Editing Mike Awesome

{{More citations needed|date=January 2024}}{{Short description|American professional wrestler (1965–2007)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}} 
{{Infobox professional wrestler
|name                  = Mike Awesome
|birthname             = Michael Lee Alfonso
|image                 = MikeAwesome1999cropped.png
|image_size            = 
|caption               = Awesome in 1999
|names                 = Captain Awesome<br />The Gladiator<ref name="Oliver"/><br />Mike Awesome<ref name="Oliver"/><br />The Pro
<br />Fat Chick Thriller <br />That 70's Guy
|height                = 6ft 6 in<ref name=OWW>{{cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/mike-awesome/|title=Mike Awesome|website=Onlineworldofwrestling|access-date=16 August 2020}}</ref>
|weight                = 292 lb<ref name=OWW/>
|birth_date            = {{birth date|1965|1|24}}
|birth_place           = [[Tampa, Florida]], U.S.<ref name="Oliver"/>
|death_date            = {{death date and age|2007|2|17|1965|1|24}}<ref name="Oliver"/>
|death_place           = Tampa, Florida, U.S.<ref name="Oliver"/>
|death_cause           = [[Suicide by hanging]]
|billed                =
|spouse                = {{marriage|Delisa Diann Bowers|May 11, 1991}}
|children              = 2
|family                = [[Horace Hogan]] (cousin)<ref name="Williams2013">{{cite book|author=Scott E. Williams|title=Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story of ECW|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4EQtAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT229|date=13 December 2013|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Company, Incorporated|isbn=978-1-61321-582-1|pages=229}}</ref>
|trainer               = [[Steve Keirn]]<ref name="Oliver"/>
|debut                 = February 26, 1989<ref name="Oliver"/>
|retired               = February 26, 2006<ref name="Oliver"/>
}}
'''Michael Lee Alfonso''' (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American [[Professional wrestling|professional wrestler]]. He was best known for his appearances with the American [[professional wrestling promotion]]s [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]] (ECW), [[World Championship Wrestling]] (WCW) and the [[WWE|World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment]] (WWF/E) 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'''.<ref name="Oliver">{{cite web|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2007/02/19/mike-awesome-found-dead/|title=Mike Awesome found dead|last=Oliver|first=Greg|date=February 19, 2007|access-date=November 30, 2014|publisher=[[Québecor Média]]|work=[[Canoe.ca]]}}</ref><ref name="Powell">{{cite web|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2000/01/20/chatting-with-an-awesome-ecw-champ/|title=Chatting with an Awesome ECW champ|last=Powell|first=John|date=January 20, 1999|access-date=November 30, 2014|publisher=[[Québecor Média]]|work=[[Canoe.ca]]}}</ref>

Alfonso achieved the biggest success of his career in FMW as The Gladiator, where he became a three-time [[Professional wrestling championship#World championships|world champion]], with [[FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship#Title history|two reigns]] as [[FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship|Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion]] and [[FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship#Title history|one reign]] as [[FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship|Independent Heavyweight Champion]]. His second Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship reign from 1996&ndash;1997 was the longest reign in the title's history, lasting for 489 days. During this reign, he defeated [[Kouhiro Kanemura|W*ING Kanemura]] to [[Championship unification|unify]] the title with the Independent Heavyweight Championship at the [[Year End Spectacular (1996)|1996 Year End Spectacular]]. He would then tour with ECW, where he became a [[List of ECW World Heavyweight Champions|two-time]] [[ECW World Heavyweight Championship|World Heavyweight Champion]]. He was a member of two separate [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable|stable]]s [[Team Canada (WCW)|Team Canada]] in both FMW and WCW.

==Professional wrestling career==
===Early career (1989–1990)===
Alfonso was trained to wrestle by [[Steve Keirn]], debuting on February 26, 1989, at the [[Eddie Graham Sports Complex]] in [[Orlando, Florida]].<ref name=ma127>Loverro, Thom (2006). ''[[The Rise and Fall of ECW]]''. Pocket Books. {{ISBN|978-1-41-651312-4}}. p. 127</ref> Alfonso trained for about one year along with former professional wrestlers, [[Dennis Knight]] (Mideon, Phineas Godwin) and "Big" [[Al Green (wrestler)|Al Green]] before making his debut.<ref name="Powell"/> Alfonso competed in [[Florida Championship Wrestling]], [[United States Wrestling Association|USWA]], NWA and [[World Championship Wrestling]], before making his way to FMW in Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=431&page=4&s=900|title=Matches « Mike Awesome « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database|first=Philip|last=Kreikenbohm|website=www.cagematch.net|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref>

===Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling===

====Initial years (1990&ndash;1992)====
Alfonso moved on to [[Puroresu|Japan]], joining [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling]] (FMW) in September 1990 and using the [[ring name|name]] The Gladiator. He was recruited by FMW as the replacement for [[Al Green (wrestler)|Al Green]], who was originally scheduled to compete as Gladiator but moved to WCW. Alfonso debuted in FMW as a monster [[Heel (professional wrestling)|villain]] on September 20 in a [[professional wrestling match types#Hardcore-based variations|street fight]] with [[Mr. Pogo]] against [[Atsushi Onita]] and [[Jimmy Del Ray|Jimmy Backlund]], which Alfonso's team won. Gladiator was Pogo's ally who feuded with Onita and competed with Pogo against Onita and his partners. He lost to Onita in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Hardcore-based variations|Chain Deathmatch]] on October 1, after which Alfonso returned to United States. Onita was impressed by Gladiator and called him back for more tours with FMW. He returned to the company as Mr. Pogo's partner in a [[FMW tournaments#FMW Tag Team Tournament|tag team tournament]] on January 6, 1991, where the duo lost their first match in the tournament against Onita and Sambo Asako. 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. The success of the tournament led Alfonso to work full-time with FMW.

