Michael Lynn Durham (July 10, 1966 – February 16, 2006) 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 ...

, better known by his ring name, Johnny Grunge. He is known for his appearances with Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling,

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 Nati ...

and 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 ...

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 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, Edwar ...

with

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 ...

. In the course of his career, Grunge held championships such as the

ECW World Tag Team Championship The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestli ...

and

WCW World Tag Team Championship The WCW World Tag Team Championship (previously NWA (Mid-Atlantic) World Tag Team Championship) was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) ...

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1987–1993)

Grunge made his professional wrestling debut in 1987. In 1993 in

Woodbridge, New Jersey Woodbridge Township is a township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a regional hub for Central New Jersey and a major bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York metropolitan area located within the ...

, Grunge formed a

in the UWF with

known as

. This was not the first time they had met though as The Public Enemy faced one another in Austria circa 1991, with Grunge (using the name "Johnny Rotten") losing to Rock (using the name "Cheetah Kid" and was masked).

Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–1996)

In 1993, The Public Enemy joined

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 ...

, a

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

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 ...

soon to be renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling. Between March 6, 1994 and October 28, 1995, The Public Enemy held the

ECW Tag Team Championship The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestli ...

on four occasions. While in ECW, they were involved in two infamous incidents - the first when the ECW audience hurled folding chairs into the ring until The Public Enemy (both "unconscious") were submerged, and the second when the ECW audience invaded the

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

to celebrate with The Public Enemy, with the ring collapsing as a result of the additional weight. They were known for their

hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, inclu ...

style and usage of

tables Table may refer to: * Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs * Table (landform), a flat area of land * Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and columns * Table (database), how the table d ...

, a gimmick that was later adopted by the

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 ...

. The Public Enemy's wrestling style was referenced in

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...

's song "

El Scorcho "El Scorcho" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer. It is the first single from the band's second album, '' Pinkerton'', released in 1996. The music video features the band playing in an old ballroom in Los Angeles (as revealed b ...

"; the line "watchin' Grunge legdrop New Jack through a press table" was derived from a caption for a photograph of Grunge fighting wrestler

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 ...

that was published in ''

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 Publi ...

''.

World Championship Wrestling (1996–1998)

In 1996, The Public Enemy joined the

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

based

promotion. They debuted on January 15, 1996, defeating The American Males. On September 23, 1996 in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, The Public Enemy defeated

Harlem Heat Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team composed of two brothers, Booker and Lash Huffman (better known as Booker T and Stevie Ray). The team achieved their greatest success in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where they won the WCW ...

to win the

, but Harlem Heat regained the titles on October 1, 1996 in Canton, Ohio.

World Wrestling Federation and return to WCW (1999)

The Public Enemy left WCW in 1999, and briefly wrestled for ECW before joining the

. Both men made their debut on the February 22, 1999 episode of ''

Raw is War ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show f ...

'', but were released from the WWF two months later. They had previously performed in the company at Survivor Series 1995 facing

The Smoking Gunns The Smoking Gunns were a professional wrestling tag team of kayfabe brothers Billy Gunn (Monty Sopp) and Bart Gunn (Mike Polchlopek). They portrayed cowboys in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1996. As a team, the Smoking Gunns ...

. On July 18 at

Bash at the Beach 1999 Bash at the Beach (1999) was the sixth Bash at the Beach professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The event took place on July 11, 1999 from the National Car Rental Center in Fort Lauderdale ...

, The Public Enemy returned to WCW and took part in the "Junkyard Invitational". The Public Enemy - March 2002 - Table

Independent circuit (1999–2006)

They then returned to the independent circuit, making appearances with the

X Wrestling Federation The X Wrestling Federation (XWF) (later referred to as the Xcitement Wrestling Federation) was an American professional wrestling promotion that operated from 2001 to 2002. The previous number two and three American promotions, World Champions ...

as The South Philly Posse, where they were managed by

Jasmin St. Claire Jasmin St. Claire (born October 23, 1972) is an American former pornographic actress. She is also known for her work as a professional wrestling personality, most notably for ECW. She has made appearances in the world of professional wrestling a ...

