awesome you are the best, i grew up next door to mike in new port richey, hillsborough county fl., we used to play touch football on our street when we were kids. At FMW's first pay-per-view event FMW 9th Anniversary Show, Gladiator teamed with ZEN teammate Tetsuhiro Kuroda to take on TNR members Super Leather and Horace Boulder in a losing effort. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. nipun, he was truely a god amongst men. We have set your language to An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. On April 14, 2000, Mike Awesome returned to ECW to defend his championship during a house show in Indiana. [10] Awesome's hardcore reign came to an end a few weeks later on the July 12 edition of SmackDown! To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. [7] They successfully defended the title against Atsushi Onita and Sambo Asako in a street fight on March 29 and then lost the title to Mr. Pogo and Hisakatsu Oya in their second title defense on April 21. Apr 1: WWE WrestleMania Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. }
Mike Alfonso. In April 2003, Awesome debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Love you forever.". [7] He gained a new manager, Judge Jeff Jones, who managed Awesome to the top of winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice in 1999. > Canadian Hall of Fame
Net Worth in 2021. Jericho worked for WWE for many, WWE is reportedly returning to Saudi Arabia in May. Alfonso was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing and trail bike riding with friends and his son. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. As a result, Gladiator began feuding with Titan and defeated him in their first singles match against each other on July 31. [19][20] Awesome was the first "Invader" to gain gold in the WWF, stealing away with the Hardcore belt before any WWF wrestlers could catch him. I was so happy when I was told I was gone". After 3 years in college, he began training as a pro wrestler under Steve Keirn. Add to your scrapbook. He reminds me of the legendary don muraco, when he was in his wwf prime. Professional Wrestler. Gladiator became a free agent after ZEN's dissolution on May 5. In an shoot interview released by Highspots in 2003, Awesome conspired that the infamous incident between Vince Russo and Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach 2000 may have been one of the underlying reasons as to why he was plagued by a string of unfavorable gimmicks. Name:Michael Lee Alfonso Date:January 24th, 1965 - February 17th, 2007 He defeated Hisakatsu Oya in the quarter-final and Yukihiro Kanemura in the semi-final to become the runner-up of the tournament as he lost to Hayabusa in the final. it was sad to here that mike is dead.i miss him from wcw days when wwe taken over that time in india the both shows were stopped.i really missed him and his move which was carrier killer.awesome rest in peace Mike married the love of his life, Donna Louise Bratton, on January 25, 1969. Michael Neal James passed away May 8, 2021 at the age of 76. I understand the guy was a hero to most but why did he coward out and kill himself. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. He seemed really happy and content with his life. But if you guys really look up to him, use his death as a lesson. Start the day smarter . Please try again later. Mike Leach went home to be with his Lord and Savior on September 13 at 2:08 PM. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Michael was a Tampa native and member of The Crossing Church. Michael Carl Meier was born March 7, 1946 the first of Carl and Helen (Krech . Michael Lee "Mike" Alfonso (January 24, 1965 - February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. Make sure that the file is a photo. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17991309/mike-awesome. He left the company due to disagreement over Kodo Fuyuki's style of booking. World Wrestling Entertainment recognized his death by displaying an In Memory graphic at the beginning of the Feb. 20th ECW on Sci Fi. there is nothing cowardly about suicide it actually probably takes a lot of balls to go out like that. Related: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Mike Awesome. You were getting stabbed in the back constantly. He wanted to have a . You have chosen this person to be their own family member. While he was still in jail, his wife visited him and told him that she was going through with the divorce and taking their two children. Heyman, an astute follower of international wrestling, had been following Awesomes career in the Far East, first brought Awesome to ECW on February 5, 1994 when he wrestled J.T. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Alfonso attended King High School in Tampa, Florida and trained at Stan's Gym, an old school muscle gym, on 56th Street. He was taken by Covid 19. He is no relation of fellow ECW alumnus Bill Alfonso. Brittany Medina Funeral Counselor. based on information from your browser. In need of a new champion with credibility to replace the departing Taz, Heyman handpicked Awesome for the role of ECW World Champion. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. A feud with The Filthy Animals led to Awesome challenging Billy Kidman to a Hair-vs-Hair match, on January 15, however before the bout could take place, Team Canada attacked Kidman backstage, leaving him unable to compete. Mike's friends entered his house on February 17th, 2007 to find that Mike had hung himself. Your email address will not be published. