John Michael Watson (born June 4, 1973), better known by his ring name Mikey Whipwreck, is an American semi-retired

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 ...

working for

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...

(AEW) as a trainer, and global ambassador. He is best known for his career 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), where he was an ECW Triple Crown Champion. Whipwreck is a former

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, winning 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 ...

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 ...

. He also became a two-time World Television Champion and a three-time World Tag Team Champion in ECW. Watson began his professional wrestling career in ECW in 1994 and received the

push Push may refer to: Music * Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push Albums * ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988 * ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992 * ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010 Songs * "Push" (Enrique Iglesias s ...

of an underdog, who quickly captured the Television Championship, his first

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

in the company. He would later form an on-and-off partnership with Cactus Jack, with whom he held the World Tag Team Championship

twice Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, ...

between 1994 and 1996. A year later, Whipwreck captured the World Heavyweight Championship at age 22 and became the youngest ECW World Heavyweight Champion. He would compete as a mid-carder in the company before leaving in 1998 but returned to the company in late 1999 after 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 ...

(WCW). Shortly after his return, Whipwreck aligned with The Sinister Minister and 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

Yoshihiro Tajiri is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter primarily known under the ring name Tajiri (sometimes stylized as "TAJIRI"), he has also competed under his real name as well as under the names Aquarius and Kikkoman and briefly worked as the ...

called The Unholy Alliance and won his third World Tag Team Championship with Tajiri. The team existed until ECW's closure in 2001. Since October 28, 2018, Whipwreck along with

Jerry Lynn Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship ...

and Mike Freland, started and co-hosts a podcast named Front Row Material.

Professional wrestling career

Eastern / Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993-1998)

Training and debut (1993–1994)

Before becoming a professional wrestler, Watson 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 Wrest ...

(ECW) as a part of their ring crew, who would usually work for free as long as they could have fun in the ring themselves before and after shows had finished.

Joey Styles Joseph Carmine Bonsignore (born July 14, 1971) better known by his ring name Joey Styles, is an American former professional wrestling commentator. He is best known for his time with ECW and WWE. Before working for WWE, Styles was a full-time ...

suggested to ECW booker

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 Heavyweig ...

to check him after watching Watson practice a variety of aerial maneuvers before a live show began. He was hired in ECW after being asked by Heyman to wrestle in the company. Watson was trained by future

partner Cactus Jack and made his debut 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 projecting ...

"Mikey Whipwreck" on the February 1, 1994 episode of '' NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling'', where he teamed with Keith Shearer in a

tag team 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 ...

against Kevin Sullivan and

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 mana ...

. Whipwreck continued to make appearances 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 ...

for the next three months on ''Eastern Championship Wrestling''.

Championship reigns (1994–1996)

On the May 17 episode of ''Eastern Championship Wrestling'', Whipwreck defeated The Pitbull to win the World Television Championship, his first title in ECW. Whipwreck was heavily pushed upon his debut as a fan favorite underdog

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 ...

. He made his first televised title defense against Kevin Sullivan on the May 24 episode of ''Eastern Championship Wrestling'', where Whipwreck won by disqualification. He made a successful title defense against

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 ...

by disqualification 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 ...

. Whipwreck soon entered a

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

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 ...

after Jason interfered in Whipwreck's title defenses against

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 ...

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

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, Sl ...

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 assaulted him during his matches. Whipwreck dropped the World Television Championship to Jason in a

no disqualification 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 ...

at the

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 ...

event on August 13 when

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 ...

attacked Whipwreck. Two weeks later, at the

NWA World Title Tournament In professional wrestling, the NWA World Title Tournament was a live supercard held by the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States-based professional wrestling promotion NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) on August 27, 1994. The event fea ...

, Whipwreck substituted for

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 won 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 ...

with Cactus Jack by defeating

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 ...