In the summer of 1991, Gladiator would form a villainous alliance with [[Tarzan Goto]], [[Rick Bognar|Big Titan]] and [[Horace Hogan|Horace Boulder]] after Mr. Pogo's departure from FMW and resumed the feud with Atsushi Onita. On August 17, Gladiator participated in the [[FMW tournaments#Barbed Wire Deathmatch Tournament|Barbed Wire Deathmatch Tournament]], in which he defeated Horace Boulder in the quarter-final and lost to Sambo Asako in the semi-final. During this time, Gladiator was inspired by [[Damian 666|Damian]]'s [[lucha libre]] videos on travels, which led him to adopt a high-flying style despite his big size. The following month, Gladiator and Big Titan defeated Sambo Asako and [[Ricky Fuji]] in a street fight [[Professional wrestling match types#Stretcher match|stretcher match]] at the [[FMW 2nd Anniversary Show|2nd Anniversary Show]]. This partnership led the two to form a tag team which lasted nearly three years. In the fall of the year, Gladiator and Titan participated in the [[FMW tournaments#World's Strongest Tag Team Tournament|World's Strongest Tag Team Tournament]] to determine the inaugural [[FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship|WWA World Martial Arts Tag Team Champions]], but were eliminated from the round robin stage with total six points. Gladiator and his allies would join [[The Sheik (Original)|The Sheik]] and [[Sabu (wrestler)|Sabu]] to resume the feud with Onita and his allies throughout 1992. At [[FMW 3rd Anniversary Show|3rd Anniversary Show]], Big Titan, The Gladiator and Horace Boulder defeated Sambo Asako, Ricky Fuji and The Great Punk in a street fight stretcher match. Later that year, Gladiator and Boulder participated in the [[FMW tournaments#Street Fight Tag Team Tournament|Street Fight Tag Team Tournament]], where they qualified for the semi-final against Tarzan Goto and Big Titan, which they lost.

====Team Canada and W*ING Alliance (1993&ndash;1995)====
In 1993, Gladiator formed the first villainous [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable|faction]] in FMW called Team Canada with Ricky Fuji, Big Titan, Horace Boulder, [[Dr. Luther]] and Dr. Hannibal after The Sheik and Sabu [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Turn|turn]]ed [[Face (professional wrestling)|fan favorites]] and formed an alliance with Atsushi Onita. At [[FMW 4th Anniversary Show|4th Anniversary Show]], the team of Gladiator, Ricky Fuji and Big Titan defeated [[Katsuji Ueda]], The Great Punk and Tarzan Goto in a [[Professional wrestling tag team match types#Captain's Fall match|Captain's Fall]] [[Professional wrestling match types#Loser Leaves Town match|Losing Captain Leaves Town]] [[Professional wrestling match types#Hardcore-based variations|No Rope Barbed Wire Tornado Street Fight Deathmatch]], which Team Canada won. 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. Gladiator and Titan were defeated by Sambo Asako and [[Mr. Gannosuke]] at [[Summer Spectacular (1993)|Summer Spectacular]]. The team of Gladiator, Titan and Fuji gained more success by defeating Asako, Katsuji Ueda and [[Grigory Verichev]] in a street fight at [[Year End Spectacular (1993)|Year End Spectacular]].

The following year, Gladiator and Titan participated in a [[FMW tournaments#FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship Tournament (1993)|double-elimination tournament]] for the newly created [[FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship|Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship]], in which they defeated [[Hideki Hosaka]] and [[Hisakatsu Oya]] in the quarter-final, [[Jinsei Shinzaki]] and Masaru Toi in the semi-final and Mr. Gannosuke and Tarzan Goto in the final to succeed in their block and then defeated Atsushi Onita and Katsutoshi Niiyama in the tournament final on January 18, 1994, to win the Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship, marking Alfonso's first [[Professional wrestling championship|title]] in FMW.<ref name="gerweck">{{Cite web|url=http://www.gerweck.net/mikeawesome.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511015244/http://www.gerweck.net/mikeawesome.htm|url-status=dead|title=Mike Awesome career highlights|archive-date=11 May 2009}}</ref> 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. The title loss created dissension between Titan and Gladiator. At [[FMW 5th Anniversary Show|5th Anniversary Show]], Gladiator, Titan and Fuji took on [[Fuyuki-Gun]] in a match, where Gladiator and Titan had a miscommunication with each other but fortunately still managed to win their match. However, Gladiator abandoned his partners after the match to quietly join Team Canada. As a result, Gladiator began feuding with Titan and defeated him in their first [[Professional wrestling match types#Singles match|singles match]] against each other on July 31. Gladiator won a rematch at [[Summer Spectacular (1994)|Summer Spectacular]], before finally losing to Titan on September 7 to end the rivalry.