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. another great warrior falls again An Awesome title controversy looms over ECW. Awesome competed primarily in Japans FMW promotion under the name G The Gladiator. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Pat Leach is organizing this fundraiser. Gladiator made his first successful title defense against Horace Boulder on October 25. Awesome battled both ICP members in a handicap match on an episode of Nitro, during which he hit Shaggy with a powerbomb on the roof of the bus that caused Shaggy to fall to the concrete floor below.[16]. The following day, on April 30, Gladiator surpassed Atsushi Onita's fourth reign of 337 days to become the longest reigning Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion by having reigned for 338 days at that point. A 46-meter (150 ft) tower was built replete with the shape of a fist clutching a peyote buttona symbol Thompson had used during an unsuccessful bid for sheriff in Pitkin County, Coloradoand a cannon mounted on top. At Kawasaki Legend: Fall Spectacular, Gladiator lost the Double Championship to Masato Tanaka, thus ending his Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship reign at 489 days and his Independent Heavyweight Championship reign at 291 days, making him the longest reigning Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion and the longest reigning Independent Heavyweight Champion. Awesome defeated Edge on the July 16 episode of Raw.[21]. he will be missed, Woow, it saddens me that awesome has past away. Alfonso competed in China, South Korea, Guam, Australia, Germany, England, Puerto Rico and Canada; however, didnt make his mark on the U.S. wrestling scene until 1999 when he captured the ECW Heavyweight title. He was born October 19, 1963 in Hays the son of Emery R. and Shirley (Pfeifer) Schmidt. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. The group strengthened its dominance after Mr. Pogo returned to FMW in the summer of 1993 and took over as the leader of the group. I had never heard of a wrestler by this name until I saw BlooD Sport..Most Violent ECW matches. He was recruited by FMW as the replacement for Al Green, who was originally scheduled to compete as Gladiator but moved to WCW. We made history that night, Tazz told SLAM! He also became That 70s Guy for a spell in a gimmick that included him driving an old-school bus and hosting a cheesy segment called The Lavalamp Lounge. Other gimmicks in WCW had Awesome being billed as The Career Killer (after throwing Chris Kanyon off the top of a three-tiered cage) and The Fat Chick Thriller along with being part of the Team Canada contingent, even though he was from Florida. Awesome pinned Tanaka on the floor of the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City after an Awesome Bomb through a table. He is from United States. Much of what is now known about the events surrounding the Mike Awesome deathwere not revealed until months after he died. I also remember discovering that he had been happily married longer than I had, which is a rarity in this business.. The tandem beat Tommy Dreamer and Tanaka and lost the belts to The Impact Players (Lance Storm and Justin Credible) in a three-way dance that also included Dreamer and Tanaka. About. He was additionally given a bus that resembled the one featured on The Partridge Family to drive into arenas as part of his entrance. In October, Gladiator joined the new W*ING Alliance with Mr. Pogo, Mitsuhiro Matsunaga, Yukihiro Kanemura, Goro Tsurumi, Horace Boulder, Hideki Hosaka and Hisakatsu Oya. [27] The crowd greeted Awesome with jeers at the beginning of the match, and commentator Joey Styles made frequent references to Awesome's leaving of ECW for WCW and during the match, Styles infamously said, "And it's a shame he didn't succeed in taking his own life." It was one of the most memorable high spots of the year. He was born August 17, 1944 in Richmond, Va to Edward M. James and June T. James. Awesome (a WCW employee and ECW champion) appeared a few days later at an ECW event in Indianapolis, Indiana, accompanied by WCW's head of security,[12] where he lost the title to Tazz (a World Wrestling Federation employee), who lost it a week later to Tommy Dreamer (a full-time ECW wrestler) (who incidentally lost it approximately 20 minutes later to Justin Credible). His longstanding feud with Masato Tanaka translated well for American audiences. What a match??? Get the occasional email with the latest wrestling tributes and memorials, Search by ring name, real name, cause of death, organization, time period (2000s, etc) or specific year, WWE Hall of Famer Ravishing Rick Rude was an amazing individual in and out of the ring. Press on dont give up!!! However, there was Sadly, the events surrounding the Mike Awesome deathhavelargely overshadowed his career in the squared circle. Should of been a future wwf champion. Mike was born in Casper on December 6, 1946, to Bruce Kennedy Ward and Nancy Pauline Ward. Gladiator would then resume his feud with the returning Atsushi Onita as the team of Gladiator, Terry Funk and Cactus Jack was defeated by Atsushi Onita, Masato Tanaka and W*ING Kanemura at 8th Anniversary Show on April 29. Gladiator successfully defended his Double Championship against Masato Tanaka on February 18, 1997. Obituary. 