He would combine doing that with doing Hindu squats by doing a squat between each push. Its not your job to do. Your love is still our guide. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. His epically hilarious and witty obituary is one of our favorites because of it's offbeat language and tone. When Mike got out of jail in early 2007, he came home to find the house empty and his wife, son, and daughter nowhere to be found. 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. It's a shame he didn't get a run on a national level federation. scrollbar: true, There is a problem with your email/password. Reportedly, Michael Alfonso got into a heated dispute with his wife after she said she wanted a divorce. He and I grew up together. On April 23, Awesome teamed with Brian Lee and Slash in a losing effort against Perry Saturn, New Jack and The Sandman. This is a carousel with slides. Express your sympathy by sharing this obituary with family and friends. Rest In Peace Mike. They later divorced. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Now with WCW, Awesome continued to be a major factor with the New Blood for the next month, teaming with Billy Kidman occasionally to aid him in his feud with Hulk Hogan. 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. Start the day smarter . In March, Gladiator participated in a tournament to determine the #1 contender for the Double Championship at 9th Anniversary Show. Suddenly as the result of an accident on Thursday January 12, 2023 Mr. Michael Richard "Mike" Oakes of Central Huron at the age of 44. After Mike Awesome was released from jail, he returned to his home in Tampa, Florida. Michael Lee Alfonso, a wrestler who was twice named the Extreme Championship Wrestling World Champion, committed suicide on Feb. 17. Diana then visited him and jail and said she planned to go through with the divorce. The match that transpired only lasted minutes long and . At 7th Anniversary Show, Hisakatsu Oya, Horace Boulder and The Gladiator lost to Super Leather and The Headhunters in a match for the inaugural World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. Michael was a Tampa native and member of The Crossing Church. > Canadian Hall of Fame He lost to Onita in a Chain Deathmatch on October 1, after which Alfonso returned to United States. You can always change this later in your Account settings. 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]. No BS. I had never heard of a wrestler by this name until I saw BlooD Sport..Most Violent ECW matches. Your smile could light up a room and melt many hearts - we will miss you more than we can say. Mike's friends entered his house on February 17th, 2007 to find that Mike had hung himself. Mad Dog Vachon - Dead at 84. After training at Steve Keirns Pro Wrestling School of Hard Knocks, the 6-foot-6, 292-pound wrestler made his debut in 1989. Awesome has been out of the wrestling spotlight since the acquisition of WCW by the WWE (then WWF). Following the news that Mike Awesome died, both the WWE and ECW paid tribute to him. [8], In 1993, Alfonso appeared in NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) for a short period (as "Awesome" Mike Awesome), he was convinced to do so by Sabu, whom he befriended during their time in Japan. Awesome competed primarily in Japans FMW promotion under the name G The Gladiator. I did not employ the services of a business manager during my career. We offer a complete line of granite, and bronze markers and arrange . features: { 7 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 05:08. background: '#333333', He was a member of two separate stables Team Canada in both FMW and WCW. [10] Awesome then faded into the background, mostly helping Storm in his battles against Ernest "The Cat" Miller. 0 cemeteries found in Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana, USA. Born and raised in Tampa, Fla., Alfonso married his high school sweetheart and fathered two children. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. After Bash at the Beach in July 2000, his gimmick was tweaked, with him becoming infatuated with heavyset women and calling himself "The Fat Chick Thriller" and feuded with Scott Steiner and Lance Storm for the WCW United States Championship. Try again later. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. We are known for providing the best in funeral services to all families. > WrestleMania, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, WWE Unauthorized inaccurate and superficial. Queen Elizabeth 's eldest granddaughter, Zara Tindall, and her husband Mike Tindall comforted one another following the monarch's funeral service at . He is no relation of fellow ECW alumnus Bill Alfonso. Mike is survived by his parents; two brothers, Matthew (Maureen Rieff) Gulatto and Peter (Jamie Toepfer) Gulatto; beloved . Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. The two had many bitter brawls, taking the level of Japanese garbage wrestling to new heights. Funeral services will be held at a later date. brand on the July 27, 2002, edition of Velocity where he was defeated by Tajiri. Being the member of the Monkees dubbed "the Smart One" was not an unqualified blessing for Michael Nesmith, who has died aged 78 of heart failure . Awesome pinned Tanaka on the floor of the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City after an Awesome Bomb through a table. Burton George Knutson, age 88, of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, passed away Friday, February 17, 2023, at Field Crest Care Center in Hayfield, Minnesota. [10] Awesome's friend Lance Storm has said that he had refused to sign a new contract with ECW until Paul Heyman paid him overdue wages. Drag images here or select from your computer for Mike Awesome memorial. color: '#ffffff' September 20, 2022 - 11:54 BST Gemma Strong. 