In October, Gladiator joined the new [[W*ING Alliance]] with Mr. Pogo, [[Mitsuhiro Matsunaga]], [[Kouhiro Kanemura|Yukihiro Kanemura]], Goro Tsurumi, Horace Boulder, Hideki Hosaka and Hisakatsu Oya. The group mostly consisted of wrestlers from the former [[W*ING]] promotion, who held Atsushi Onita and FMW responsible for ending the promotion and had formed the alliance to bring the demise of FMW just like W*ING suffered its demise. On October 28, Gladiator and Pogo defeated Atsushi Onita and Mr. Gannosuke to win the vacant Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship. They lost the tag titles to Onita and Gannosuke in a rematch on February 24, 1995. At [[FMW 6th Anniversary Show|6th Anniversary Show]], Gladiator and Horace Boulder lost to Katsutoshi Niiyama and [[Masato Tanaka]]. Later at the event, Mr. Pogo turned on W*ING Alliance by blowing a [[Professional wrestling attacks#Fireball|fireball]] on Yukihiro Kanemura after Pogo and Kanemura lost their match, which led Gladiator, Boulder and Hisakatsu Oya to follow Pogo and join Lethal Weapon.

====Longest reigning world champion (1995&ndash;1997)====
The retirement of Atsushi Onita led FMW to change its direction from [[hardcore wrestling|deathmatch wrestling]] to technical wrestling style and Gladiator received a strong [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Push|push]] as the archrival of the company's new top star [[Hayabusa (wrestler)|Hayabusa]]. He was [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Book|book]]ed to win the [[FMW tournaments#Grand Slam Tournament|Grand Slam Tournament]] in September, in which he defeated Hayabusa in the tournament final on September 26 to win the company's top title, the vacant [[FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship|Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship]] and cemented his place as the company's top villain. Gladiator made his first successful title defense against [[Horace Hogan|Horace Boulder]] on October 25. He suffered a knee injury in the fall of 1995, which forced him to vacate the title on January 5, 1996.<ref name="Gospel">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=F6F85D8C-3048-8903-32D82F3918466176|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927225101/http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=F6F85D8C-3048-8903-32D82F3918466176|url-status=dead|title=The Wrestling Gospel ''Mike Mooneyham'' 25 February 2007|archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> Gladiator returned from injury to challenge [[Corporal Kirchner|Super Leather]] for the title on March 15, but was defeated by Leather. During this time, [[Víctor Quiñones]]' 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 (professional wrestling)|turn]] [[Face (professional wrestling)|fan favorite]] for the first time in his career. At [[FMW 7th Anniversary Show|7th Anniversary Show]], Hisakatsu Oya, Horace Boulder and The Gladiator lost to Super Leather and [[The Headhunters (professional wrestling)|The Headhunters]] in a match for the inaugural [[FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship|World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship]].

On May 27, Gladiator defeated Super Leather to win his second Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship. Gladiator successfully defended the title against Leather in a rematch on September 1. On September 15, Gladiator and Horace Boulder turned on Ricky Fuji during a match against [[Hideki Hosaka]], [[Hido (wrestler)|Hido]] and [[Taka Michinoku]]. 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. On October 12, Gladiator attacked [[Kouhiro Kanemura|W*ING Kanemura]] after Kanemura successfully defended the [[FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship|Independent Heavyweight Championship]] against Hisakatsu Oya and Gladiator challenged Kanemura to a [[Championship unification|title unification match]] for both Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship and the Independent Heavyweight Championship at [[Year End Spectacular (1996)|Year End Spectacular]], which Gladiator won and [[Championship unification|unified]] both titles to become the first-ever FMW Double Champion. Gladiator successfully defended his Double Championship against Masato Tanaka on February 18, 1997. Gladiator would then resume his feud with the returning Atsushi Onita as the team of Gladiator, Terry Funk and [[Mick Foley|Cactus Jack]] was defeated by Atsushi Onita, Masato Tanaka and W*ING Kanemura at [[FMW 8th Anniversary Show|8th Anniversary Show]] on April 29. 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.

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. They lost the title to the team of Hayabusa, [[Koji Nakagawa]] and Masato Tanaka on August 31. At [[Fall Spectacular (1997)|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.

