$heriff Tom
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Groom ba ya ya ya
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Post by $heriff Tom on Feb 19, 2007 17:48:02 GMT -5
Apparent suicide.....by hanging! WWE is saddened by news of the passing of Mike Alfonso, better known to wrestling fans as Mike Awesome. He was 42.
Mike Awesome's first major exposure came overseas, where he became one of the Japan's top stars. Awesome would eventually become a star and champion in America while wrestling for Extreme Championship Wrestling. Following his successful run in ECW, Awesome spent time working in WCW and later WWE before retiring to his native Tampa, Florida.
While in ECW, Awesome was a two-time World Champion and Tag Team Champion. His matches with Masato Tanaka, including a show-stealer at One Night Stand in 2005 were among the most memorable in ECW history.  |
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MSBNYY
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El Guapo
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Post by MSBNYY on Feb 19, 2007 18:07:05 GMT -5
Talk about a misuse of the ropes. I guess he just wanted to hang out with someone over the weekend.
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Post by grover on Feb 19, 2007 20:29:43 GMT -5
Fucking hell!
Man, that sucks. I LOVED his feud with Misato Tanaka.
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$heriff Tom
Administrator
Groom ba ya ya ya
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Post by $heriff Tom on Feb 19, 2007 21:37:14 GMT -5
Balls, can you come armed with anything but a joke?
And if you ARE going to joke, make it funny, like, "he hung himself? He must have did that when the refs back was turned."
Anyway, I just watched a 3-pack of Awesome matches. Grover, you nailed it with the Tanaka stuff. They stole the show, to me, at One Night Stand 2005. I watched that again, it was a violent train wreck of crazy spots, but man Awesome could fly around. I also watched them go at it from November to Remember 1999. Honestly, one of the best matches I have ever seen. Comes complete with Joey Styles hollering, "Mom, forgive me for this, but HOLY SHIT!" as the fans chanted the same after an Awesome Bomb through a table on the floor.
I capped it off with Awesome vs Kid Kash in an impromptu battle during Living Dangerously 1990. At the time Awesome was both World Champ and half of the tag champs with Raven (I had forgotten about that) - well, Kash was in the ring with Simon Diamond and some of his clods, and Awesome came out to run them off, but Kash attacked and was pretty much destroyed.
Later on I will watch a 3-way dance with Raven and Awesome vs Dreamer and Tanaka and The Impact Players of Storm and Credible, from that same card.
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MSBNYY
Administrator
El Guapo
Posts: 15,545
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Post by MSBNYY on Feb 19, 2007 22:30:04 GMT -5
Tom--that corny joke was AWESOME.
I don't get why Awesome just didn't stay in the WWE, or even go to TNA. I'm sure if he wanted to, he could have hung around.
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Post by grover on Feb 19, 2007 22:58:29 GMT -5
 LOL!! Hey, remember the short lived "Fat chick thrilla" angle where he would go on the top ropes and go 'I like 'em round' to the crowd while making a circle with his arms? Then he would take Buff Bagwell out on a date with fat chicks? Man, even Russo's bad stuff was great. |
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Post by sancho231 on Feb 20, 2007 2:07:26 GMT -5
ya know Awesome's WCW run seemed really stupid at the time and i was pissed for him jumping to WCW but that shit is really funny looking back. i think Awesomes best work was his early ECW and FMW stuff, The Gladiator vs hayabusa, The Tope he gave to JT smith on the guad rail where it looked like he Snaped JTs spine is my favorite Awesome moment.i gonna go look for some of his work now.there s a match he had with Masato in white plains in 98, iwas at that live im gonna look for that now
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$heriff Tom
Administrator
Groom ba ya ya ya
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Post by $heriff Tom on Feb 20, 2007 9:05:02 GMT -5
Looking back I am almost amazed at some of the stuff he was doing in the ring. And he could have left more a legacy on these shores, he was big and GOOD. And he had the crowd going zonkers in every ECW match I saw with him in it. Also, as Sancho said, at the time the WCW stuff was corny, but looking back - hey, we're talking about it, and even before he died Grover and I in particular would bring it up and laugh about it. That thing on the ropes, the fat chick thrilla stuff, was very funny.
I am going to need to pull out some of that hokey stuff.
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$heriff Tom
Administrator
Groom ba ya ya ya
Posts: 16,173
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Post by $heriff Tom on Feb 20, 2007 9:52:01 GMT -5
By the way, a couple of things to add after poking around a bit on the sites. The real victims in all this are his two kids, ages 6 and 10.
Also, I forgot he came in and took the WWF Hardcore title at the Garden. I was there.
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Post by thecaptain15 on Feb 21, 2007 19:28:09 GMT -5
I wasn't on the PC for a couple days and was shocked when it came up before Raw.....I couldn't believe it..I was honored to see his last great match live at the first One Night Stand vs. Tanaka..It stole the show and everyone went nuts...RIP you 70s dude you....
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