6:00PM to 8:00PM on Thursday, February 22nd, 2007 at Serenity Meadows, Services: On April 10, 2000, Awesome made a surprise appearance on WCW Monday Nitroaiding The New Blood by attacking Kevin Nashwhile still reigning as ECW World Heavyweight Champion. After Mike Awesome was released from jail, he returned to his home in Tampa, Florida. Oops, something didn't work. On a major scale, Awesome was last seen beating Masato Tanaka at ECWs One Night Stand in 2005. In February 2006, after 17 years in the ring, Awesome announced his retirement from wrestling, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family and adding that he felt underpaid for his work at the One Night Stand event and that he would only return to the ring "if the money was right". During this time, Vctor Quiones' group Puerto Rican Army overturned W*ING and Lethal Weapon to become the top villainous group in FMW and Quinones was luring away members of both factions into his Puerto Rican Army, which led Gladiator to turn fan favorite for the first time in his career. Michael was a lifelong Clinton County resident, 1984 graduate of Clinton Central . Just like Harry Stamps, William "Freddie" McCullough seems like one heck of a man. Demetrius was born in Chicago, Illinois, on April 4th, 1972. Coldwell Banker real estate salesman Michael Alfonso. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Burton George Knutson, age 88, of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, passed away Friday, February 17, 2023, at Field Crest Care Center in Hayfield, Minnesota. Family members linked to this person will appear here. "Waffle House lost a loyal customer on April 30, 2013. And Im happy I did it., Tazz insisted that there wasnt any bad blood between him and Awesome. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. you who judge the guy for killing himself are being ignorant theres no saying what kind of mental state people are in when they do these things they could be totally out of their minds from psychosis and depression. During the course of his 17-year career, the heavyweight won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice and the WWF Hardcore Championship twice. I did not employ the services of a business manager during my career. The match had the fans chanting This match rules., On his website, StormWrestling.com, Lance Storm said that Tanaka-Awesome stole the show at the initial One Night stand. you were always totally awesome. type: 'profile',
On September 15, Gladiator and Horace Boulder turned on Ricky Fuji during a match against Hideki Hosaka, Hido and Taka Michinoku. Flowers are accepted, however, those who wish may donate in memory of Michael to The American Diabetes Association 4902 Eisenhower Blvd. By Mike Rickard on August 5, 2018 / Blog / Leave a comment. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. [5] Alfonso trained for about one year along with former professional wrestlers, Dennis Knight (Mideon, Phineas Godwin) and "Big" Al Green before making his debut. [23], Awesome was released from the WWE on September 27, 2002, along with Shawn Stasiak and Horace Hogan. On February 5, 1994, at ECW's event, The Night the Line Was Crossed, Awesome nearly injured wrestler, J.T. They lost the title to the team of Hayabusa, Koji Nakagawa and Masato Tanaka on August 31. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment under the ring name Mike Awesome and for his appearances in Japan with Frontier Martial-Arts . Mike Langen was a husband and father of four. The entire Lethal Weapon attacked Fuji and turned on him to join Terry Funk's new group Funk Masters of Wrestling, which led Gladiator to turn into a villain again. Michael Neal James. You are given the most precious gift there is and you give it back? scrollbar: true,
We offer a complete line of granite, and bronze markers and arrange . Year should not be greater than current year. thanks, He was reported to have grabbedher by the throat and to have slammed her into a wall. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Awesome has been out of the wrestling spotlight since the acquisition of WCW by the WWE (then WWF). Mad Dog Vachon - Dead at 84. Although Awesome had other matches with Sabu that year, the match with Smith will long be remembered for Awesome over the top rope dive onto Smith, nearly snapping his back into two over the guardrail. height: 350,
Celebrities including Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg and Natalie Portman flocked to the Upper East . He is survived by his wife, Delisa, son; Casey, daughter; Carissa, his father; Tony and mother; Sharon, along with his brother, Rick. Failed to remove flower. and gave both men a standing ovation.[10]. Antonia W. "Toni" Larroux. But I personally never had heat with Mike. Express your sympathy by sharing this obituary with family and friends. Professional Wrestler. The last two years had been particularly difficult for him both . His epically hilarious and witty obituary is one of our favorites because of it's offbeat language and tone. He was 42. version: 2,
Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? After Awesome's retirement from professional wrestling, he served as a real estate agent in New Tampa, Florida. Also missed by his fur buddy Mr. Pickles. [24], From 2002 to 2006, Awesome competed on the independent circuit in the United States and Japan where he returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling as "The Gladiator" once again. }