====ZEN and departure (1997&ndash;1998)====
{{main|ZEN (professional wrestling)|l1=ZEN}}
Following [[Terry Funk]]'s departure from FMW, Funk Masters (FMW) of Wrestling began to cripple as Atsushi Onita denounced himself as a FMW wrestler and formed [[ZEN (professional wrestling)|ZEN]] on September 30, 1997, to feud with FMW. On October 21, [[Corporal Kirchner|Super Leather]] and The Gladiator lost a match to their former teammates [[Hisakatsu Oya]] and [[Mr. Gannosuke]], after which Gladiator attacked Leather and officially ended Funk Masters of Wrestling. Later that night, Gladiator attacked [[Hayabusa (wrestler)|Hayabusa]] after ZEN members defeated Hayabusa's team in the main event and then Gladiator raised the flag of ZEN and joined ZEN, which marked the first time in his career that he had become Atsushi Onita's ally after having feuded with him for the past seven years. Gladiator had lost his significance as a main event competitor after losing the Double Championship despite being the longest reigning champion and became a mid-card member of ZEN. The group turned fan favorites in the fall of 1997 when three of its members Mr. Gannosuke, [[Kouhiro Kanemura|Yukihiro Kanemura]] and [[Hido (wrestler)|Hido]] turned on Atsushi Onita and left the group and they would form [[Team No Respect]] in 1998.

In March, Gladiator participated in a [[FMW tournaments#FMW Double Championship #1 Contender's Tournament|tournament]] to determine the #1 contender for the Double Championship at [[FMW 9th Anniversary Show|9th Anniversary Show]]. 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. 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. Later at the event, Atsushi Onita lost a match to TNR member [[Hiromichi Fuyuki|Kodo Fuyuki]], which forced Onita to end ZEN. Gladiator became a [[free agent]] after ZEN's dissolution on May 5. Gladiator's last pay-per-view appearance in FMW was at the [[Welcome to the Darkside]] pay-per-view on August 22, where he defeated Naohiko Yamazaki, [[Mammoth Sasaki|Yoshinori Sasaki]] and Mr. Pogo #2 in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Gauntlet match|gauntlet match]]. On August 26, Gladiator wrestled his last FMW match, in which he defeated longtime rival Super Leather. Alfonso injured his knee during the match and went on a hiatus, during which he returned to United States and toured with [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]] (ECW) for the rest of the year. He left the company due to disagreement over Kodo Fuyuki's style of [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Book|book]]ing.

===All Japan Pro Wrestling (1998–1999)===
Alfonso wrestled as The Gladiator for a brief period in [[All Japan Pro Wrestling]] in 1998 and 1999.<ref name="Gospel"/>

===Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–1994, 1997, 1998, 1999–2000)===
In 1993, Alfonso appeared in [[Extreme Championship Wrestling|NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling]] (ECW) for a short period (as "Awesome" Mike Awesome), he was convinced to do so by [[Sabu (wrestler)|Sabu]], whom he befriended during their time in Japan. After Sabu started working for ECW, he returned to Japan and told Michael about the promotion and how he should work there. Although he was initially hesitant, citing a lack of interest, Sabu managed to talk Alfonso into it, who used his frequent-flier miles to go to Philadelphia and wrestle a match for ECW.<ref name=ma128>Loverro, Thom (2006). ''[[The Rise and Fall of ECW]]''. Pocket Books. {{ISBN|978-1-41-651312-4}}. p. 128</ref>

On February 5, 1994, at ECW's event, [[The Night the Line Was Crossed]], Awesome nearly injured wrestler, [[J.T. Smith (wrestler)|J.T. Smith]] when he performed a high-risk dive to the outside of the ring. Smith's back was folded backwards against the guard rail during the impact. This spot appeared in many ECW highlight reels including the intro to a variety of their television programs for years to come (according to ECW announcer [[Joey Styles]] his own reaction to the spot inspired his "Oh my God" catchphrase).

[[File:Awesome Dive!.jpg|thumb|right|Alfonso performing a dive at an ECW show at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York, 1999]]
Awesome returned to ECW in January 1997 at [[House Party (1997)|House Party]], defeating [[Balls Mahoney]]. At [[Crossing the Line Again]] the following month, he lost to [[Louie Spicolli]], departing ECW once more thereafter.

In July 1998, Awesome began appearing for ECW again and continued his feud with [[Masato Tanaka]] in the United States. Awesome began in ECW by losing to Tanaka on an episode ECW's weekly ''Hardcore TV''. However, following the match, he delivered an [[#In wrestling|Awesome Bomb]] to Tanaka over the top rope through a table set up on the outside. Awesome lost to Tanaka again at the August [[Heat Wave (1998)|Heat Wave]] [[pay-per-view]] event. In September 1998 at [[UltraClash (1998)|UltraClash]], Awesome tore his [[anterior cruciate ligament]] in a bout with [[Balls Mahoney]]; he did not wrestle again until September 1999.

Almost immediately upon arriving in ECW for his third stint in September 1999, he shocked the wrestling world by winning the [[ECW Championship|ECW World Heavyweight Championship]] at [[Anarchy Rulz (1999)|Anarchy Rulz]] by defeating the reigning champion [[Tazz|Taz]] and nemesis Masato Tanaka in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Basic elimination matches|three-way dance]], which was signed on the spot. Awesome continued to be a major factor in ECW early in 2000, including teaming with [[Raven (wrestler)|Raven]] to beat Tanaka and [[Tommy Dreamer]] for the [[ECW World Tag Team Championship]].<ref name="gerweck"/> He gained a new manager, Judge Jeff Jones, who managed Awesome to the top of winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice in 1999.