). The duo held the titles until

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 they lost the titles back to Public Enemy. Whipwreck closed the year with a win over Don E. Allen at

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, ...

in December. He was named the Rookie of the Year by ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' in 1994. Whipwreck continued his rivalry with Jason in early 1995 and formed a tag team 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 ...

. Whipwreck and Meyers lost to Jason and Paul Lauria in a

at Return of the Funker on February 25. The duo soon began a feud with

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 ...

after Whipwreck defeated

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 ...

. Whipwreck joined forces with Raven's Nest rival

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 ...

to take on Raven and Stevie Richards in a tag team 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 ...

, which Whipwreck's team lost. Whipwreck began to ascend the ranks, while also expanding his moveset in the meantime. He received his first major

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 ...

push on the August 1 episode of '' Hardcore TV'' when he won a

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

by lastly eliminating

Marty Jannetty Fredrick Martin Jannetty (born February 3, 1960) is an American professional wrestler who has worked for promotions including the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Championship Wres ...

to become the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Later that night, he was unsuccessful in his title shot against The Sandman. Whipwreck began feuding with Sandman over the title. He defeated Sandman in a Singapore cane match 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 Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast ...

. At Gangstas Paradise, Whipwreck teamed with Public Enemy against Sandman,

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

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 ...

in a Gangstas Paradise match, which Whipwreck's team won. On the October 31 episode of ''Hardcore TV'', Whipwreck defeated Sandman in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

to win the World Heavyweight Championship, becoming the youngest

in professional wrestling history and a Triple Crown Champion in ECW. Whipwreck successfully defended the title against

Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...

. At December to Dismember on December 9, Whipwreck defended the title against Sandman and Austin 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 ...

, where Whipwreck was the first to be eliminated by Austin. Sandman won the title. Watson continued his championship success at

Holiday Hell 1995 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, ...

on December 29, when he defeated 2 Cold Scorpio in a

Winner Takes All 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 Scorpio's World Television Championship and the World Tag Team Championship (which Scorpio held with Sandman), with assistance by former tag team partner Cactus Jack, who delivered a

double underhook DDT In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock/inverted headlock and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat. The classic DDT is performed by putting the opponent ...

to Scorpio and put Whipwreck on top of him for the pinfall. Whipwreck was dissatisfied with the title win but Jack chose himself as Whipwreck's other half of the World Tag Team Champions. Whipwreck lost the World Television Championship back to Scorpio 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, after interference by Raven. Whipwreck and Cactus were unable to maintain a successful partnership due to Cactus's dirty tactics. The duo dropped the World Tag Team Championship to

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 ...

(

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 ...

and

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 ...

) in February 1996 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. Excer ...

. After the match, Cactus turned on Whipwreck with the aid of Raven and Whipwreck began feuding with Cactus. At CyberSlam, Whipwreck cost Cactus, a match against

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 ...

, setting a match between the former tag team partners 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 ...

, which would turn out to be Cactus' farewell match in the company. Whipwreck was defeated following several chair shots and a piledriver.

Various feuds (1996–1998)

At CyberSlam, Whipwreck began a new

angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two Ray (geometry), rays, called the ''Side (plane geometry), sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex (geometry), vertex'' of the angle. Angles formed by two ...

with

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 ...

by picking up a fight with him after Taz continued to assault his defeated opponent Joel Hartgood after the match, but Whipwreck was taken down with a ''

Tazmission Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...

''. Whipwreck lost to Taz in a series of matches including one at

on March 8. At

, Whipwreck attempted to regain 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 ...

from

with Sabu as his partner but failed to win the titles. He captured the European Wrestling Association (EWA) European Junior Heavyweight Championship on August 2 by defeating The Dirt Bike Kid and appeared with the belt on ECW television until losing it to Sabu at

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

in December. Whipwreck appeared on the February 24, 1997 episode of ''

Monday Night Raw ''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 fe ...

'', emanating from ECW's home arena

Manhattan Center The Manhattan Center is a building in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street, it houses Manhattan Center Studios, the location of two recording studios; its Grand Ballroom; and the Hammerstein Ballroo ...

where he lost to Taz as part of an

between ECW 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 vario ...