Greg Oliver has been writing about pro wrestling since 1985, and is the author of wrestling books: The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Storytellers (with Steven Johnson), The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: Heroes & Icons (with Steven Johnson and Mike Mooneyham); The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels (with Steven Johnson); The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams (also with Johnson); The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Canadians; SLAM! The success of the tournament led Alfonso to work full-time with FMW. Loving father and buddy of Lillian. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment under the ring name Mike Awesome and for his appearances in Japan with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling as The Gladiator.[1][4]. Obituary. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? FundMe for Mike Leach Funeral and Medical Expenses. 7 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 05:08. Cherished and loving son of Herb & Faye Oakes. [18], After the March 2001 purchase of WCW by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Awesome became part of The Invasion storyline in the WWF. Your love is still our guide. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. photo: wwe.com. photo: wwe.com. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. February 16, 2022 by Alice Danquah. Information about the fact that the wrestler had been arrested for domestic violence was not revealed until after the shocking news of the murder-suicide death of Chris Benoit, which occurred in June 2007. I saw Mike Vs SpikeWas ok. And then I witnessed a brutal matchMike Vs Tanaka. Awesome lost to Tanaka again at the August Heat Wave pay-per-view event. Professional Wrestler. This partnership led the two to form a tag team which lasted nearly three years. HOPfully the wwe keeps on track and mackes memorly dvds for all of our heros growing up. Jay Nazaroff Care Center Assistant . He suffered a knee injury in the fall of 1995, which forced him to vacate the title on January 5, 1996. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. In the spring of 2003, Awesome latched on with TNA and in his debut defeated Perry Saturn by disqualification when New Jack and The Sandman interfered. Laura Shaw - April 13, 1976 - February 9, 2023. On August 5, Hisakatsu Oya, Mr. Gannosuke and The Gladiator defeated Fuyuki-Gun at a Fuyuki Army show to win the World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. Harold Dean Matticks (Hal), passed away at the age of 87 on February 15, 2023, in Albany, OR. },
Thanks for your help! He did an Awesome Bomb through a table and pinned Tanaka on the floor of the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. He and I grew up together. Funeral services will be held on Friday, Dec.18, at 2 p.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Cherokee. Smith when he performed a high-risk dive to the outside of the ring. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); No spam. width: 'auto',
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Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Feb 17, 2023. Salary in 2022. Michael Lee Alfonso, a wrestler who was twice named the Extreme Championship Wrestling World Champion, committed suicide on Feb. 17. He was best known for his time with World Championship Wrestling in 1992-2001 and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2005-2009. After high school, he worked as an iron worker on numerous downtown Tampa highrises. Before the February 20, 2007 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, a graphic with Mikethat said In memory of was shown. He was born on January 1, 1974 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Peter and Rose (Maykoski) Gulatto. You had to kiss everybody's ass You had to be on your political toes all the time. Later that year, Gladiator and Boulder participated in the Street Fight Tag Team Tournament, where they qualified for the semi-final against Tarzan Goto and Big Titan, which they lost. Net Worth in 2022. Flowers are accepted, however, those who wish may donate in memory of Michael to The American Diabetes Association 4902 Eisenhower Blvd. MORE: Zara and Mike Tindall's daughter Mia . ). i just want to say,i am sad for the loss of mike awsome to the wrestling world,to me he was my second fav wrestler next to the god of hardcore,bruiser brody,and what made me like mike awsome was the fact he reminded me of brody when he was in the ring,violent and brutal,awsome was refreshing to see in action cause he could do almost anything,at the time he was ecw champ he was the best champ in the world at that time and just like brody he found great sucess in japan.for anybody who knows wrestling prior to 2001,knows what im talking about,wrestling was a non-mcmachon controlled sport and not entertainment, and it was excellent,and right now with nwa-tna,wrestling is comming back and sports entertainment is dying and i love it.if you are a fan, go to http://www.you tube and watch bruiser brody matches and compare them to the state of wrestling right you will see what im talkin about.
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