===World Championship Wrestling (2000–2001)===
On April 10, 2000, Awesome made a surprise appearance on ''[[WCW Monday Nitro]]''—aiding [[The New Blood]] by attacking [[Kevin Nash]]—while still reigning as ECW World Heavyweight Champion.<ref name="TheW">{{cite news|first=Jake|last=Black|title=Mike Awesome 1965 - 2007|work=The Wrestler|publisher=London Publishing|id=Volume 15, 2007|pages=53–55|date=May 2007}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Evers|first=Lance|title=Mike Awesome 1965-2007|date=2007-02-20|publisher=StormWrestling|url=http://www.stormwrestling.com/022007.html}}</ref>

Due to concerns over legal issues, WCW refrained from having Awesome appear on their television shows with the ECW belt. Eventually, a compromise was reached. 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,<ref>{{cite news|last=Molinaro|first=John F.|title=Tazz wins ECW World title|date=2000-04-14|publisher=Slam! Sports|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingECW/apr14_tazz.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715055053/http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingECW/apr14_tazz.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=July 15, 2012}}</ref> where he lost the title to Tazz (a [[WWE|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).<ref>{{cite news|last=Kapur|first=Bob|title=Tazz talks: ECW, Tough Enough, WWF|date=2001-08-05|publisher=Slam! Wrestling|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2000/04/14/tazz-talks-ecw-tough-enough-wwf/}}</ref> In a [[shoot interview]] released by Highspots in 2005, Awesome expressed that he would have rather faced off with his former ECW and WWE colleague [[Rhyno]] and suggested that they could have put on a more entertaining match regardless of the circumstances and the manner in which he had left ECW.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blogofdoom.com/2014/09/04/highspots-shoot-interview-with-mike/ |title=Highspots Shoot Interview with Mike Awesome |last=Keith |first=Scott |date=September 4, 2014 |website=BlogOfDoom.com |publisher=Scott Keith's Blog of Doom |access-date=November 7, 2022 }}</ref>

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]]. Awesome also engaged in an on-and-off feud with Kevin Nash, as well as feuding with [[Diamond Dallas Page]] and [[Chris Kanyon|Kanyon]]. In May 2000, Awesome threw Kanyon off the top of the first level of a [[Professional wrestling match types#Triple Cage match|triple cage]] onto the entrance ramp, which started his "Career Killer" gimmick.

After [[Bash at the Beach#2000|Bash at the Beach]] in July 2000, his gimmick was tweaked, with him becoming infatuated with [[Big Beautiful Woman|heavyset women]] and calling himself "The Fat Chick Thriller" and feuded with [[Scott Steiner]] and [[Lance Storm]] for the [[WWE United States Championship|WCW United States Championship]].<ref name="TheW"/>

On the September 6, 2000, edition of Thunder, Awesome's gimmick was changed to "That '70s Guy" (a reference to the TV series ''[[That '70s Show]]''), for which he dressed in 1970s-inspired attire and hosted the "Lava Lamp Lounge" [[List of professional wrestling terms#P|interview segment]]. He was additionally given a bus that resembled the one featured on ''[[The Partridge Family]]'' to drive into arenas as part of his entrance.<ref name="TheW"/><ref>{{cite news| last=Evers|first=Lance|title=Mike Awesome Stories|date=2007-02-21|publisher=StormWrestling|url=http://www.stormwrestling.com/022107.html}}</ref> During this time, he had a feud with [[Vampiro]], which resulted in brawls between Awesome and Vampiro's allies, the rap duo [[Insane Clown Posse]] ([[Violent J]] and [[Shaggy 2 Dope]]). 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.<ref>{{Citation|last=jtclarks|title=ICP vs 70s Guy Mike Awesome WCW|date=2011-06-03|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QieTaeaPtiw|access-date=2016-12-26}}</ref>

On the January 3, 2001, edition of Thunder, Awesome dropped the 1970s gimmick in favor of a "Canadian Career Killer" gimmick and joined WCW's [[Team Canada (WCW)|Team Canada]] stable with Lance Storm and [[Elix Skipper]]. A feud with [[The Filthy Animals]] led to Awesome challenging Billy Kidman to a [[Professional wrestling match types#Luchas de apuestas|Hair-vs-Hair match]], on January 15, however before the bout could take place, Team Canada attacked Kidman backstage, leaving him unable to compete. Kidman's bald stablemate [[Konnan]] replaced him and got the win, giving the Animals the right to cut off Awesome's longtime [[Mullet (haircut)|mullet]].<ref name="TheW"/> Awesome then faded into the background, mostly helping Storm in his battles against [[Ernest Miller|Ernest "The Cat" Miller]]. On the final Nitro on March 26, 2001, Awesome and Storm were defeated by [[Chuck Palumbo]] and [[Sean O'Haire]] in a [[WCW World Tag Team Championship]] match.