(WWF). He took a hiatus from ECW for the next few months until returning to television on the May 29 episode of ''Hardcore TV'', where he 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 ...

lost to

Big Dick Dudley Alexander Rizzo (January 12, 1968 – May 16, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Big Dick Dudley. Rizzo was best known for his appearances with the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based professional wrestling pr ...

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 ...

. Whipwreck and Dudley began teaming together and got involved in a feud with

PG-13 The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures ...

. Whipwreck and Dudley lost to PG-13 at

Orgy of Violence Orgy of Violence was a professional wrestling live event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on June 28, 1997. The event was held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. Excerpts from Orgy of Violence aire ...

but defeated PG-13 and Whipwreck's longtime rival

in 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 ...

at July's

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 ...

. Whipwreck was next placed in a rivalry with the undefeated newcomer

Justin Credible Peter Joseph "PJ" Polaco (born October 16, 1973) is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Justin Credible. He ...

, who was being managed by Jason. Whipwreck faced Credible in a match at

, which Whipwreck won by pinning him after a '' Whipper-Snapper'', ending Credible's televised winning streak. Whipwreck disappeared from television and returned at the

Living Dangerously In professional wrestling, Living Dangerously was a 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 me ...

pay-per-view on March 1, 1998, where he helped

in beating Credible. Whipwreck lost to Credible in a rematch at May's

. He competed against

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 ...

for 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 Champio ...

at It Ain't Seinfeld, where the match ended in a no contest after Sabu interfered and attacked Van Dam. Whipwreck would then compete against Sabu in a series of matches throughout the year. His last rivalry in the company was against

. He defeated Lynn in the opening match of

UltraClash UltraClash was a professional wrestling supercard event produced by Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). The event took place in 1993 and 1998 from the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ...

on September 19. His last televised match in ECW was a loss to Lynn on the December 17 episode of ''Hardcore TV''.

World Championship Wrestling (1999)

Watson left ECW for

(WCW) in late 1998. He made his surprise WCW debut at the Uncensored

in March 1999, unsuccessfully challenging

Billy Kidman Peter Alan Gruner Jr. (born May 11, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Billy Kidman. He is currently employed by WWE as a producer. As a wrestler, Kidman is best known for his work with World Champi ...

for the Cruiserweight Championship. He made only three more pay-per-view appearances. He would lose to Scotty Riggs at Spring Stampede and

Van Hammer A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...

The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National Wr ...

. His final WCW pay-per-view match was a Junkyard Invitational at Bash at the Beach. He left WCW after several months, disillusioned by his lack of a

. While in WCW, he generally wrestled in the cruiserweight division or competed against fellow ECW alumni in the hardcore division, which made him have second thoughts about staying in WCW. His last match was a

draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to: Common uses * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...

against Chase Tatum on the August 23 episode of ''

Monday Nitro ''WCW Monday Nitro'', also known as ''WCW Nitro'' or simply ''Nitro'', is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast weekly every Monday night on TNT in the United ...

''.

Return to ECW (1999-2001)

Singles competition (1999–2000)

Watson returned to the ECW in October 1999 at

Re-enter the Sandman Re-enter the Sandman was a professional wrestling live event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) on October 23, 1999. The event was held in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. Excerpts from Re-enter the ...

(televised on the October 31 episode of ''

ECW Hardcore TV ''ECW Hardcore TV'' is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by the Philadelphia based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) composed of footage from live shows and recorded interviews. It ran in syndi ...

''). He was brought back to the company by Lou E. Dangerously and faced

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 ...

for the World Heavyweight Championship but lost. Whipwreck unsuccessfully challenged

for the World Television Championship on the December 26 ''Hardcore TV''. In 2000, Whipwreck faced C. W. Anderson in a losing effort at Guilty as Charged.