. In the early 2000s, Public Enemy performed for the short-lived

i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling i-Generation Wrestling Superstars of Wrestling was a small series of professional wrestling shows in 2000. The roster consisted of wrestlers who had previously achieved fame in other promotions. The tour promoted a World Championship, an Internat ...

among other independent promotions. The team won various independent tag team titles. Following the death of Rocco Rock in 2002, Grunge teamed with his

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged ...

brother Joey Grunge as The New Public Enemy throughout August 2003. He also made appearances with

Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, or 3PW, was a hardcore professional wrestling promotion based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It ran many shows from the former ECW Arena. Following the close of Extreme Championship Wrestling, many former ECW veterans, su ...

(3PW) until his last match in 2004. He participated in a memorial segment for deceased ECW wrestlers at ''

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 forme ...

'' on June 10, 2005, and at the end of that year, Grunge was preparing for a comeback. His cousin, Jason Ray, who wrestled for

Big Japan Wrestling (BJW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1995. It is most famous for its deathmatch style contests. History Big Japan Pro Wrestling was founded in March 1995 by former AJPW wrestlers Shinya Kojika and Kendo Nagasaki ...

, helped book him for BJW's upcoming spring tour.

Personal life

Grunge was a neighbor of

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestlin ...

and helped Benoit cope with

Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero i ...

's death in November 2005. Grunge died on February 16, 2006, in his residence in

Peachtree City, Georgia Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 34,364. Peachtree City is located in South Metro Atlanta. Peachtree City is noted for its extensive use o ...

, as a result of

sleep apnea Sleep apnea, also spelled sleep apnoea, is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than normal. Each pause can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many tim ...

complications, which was most likely caused by a coronary artery blockage due to obesity. He was 39 years old. Other reports say he was visiting a friend at the time of his death where he was unable to breathe. He was morbidly obese and had ingested a huge quantity of Soma pills that were prescribed by doctor Phil Astin.

Championships and accomplishments

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Abra ...

**Other honoree (

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

) * Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling **

(

4 times "4 Times" (stylized as "4 TIMES") is the 50th single by pop/ R&B singer Koda Kumi. It was released on August 17, 2011 and debuted at No. 6, remaining on the Oricon charts for nine consecutive weeks. In commemoration of it being the fiftieth singl ...

) – with

* Hardcore Hall of Fame **Class of 2007 *

** i-Generation Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Rocco Rock *

International World Class Championship Wrestling International World Class Championship Wrestling (IWCCW, originally known as International Championship Wrestling) was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was promoted by Angelo Savoldi and his so ...

IWCCW Tag Team Championship The ICW / IWCCW Tag-Team Championship was the top tag-team championship of International World Class Championship Wrestling between 1984 and 1995 where IWCCW closed down operations. Since the ICW/IWCCW championships were not given "world title" s ...

(

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 Equalizer Zip *Main Event Championship Wrestling **MECW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock * National Wrestling Alliance **

NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA World ...

( 1 time) – with Rocco Rock *

NWA New Jersey NWA or Nwa most commonly refers to: * N.W.A ("Niggaz Wit Attitudes"), a hip hop group from Compton, California, US * National Wrestling Alliance, a professional wrestling organization NWA or Nwa may refer to: Music * New Weird America, a subgen ...

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 ...

( 1 time) – with Rocco Rock *

New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame The New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame and Fan Fest is an American professional wrestling hall of fame. It was established in January 2008 to honor select wrestling personalities who have made significant contributions to professional wrestli ...

**Class of 2010 *New-Wave Championship Wrestling **NWCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock *

**Ranked No. 465 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the ''PWI Years'' in 2003 *Superstars of Wrestling **SOW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Rocco Rock *

Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling was a Southeastern independent professional wrestling promotion based in Marietta, Georgia. It was founded by retired wrestler and former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dusty Rhodes in 2000 and, during its thre ...

**TCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock *Ultra Championship Wrestling **UCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Jason Ray *Universal Wrestling Alliance :*UWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Rocco Rock *

( 1 time) – with Rocco Rock *Other Accomplishments **IPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock **MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock ** Hardcore Hall of Fame (2007)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grunge, Johnny 1966 births 2006 deaths American male professional wrestlers People from Sulphur, Louisiana Professional wrestlers from Louisiana ECW World Tag Team Champions 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers NWA World Tag Team Champions WCW World Tag Team Champions