In an shoot interview released by Highspots in 2003, Awesome said that the infamous incident between [[Vince Russo]] and [[Hulk Hogan]] at [[Bash at the Beach (2000)|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. As a cousin of [[Michael Bollea]] (Horace Hogan, who also left WCW following the incident), Awesome suggested that Russo may have thought that he was just "too close of kin" to Hulk Hogan and decided to take it out on him.<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Mike Awesome Shoot Interview|publisher=Highspots Media|date=April 16, 2003}}</ref>

===World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1996, 2001–2002)===
He first made an appearance in WWF as a jobber on December 12, 1996, losing to [[Justin Credible]] (known then as Aldo Montoya) in a dark match for [[WWF Superstars of Wrestling]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thehistoryofwwe.com/96.htm |title=Yearly Results: 1996 |last=Cawthon |first=Graham |date= |website=TheHistoryOfWWE.com |publisher= |access-date=November 7, 2022}}</ref>

After the March 2001 purchase of WCW by the [[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]] (WWF), Awesome became part of [[The Invasion (professional wrestling)|The Invasion]] storyline in the WWF. His WWF debut came on the June 25, 2001, episode of ''[[WWE Raw|Raw]]'' during a match which saw [[Test (wrestler)|Test]] defending his [[WWE Hardcore Championship|Hardcore Championship]] against [[Rhyno]]. After Rhyno [[Professional wrestling attacks#Spear|Gored]] Test against a wall and pinned him he stood celebrating his new title only to be attacked by Awesome wielding a metal pipe. He then powerbombed Rhyno onto a ladder and pinned him, becoming champion himself due to the [[WWE Hardcore Championship#24/7|24/7 rule]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slashwrestling.com/raw/010625.html|title=WWF Raw is War – June 25, 2001|publisher=Slash-Wrestling|access-date=May 11, 2019}}</ref><ref name="HChistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/hard/|title=Hardcore Championship|website=wwe.com|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref> Awesome was the first "Invader" to gain gold in the WWF, stealing away with the Hardcore belt before any WWF wrestlers could catch him.<ref name="TheW"/> Awesome's hardcore reign came to an end a few weeks later on the July 12 edition of ''[[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown!]]'' when he was pinned by [[Jeff Hardy]], thanks to distraction from [[Edge (wrestler)|Edge]].<ref name="HChistory" />
Awesome defeated Edge on the July 16 episode of ''Raw''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slashwrestling.com/raw/010716.html|title=WWF Raw is War – July 16, 2001|publisher=Slash-Wrestling|access-date=May 11, 2019}}</ref>

The feud continued when Edge introduced his tag team partner [[Christian Cage|Christian]] into the rivalry. Awesome and Lance Storm were defeated by [[Edge and Christian]] at [[WWF Invasion|Invasion]] on July 22, Awesome's first WWF pay-per-view match.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2001/07/23/austin-turns-at-invasion/|title=Austin turns at Invasion|first=John|last=Powell|date=2001-07-23|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|access-date=2008-04-27}}</ref> From here Awesome's [[Push (professional wrestling)|push]] diminished and he began appearing mostly on WWF's [[List of professional wrestling terms#b-show|b-shows]], before being sidelined with an injury in November 2001.

Awesome returned to the [[SmackDown (WWE brand)|SmackDown!]] brand on the July 27, 2002, edition of ''[[WWE Velocity|Velocity]]'' where he was defeated by [[Yoshihiro Tajiri|Tajiri]].<ref name="cagematch">{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=431&page=4&year=2002&promotion=1|title=WWE matches wrestled by Mike Awesome in 2002|publisher=Cagematch.net|access-date=May 11, 2019}}</ref> Awesome was a mainstay on ''Velocity'', SmackDown!'s tertiary show, for the next few months [[Job (professional wrestling)|jobbing]] to wrestlers such as [[Ron Simmons|Faarooq]], [[Bull Buchanan]], [[Mark Henry]] and [[Shoichi Funaki|Funaki]].<ref name="cagematch"/>

Awesome was released from the WWE on September 27, 2002, along with [[Shawn Stasiak]] and [[Horace Hogan]]. Awesome was quoted saying, "Being in the WWE (formerly the WWF) sucked. I hated it. You had to kiss everybody's ass... You had to be on your political toes all the time. You would not believe the backstage politics. You were getting stabbed in the back constantly. I was so happy when I was told I was gone".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Reynolds|first1=R. D.|last2=Alvarez|first2=Bryan|title=The Death of WCW: WrestleCrap and Figure Four Weekly Present|year=2004|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=1550226614|page=232}}</ref>

===Later career (2002–2006)===
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.<ref name="PowerSlam109">{{cite news|title=Life after WWE|pages=32–35|work=Power Slam Magazine|id=109|date=August 2003|publisher=SW Publishing LTD|location=[[Lancaster, Lancashire]], [[England]]}}</ref> On the independent circuit, he had a short stint with [[Major League Wrestling]] (MLW) where he won the [[MLW World Heavyweight Championship]] from [[Satoshi Kojima]], only to lose it ten minutes later to [[Steve Corino]]<ref name="TheW"/> (Kojima's employers, [[All Japan Pro Wrestling|AJPW]] would not allow him to drop the title to an employee of a rival company [[Pro Wrestling Zero1|Zero-1]]).<ref>{{citation|title=Power Slam|id=issue 109|page=23|author=Martin, Findlay|publisher=SW Publishing|date=August 2003}}</ref>

He worked for [[Pro Wrestling Noah]] from 2004 to 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".

===Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2003)===
In April 2003, Awesome debuted in [[Total Nonstop Action Wrestling]] (TNA). He wrestled several matches for the promotion before leaving in May 2003.<ref name="Oliver"/> His TNA in-ring debut was on April 16, 2003, where Awesome defeated [[Perry Saturn]] by DQ when [[The Sandman (wrestler)|The Sandman]] and [[New Jack]] interfered. On April 23, Awesome teamed with [[Brian Lee (wrestler)|Brian Lee]] and [[Wolfie D|Slash]] in a losing effort against Perry Saturn, New Jack and The Sandman. On May 14, Awesome competed in his final TNA match where he lost to [[Mike Sanders (wrestler)|Mike Sanders]] in a Tables Match.

===Return to WWE (2005)===
Awesome made an appearance at WWE's (formerly the WWF) [[ECW One Night Stand (2005)|ECW One Night Stand]] reunion pay-per-view on June 12, 2005, defeating [[Masato Tanaka]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Chris|last=Gramlich|title=One great Night of hardcore nostalgia|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2005/06/13/one-great-night-of-hardcore-nostalgia/|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=[[Canadian Online Explorer]]|date=June 13, 2005|access-date=September 12, 2007}}</ref> 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, after Awesome performed a [[Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Suicide|suicide dive]], Styles infamously said, "And it's a shame he didn't succeed in taking his own life", but by the end the crowd were chanting "This match rules!" and gave both men a [[standing ovation]].<ref name="TheW"/>

==Other media==
Alfonso appeared in at least four wrestling video games including ''[[ECW Hardcore Revolution]]'', ''[[WCW Backstage Assault]]'', ''[[Virtual Pro Wrestling 2: Ōdō Keishō]]'', and ''[[Fire Pro Wrestling Returns]]''. The ECW toy series manufactured by Original San Francisco Toymakers released a Mike Awesome action figure in 2000. A WCW action figure of Awesome was released by Toy Biz in 2001.

==Personal life==
Alfonso attended King High School in Tampa, Florida and trained at Stan's Gym, an old school muscle gym, on 56th Street. On May 11, 1991, he married his high school sweetheart Delisa Diann Bowers in Hillsborough, Florida.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VNY5-N8Y|title=FamilySearch.org|website=[[FamilySearch]] |accessdate=9 July 2023}}</ref> They had two children together; son Casey (born 1996) and daughter Carissa (born 2000). Alfonso was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing and trail bike riding with friends and his son.<ref name="serenitymeadows.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.serenitymeadows.com/book-of-memories/2404940/Alfonso-Michael/obituary.php|title=Obituary for Michael Lee Alfonso at Serenity Meadows Memorial Park Funeral Home & Crematory|website=www.serenitymeadows.com|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref> He enjoyed mountain biking and would ride frequently at Alafia River State Park in Florida, close to his Tampa home.

Alfonso was the cousin of [[Hulk Hogan]]'s nephew [[Horace Hogan|Michael Bollea]], who was better known for his stint in [[WCW]] under the name Horace Hogan.

After Awesome's retirement from professional wrestling, he served as a real estate agent in New Tampa, Florida.<ref name="serenitymeadows.com"/>

==Death==
On February 17, 2007, a group of Alfonso's friends found him dead after he had hanged himself inside his Tampa home.<ref name="Meltzer">{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/headlines/default.asp?aID=18705 |title=Former ECW champ Mike Awesome passes away|date=February 19, 2007|access-date=2007-02-23|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|publisher=Wrestling Observer |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071224020235/http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/headlines/default.asp?aID=18705 |archive-date = 2007-12-24}}</ref> WWE acknowledged his death on the February 20 broadcast of ''[[WWE ECW|ECW on Sci-Fi]]'' with an "In Memory..." graphic at the opening of the program, and two days later his family received flowers at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home in [[Riverview, Florida]].<ref name="serenitymeadows.com"/>