The Unholy Alliance (2000–2001)

Whipwreck competed as a mid-carder, aligning himself with The Sinister Minister, during which his

was changed from a

lovable loser The lovable loser is a character archetype portrayed as a sympathetic, likable, or well-meaning person for whom bad luck continually prevents their various efforts from succeeding, and from obtaining the things they feel will bring them happiness,S ...

to a mad-pyromaniac. During this time, he began competing against lighter wrestlers in the cruiserweight division. He competed in elimination matches at May's

and July's

pay-per-views. During this time, he frequently feuded with

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 ...

and joined forces with

. Whipwreck and Tajiri formed a

called The Unholy Alliance. In August 2000 at Midtown Massacre, the Unholy Alliance won a one-night tag team tournament for the vacant

. They defeated

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 ...

(Little Guido and

Tony Mamaluke Charles John Spencer (born July 19, 1977) is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Tony Marinara and with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrest ...

) in the quarter-final round,

E. Z. Money Jason Broyles (born April 27, 1973) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under the ring name E. Z. Money. He also briefly wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in ...

and

Julio Dinero Brian Wohl (born April 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known for his ring name Julio Dinero. His real name is sometimes mistakenly given as Brian Wall. Professional wrestling career Wohl debuted in 1994 after tra ...

in the semi-final round and the teams of

and

and Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger in the final round, a three-way dance to win the vacant titles. Unholy Alliance dropped the belts to Full Blooded Italians on the September 8 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 P ...

''. Unholy Alliance unsuccessfully challenged The FBI for the tag titles at Anarchy Rulz. The duo got another opportunity for the titles at

, where Whipwreck was injured in the match and was replaced by

Super Crazy Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973), better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler). In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances f ...

. This marked the beginning of a brief alliance between Super Crazy and Unholy Alliance, which ended after the trio lost to Hot Commodity (E. Z. Money, Julio Dinero and

Chris Hamrick Christopher Hamrick (born October 21, 1966) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in ECW, though he is also known for his appearances in WWE, TNA and throughout the independent circuit. Professional wrestling car ...

) in a

six-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

on the November 19 episode of ''Hardcore TV''. Unholy Alliance turned on Crazy when Whipwreck helped Tajiri in defeating Crazy in a match by delivering a '' Whipper-Snapper'' to Crazy, allowing Tajiri to get the win. The duo became

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 ...

in the process. Unholy Alliance began feuding with Crazy and the duo defeated Crazy and his partner

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), Impact Wrestling, Total Nonstop A ...

in a tag team match at

Massacre on 34th Street Massacre on 34th Street was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It took place on December 3, 2000, from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, and was the second to last pay-pe ...

. Unholy Alliance defeated Crazy and Kash and Full Blooded Italians in a three-way dance at ECW's final pay-per-view Guilty as Charged on January 7, 2001. Unholy Alliance won the match. This was his final match as the company folded down due to bankruptcy after holding its final event on January 13.

Independent circuit and retirement (2001–2015)

In early 2001, Whipwreck announced his intention to retire in May 2002 if he was not hired by the World Wrestling Federation or BRC in the interim, expressing an interest in pursuing a career in

pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...

. By June 11 he had decided to retire by September of that year, as his wrestling style had begun resulting in a number of nagging injuries, including two herniated discs, damaged knees, a damaged right shoulder and a jaw cracked to the point of not even being able to eat hard food. In tribute to Whipwreck,

Border City Wrestling Border City Wrestling (BCW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion owned and booked by Scott D'Amore, and based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Many of the promotion's employees were trained at the ''Can-Am'' wrestling school. Aft ...

hosted "The Mikey Whipwreck Retirement Bash" on August 29, 2001 at the Cicciaro Club in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

and featured a number of prominent ECW performers, such as

and Sabu. Whipwreck wrestled his American retirement match on October 20, 2001, defeating Little Guido. Whipwreck broke his retirement before long, returning in 2003. He wrestled in several different promotions, such as

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...

