was staying at in
Linthicum, Maryland
Linthicum is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 10,324 at the 2010 census. It is located directly north of Baltimore–Wa ...
, on February 4, 2016. An autopsy showed that Knighton's cause of death was a heroin overdose.
In July 2016, his estate was named part of a
class action
A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class actio ...
lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred traumatic brain injuries during their tenure and that the company concealed the risks of injury. The suit was litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE. On October 21, 2016, it was revealed Knighton experienced CTE. US District Judge
Vanessa Lynne Bryant
Vanessa Lynne Bryant (born January 27, 1954) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Early life
Bryant was born in Queens, New York, and graduated from Howard University wit ...
dismissed the lawsuit in September 2018.
Wrestlers trained
*
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 ...
*AAWA
**AAWA cut up Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*Allied Powers Wrestling Federation
**APWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*Eastern Wrestling Alliance
**EWA Hardcore Championship (1 time)
*
Global Wrestling Federation
Global Wrestling Federation was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. Often the promotion pr ...
**GWF Commonwealth Championship (1 time)
**
GWF Tag Team Championship
The GWF Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in the Global Wrestling Federation in Texas. The title existed from 1991 until 1994, when GWF closed. The title was featured on the promotion's show that aired nationally on ESPN. It is known a ...
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 1996 ...
**
IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship
The IWA World Championship is the major title in the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South based in Louisville, Kentucky. The title debuted at the "Crowning of a Champion" event on April 3, 1997, when Tower of Doom won a twelve man tournamen ...
(
2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
**
IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship
The IWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship is a tag team title in the IWA Mid-South promotion. The title debuted in 1997, but was abandoned before the year was out, and had a brief revival in 2002. The title was brought back from 2004 to 2008 and the ...
(
2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
) – with Ian Rotten
*
Maryland Championship Wrestling
MCW Pro Wrestling (formerly known as Maryland Championship Wrestling) is a regional independent wrestling promotion based in Joppa, Maryland. It has regularly run events in the Mid-Atlantic region since the late 1990s.
History
Maryland Champions ...
** MCW Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)
*Mid-America Wrestling
**MAW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
*
Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation was a Mid-Atlantic independent professional wrestling promotion based in Essex, Maryland. Founded by promoter Dennis Wippercht and wrestler Tim "Lucifer" Burke in 1991, the MEWF was one of the leading independ ...
**
MEWF Heavyweight Championship
The Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation (MEWF) Heavyweight Championship is the highest ranking singles title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation, one of three in the promotion.
The title was created when Ricky Blues defeated Agent Orange at an ...
(
2 times
"2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...
)
**
MEWF Tag Team Championship
This is a chronological list of MEWF tag team champions. The MEWF Tag Team Championship is the oldest championship title in the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation having been established when the Lords of Darkness (Pain and Agony) defeated Cream Tea ...
NWL Tag Team Championship
The NWL Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in the National Wrestling League promotion. The Brothers Superior (Neil Superior and Doug Superior) defeated The Cream Team (Dino Casanova and Rip Sawyer) in Mooref ...
Morgus the Maniac
Morgus Watson (born March 1, 1961), better known by his ring name Morgus the Maniac is an American professional wrestler who has competed on the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern independent promotions including the Eastern Wrestling Alliance, Mid-E ...
*''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
''
**PWI ranked him #132 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the
PWI 500
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...
in 1996
**PWI ranked him # 437 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
**
PWI Feud of the Year
This is a list of both active and inactive ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' awards which are voted on by ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') readers every year from 1972 onwards, expanding to more categories in later years.
Unlike other wrestling ...
(1995) vs.
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 ...
*Star Cavalcade Wrestling
**SCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
**SCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ricky Lawless
*Universal Independent Wrestling
**UIW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
See also
*
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 ...
*
List of premature professional wrestling deaths
According to a 2014 study by Eastern Michigan University examining professional wrestlers who were active between 1985 and 2011, mortality rates for professional wrestlers are up to 2.9 times greater than the rate for men in the wider United States ...