==Championships and accomplishments==
*'''[[Extreme Championship Wrestling]]'''
**[[ECW World Heavyweight Championship]] ([[List of ECW World Heavyweight Champions|2 times]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/ecwchampionship|title=ECW Championship history|access-date=September 29, 2009|publisher=[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]}}</ref>
**[[ECW World Tag Team Championship]] ([[List of ECW World Tag Team Champions|1 time]]) – with [[Raven (wrestler)|Raven]]<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/history/ecwtaghistory/|title=ECW Tag History|publisher=WWE|access-date=February 11, 2010}}</ref> 
*'''[[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling]]'''
**[[FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship|FMW Independent World Heavyweight Championship]] ([[FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship#Title History|1 time]])<ref>[http://fmwwrestling.us/Independent.html FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship official title history] at [[Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling|FMW Wrestling]]</ref>
**[[FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship|FMW World Brass Knuckles Championship]] ([[FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship#Title History|2 times]])<ref>{{cite book |author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will |title=Wrestling Title Histories | publisher=Archeus Communications |chapter = Japan: WWA Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Title |year= 2000 |isbn=0-9698161-5-4}}</ref>
**[[FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship|FMW World Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship]] ([[FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship#Title History|2 times]]) – with [[Rick Bognar|Big Titan]] (1),<ref name=Jan19F4W>{{cite web | url=https://www.f4wonline.com/other-wrestling/daily-pro-wrestling-history-0118-ivan-koloff-defeats-bruno-sammartino-wwwf-title | title=Pro wrestling history (01/18): Ivan Koloff defeats Bruno Sammartino for WWWF title | date=January 18, 2019 | access-date=January 18, 2019 | work=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter|Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online]] | first=Brian | last=Hoops}}</ref> and [[Mr. Pogo]] (1)<ref>{{cite book |author=Royal Duncan & Gary Will |title=Wrestling Title Histories | publisher=Archeus Communications |chapter = Japan: FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Title |year= 2000 |isbn=0-9698161-5-4}}</ref>
**[[FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship]] ([[FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship#Title History|1 time]]) – with [[Mr. Gannosuke]] and [[Hisakatsu Oya]]<ref>{{cite web|title=World Street-Fight 6-Man Tag Team Title |work=Wrestling Titles |url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/fmw/fmw-6.html |access-date=2008-01-25 |archive-date=2003-04-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030430165521/http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/fmw/fmw-6.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> 
**[[List of Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling tournaments#FMW Tag Team Tournament|FMW Tag Team Tournament (1991)]] – with Mr. Pogo<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=165260|title=FMW - January 15, 1991|publisher=Cagematch|access-date=2017-11-14}}</ref>
**[[List of Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling tournaments#FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship Tournament (1994)|FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship Tournament (1994)]] – with Big Titan<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=67164|title=FMW - January 18, 1994|publisher=Cagematch|access-date=2017-11-15}}</ref>
**[[List of Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling tournaments#Grand Slam Tournament|Grand Slam Tournament (1995)]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=45116|title=FMW Grand Slam - Tag 21|publisher=Cagematch|access-date=2017-11-15}}</ref>
**[[List of Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling tournaments#FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Tournament|FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship Tournament (1997)]] – with [[Hisakatsu Oya]] and [[Mr. Gannosuke]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/japan/garbage/fmw/fmwtny.html#sixman97|title=FMW Six Man Tag Title Tournament 1997|publisher=Pro Wrestling History|access-date=2017-11-15}}</ref>
*'''[[Major League Wrestling]]'''
**[[MLW World Heavyweight Championship]] ([[MLW World Heavyweight Championship#Reigns|1 time]])<ref>{{cite news | author = Martin, Fin | title = Major League Wrestling | pages= 22&ndash;23 | work = Power Slam Magazine | id = 109 | date = August 2003 | publisher=SW Publishing LTD | location=[[Lancaster, Lancashire]], [[England]]}}</ref>
*'''''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]'''''
**Ranked No. 7 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500|PWI 500]]'' in 2000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://profightdb.com/pwi-500/2000.html|title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2000|publisher=The Internet Wrestling Database|access-date=August 25, 2015}}</ref>
*'''[[World Championship Wrestling]]'''
**[[Battle royal (professional wrestling)|Countdown To Armageddon Battle Royal]] (2000)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=9304&page=2|title=Matches « Countdown To Armageddon « Tournaments Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database|website=www.cagematch.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thesportster.com/wcw-forgotten-royal-rumble-rip-off-countdown-to-armageddon/|title=WCW’s Forgotten Royal Rumble Rip-Off, The Countdown To Armageddon Match|first=Eric|last=Blattberg|date=October 21, 2022|website=TheSportster}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://classicwrestlingreview.com/2023/05/21/halloween-havoc-2000/|title=Halloween Havoc 2000|date=May 21, 2023}}</ref>
*'''[[WWE|World Wrestling Federation]]'''
**[[WWE Hardcore Championship|WWF Hardcore Championship]] ([[List of WWE Hardcore Champions|1 time]])<ref name="HChistory" />
*'''''[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'''''
**[[List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Worst Gimmick|Worst Gimmick]] (2000)<ref>{{cite journal|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|date=January 26, 2011|title=Biggest issue of the year: The 2011 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards Issue|periodical=[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]|location=Campbell, CA|pages=1–40|issn=1083-9593}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of premature professional wrestling deaths]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0019178|Mike Alfonso}}
*{{Professional wrestling profiles}}

{{Navboxes|
|list1=
{{ECW Championship}}
{{ECW World Tag Team Championship}}
{{FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship}}
{{FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship}}
{{FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship}}
{{FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship}}
{{MLW World Heavyweight Championship}}
{{WWE Hardcore Championship}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Awesome, Mike}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:2007 suicides]]
[[Category:21st-century American professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:21st-century male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:American expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan]]
[[Category:American male professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:C. Leon King High School alumni]]
[[Category:ECW Heavyweight Champions/ECW World Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:ECW World Tag Team Champions]]
[[Category:FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Champions]]
[[Category:FMW Independent Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:FMW World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Champions]]
[[Category:MLW World Heavyweight Champions]]
[[Category:Professional wrestlers from Tampa, Florida]]
[[Category:Suicides by hanging in Florida]]
[[Category:WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions]]