, where he would often team with or against some of the wrestlers he has trained. He also made a one-time appearance in

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 ...

, where he teamed with The Sandman at one of TNA's weekly pay-per-views against The Gathering (

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...

and

) in a losing effort. He later appeared 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 former ...

, ECW reunion tour organized by fellow ECW alum

, in mid-2005. On 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 ...

portion of the tour, he teamed with

Chris Chetti Christopher Chetti (born July 16, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) between 1996 and 2001. Professional wrestling career Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

to defeat

Simon Diamond Patrick Kenney (born May 26, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and baseball player, better known by his ring name, Simon Diamond. He is currently working for the National Wrestling Alliance as Director of Talent Relations. Diamo ...

and C. W. Anderson on June 10. Two days later at the first-ever ECW One Night Stand, Whipwreck,

and The Sinister Minister reunited for one night only as Whipwreck and The Minister stood in Tajiri's corner during his three-way dance against Little Guido and

. During April 2006, Whipwreck worked as an agent for Liberty States Wrestling. At the second ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view on June 11, 2006, Whipwreck was seen on camera celebrating with other ECW wrestlers after

won the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...

. On February 21, 2008, in his final New England wrestling appearance, Whipwreck was set to team with

The Blue Meanie Brian Heffron (born May 18, 1973), better known by his ring name The Blue Meanie, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation between 1995 and 2 ...

to challenge for the

NECW Tag Team Championship The NECW Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team title in New England Championship Wrestling. The title was later unified with the PWF Mayhem Tag Team title. NECW closed on November 6, 2010, and the championship was retained b ...

New England Championship Wrestling New England Championship Wrestling (NECW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States that has promoted events since 2000. Currently owned and operated by Sheldon Goldberg, is one of the top indepe ...

's Genesis 8 event in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

, but due to car troubles Whipwreck was unable to attend the event, causing The Blue Meanie to pick a replacement. On September 11, 2010, Whipwreck and Syther defeated Big Time Rush (Tony Burma and Ryan Rush) to win the New York Wrestling Connection Tag Team Championship. On May 24, 2012, Whipwreck made his debut for his former partner, Tajiri's new

Wrestling New Classic was a Japanese ''puroresu'' or professional wrestling promotion, founded in April 2012 by Yoshihiro Tajiri. WNC was the follow-up promotion to Smash, which folded in March 2012. History On April 5, 2012, Tajiri held a press conference to annou ...

(WNC) promotion in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. He teamed with Tajiri in a tag team hardcore match, where they defeated

Jado & Gedo were a professional wrestling tag team that currently work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where they are also the head bookers. One of the most accomplished tag teams in puroresu, the team has won numerous tag team titles and six-man tag tea ...

. Two days later, Whipwreck and Tajiri defeated

Yo-Hey , better known by his ring name Yo-Hey (stylised in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). Fujita started his career in Dragon Gate (DG) under the ring name Ryoma (stylised in ...

and

Yusuke Kodama is a Japanese professional wrestler and currently wrestlers for All Japan Pro Wrestling as a freelancer. Kodama is best known for his time with Wrestle-1 (W-1), where he is a former two time UWA World Trios Champion, two time Wrestle-1 Cruiser ...

in another tag team hardcore match in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

. Whipwreck's tour of WNC concluded on May 27, when he, Tajiri and

Kana The term may refer to a number of syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. Such syllabaries include (1) the original kana, or , which were Chinese characters (kanji) used phonetically to transcribe Japanese, the most pr ...

were defeated in a six-person main event by Akira,

Dave Finlay David Finlay Jr. (born 31 January 1958) is an Irish retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE as a trainer/assistant coach. He is known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Fit Finlay from 1995 to ...

and

Syuri is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the ...