8 Things You May Not Have Known About Rick Rude. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Mike Vasquez Jr. to pay them a last tribute. He also wrestled in China, South Korea, Guam, Australia, Germany, England, Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Canada. 1965-2007 (age 42) You have to be a confident person to choose "Awesome" to be part of your wrestling name, and in the ring, Mike Awesome, or Michael Alfonso, definitely carried himself with confidence. he will be missed, Woow, it saddens me that awesome has past away. He worked a short program after the merger, but never attained the heights he had as a headliner in ECW and in All Japan. Oops, something didn't work. Mar 5: AEW Revolution I watched professional wrestling as a teenager, Awesome said in Thom Loverros book, The Rise and Fall of ECW. I was so happy when I was told I was gone". You were getting stabbed in the back constantly. Onita was impressed by Gladiator and called him back for more tours with FMW. Delamarian officiated at the 4 <a href . His longstanding feud with Masato Tanaka translated well for American audiences. 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. At 6th Anniversary Show, Gladiator and Horace Boulder lost to Katsutoshi Niiyama and Masato Tanaka. Pogo and Gladiator made to the semi-final, where they beat Grigory Verichev and Boris Gogichashivili and then defeated Onita and Asako in the final on January 15 to win the tournament. He was best known for his time with World Championship Wrestling in 1992-2001 and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2005-2009. Mike Leach Funeral Service | Mike Leach Last Tribute Video | Mike Leach Funeral Arrangements | Mike Leach Obituary Details.Legendary College Football Coac. you were always totally awesome. Year should not be greater than current year. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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. In WWE (then still the WWF), Awesome won the Hardcore title in June 2001 from Rhyno after sneaking into the building and later was part of the WCW/ECW-WWF invasion storyline. Four years ago Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig, who this week was tabbed to be inducted into the WWE . Much of what is now known about the events surrounding the Mike Awesome deathwere not revealed until months after he died. thanks, Name:Michael Lee Alfonso Date:January 24th, 1965 - February 17th, 2007 The last two years had been particularly difficult for him both . Published on September 19, 2022 10:07 AM. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. You have no idea what he was going though when he made the choice to end his own life. On a major scale, Awesome was last seen beating Masato Tanaka at ECWs One Night Stand in 2005. 2. On August 17, Gladiator participated in the Barbed Wire Deathmatch Tournament, in which he defeated Horace Boulder in the quarter-final and lost to Sambo Asako in the semi-final. Sound off in the comments section below! color: '#ffffff', Required fields are marked *. Mike Awesome commits suicide. [28] They had two children together; son Casey (born 1996) and daughter Carissa (born 2000). Bigelow's funeral in New Jersey was paid for by WWE owner Vince McMahon, while a second funeral in Florida was funded by several local wrestlers. ECW PPV, Anarchy Rulz (1999) Mike Awesome wins the ECW World title in a three way dance defeating reigning champ Taz and Masato Tanaka. Gladiator was Pogo's ally who feuded with Onita and competed with Pogo against Onita and his partners. Former ECW World Champion Mike Awesome (real name Michael Alfonso), was found dead in his home on Saturday evening. Hey, life goes on: > Sporting Connection > Video Professional Wrestler. On August 26, Gladiator wrestled his last FMW match, in which he defeated longtime rival Super Leather. [20] [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. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. WWE acknowledged his death on the February 20 broadcast of ECW on Sci-Fi with an "In Memory" graphic at the opening of the program, and two days later his family received friends at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home in Riverview, Florida. . Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Aug 5: WWE SummerSlam, > Archives I Met him one time he was the sweetest man. A celebration of Michael's life will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, February 23, 2007 at Serenity Meadows. He had turned 42 just a month before his death. Learn more about managing a memorial . Alfonso was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing and trail bike riding with friends and his son. Can say no relation of fellow ECW alumnus Bill Alfonso x27 ; a. For pasting or Print, Germany, England, Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Canada this later your!, Gladiator and called him back for more tours with FMW he was going though when he made the to... 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