. Whipwreck returned to WNC on August 30, when he, Kana and Tajiri were defeated in a Barbed Wire Board Deathmatch by Akira, StarBuck and Syuri, with Akira pinning Whipwreck for the win. Whipwreck, Kana and Tajiri were also defeated in a rematch the following day in Osaka. On September 1, in the third and final Barbed Wire Board Deathmatch between the two teams, Whipwreck pinned StarBuck to win the match for his team. On March 12, 2015, Watson announced his intention to "let Mikey Whipwreck fade into the past". On September 14, 2015, it was announced that Mikey Whipwreck would be a playable character in the ''

WWE 2K16 ''WWE 2K16'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is the sequel to ''WWE 2K15'', and was succeeded by ''WWE 2K17''. ...

'' video game.

Notable wrestlers trained by Whipwreck

Amazing Red Jonathan Figueroa (born April 26, 1982), better known by his ring name Amazing Red, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler and promoter. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former three-time ...

Curt Hawkins Brian Myers (born April 20, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he is a former Impact Digital Media Champion. He is best known for his tenures in WWE from 2006–2014 and 2016–2020 unde ...

Tony Nese Anthony Nese (born August 6, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he is a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Professional wrestling career Ind ...

Zack Ryder Matthew Brett Cardona (born May 14, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Zack Ryd ...

Dawn Marie Dawn Marie Psaltis (born November 3, 1970) is an American actress, nurse and a retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling valet. She is perhaps best known for her appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the Smac ...

Jay Lethal Jamar Shipman (born April 29, 1985), better known by the ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Dubbed "The Franchise" of Ring of Honor, Lethal is a two-time ROH World Champio ...

* The S.A.T. (Joel Maximo and Jose Maximo) * Mason Raige * John Silver *

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

Trent Beretta Gregory "Greg" Marasciulo (born March 30, 1987), better known by the ring name Trent Beretta or Trent?, is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his time with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring ...

Championships and accomplishments

BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Championship The BCW Can-Am Heavyweight Championship is the top title contested for in the Ontario-based professional wrestling promotion Border City Wrestling. On March 18, 2010 the BCW Can-Am Championship was unified with the BSE Pro and Neo Spirit Pro-Wre ...

( 1 time) *European Wrestling Association **EWA European Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling **

( 1 time) **

(

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 ...

) **

( 3 times) – with Cactus Jack (2) and

(1) **Tampa Bay Brawl (1995) ** Triple Crown Champion *Hardcore Wrestling Alliance **HWA Heavyweight Championship (2 times) **Quest For The Best Tournament (1999) **Hardcore Rumble (2000) *Impact Championship Wrestling **ICW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Jersey All Pro Wrestling **

JAPW Tag Team Championship The JAPW Tag Team Championship is a championship in the Jersey All Pro Wrestling promotion. It became official title on December 5, 1997 when The Blood Angels (Diablos Macabre and Lucifer Grimm) defeated Don Montoya and Homicide in a tournament fi ...

( 1 time) - with JT Jobber *

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 Cruiserweight Championship ( 1 time) **Match of the Year (2000) *New York Wrestling Connection **NYWC Heavyweight Championship (3 times) **NYWC Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Wayne (1), Syther (1), Rex Lawless (1) and Stockade (2) **NYWC Hall of Fame (Class of 2016) *''

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 ...

'' ** Ranked No. 146 of the top 500 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 ** Ranked No. 459 of the top 500 greatest wrestlers in the "PWI Years" in 2003 *USA Pro Wrestling **USA Pro Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Wayne *World Xtreme Wrestling **WOW Magazine Championship (1 time) *''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...

'' ** Rookie of the Year (1994) *Xtreme Wrestling Coalition **XWC Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **XWC Heavyweight Title Tournament (2001)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whipwreck, Mikey 1973 births American male professional wrestlers American podcasters ECW Heavyweight Champions/ECW World Heavyweight Champions ECW World Tag Team Champions ECW World Television Champions Living people Professional wrestlers from New York (state) Professional wrestling podcasters Professional wrestling trainers Sportspeople from Buffalo, New York 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers