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Showing posts with label ECW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ECW. Show all posts

June 30, 2023

Darren 'Droz' Drozdov Dead, Former WWE & ECW Star Died At Age 54

Darren 'Droz' Drozdov, who wrestling fans remember from his days in WWE and ECW, has passed away aged 54. The official statement from his family, which was obtained by WWE, reveals that he died this morning of natural causes.

While the news of Drozdov's passing is tragic, the statement focuses on the positive aspects of his life and what he accomplished. His family praised him for living each day to the fullest, despite being paralyzed from the neck down for the past 24 years. Furthermore, the family thanked his fans, friends, teammates, and colleagues for showing him support throughout the years while revealing that Drozdov wouldn't want people to mourn for him.

"Everyone who knew Darren was a better person because of it. He taught everyone so much about how to look at life: how to put things in perspective, how to overcome adversity, and how to show compassion for others. He would not want anyone to be sad at this moment and would want to this to be a celebration of his life, to be remembered for all the great things that he accomplished, the fun, the laughter, the great memories he shared with everyone."

Drozdov's wrestling career was cut short due to injury, but he did make an impression on WWE and ECW fans during the Attitude Era. Additionally, he was also known for his time in the NFL.

Darren Drozdov debuted in WWE in 1998, initially portraying a puking gimmick. During his tenure in Vince McMahon's company, he was primarily used as a mid-card superstar and tag team competitor. He once led a body piercing-themed stable that included Prince Albert and Vic Grimes. However, he is arguably best remembered for his stint in the Legion of Doom, which saw him take part in an infamous segment that culminated with Hawk being pushed off the Titantron.

Elsewhere, Drozdov had a short stint in ECW throughout 1997 and 1998. He was part of a stable that included Lance Wright, Brakkus, Doug Furnas, and Phil LaFon. They were presented as invaders from WWE who'd been sent to cause chaos in Paul Heyman's promotion.

Sadly, Drozdov's career was cut short following an accident in a match with D'Lo Brown on the October 5, 1999 episode of "WWF SmackDown." He landed on his head and broke two vertebrae in his neck, causing him to become paralyzed. However, as the aforementioned family statement notes, Drozdov continued to live his life to the fullest after becoming quadriplegic, and those who knew him praised him for his positive outlook.

Outside of wrestling, Drozdov played three seasons in the NFL for the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Denver Broncos

May 14, 2021

ECW Original New Jack Passes Away

ECW Original New Jack (Jerome Young) has reportedly passed away at the age of 58.

New Jack passed away this afternoon after suffering a heart attack in North Carolina. His wife Jennifer informed PWInsider of the passing. The passing was also confirmed by Jack’s official Facebook page.

Jack is most known for his run in the original ECW, but he also had notable stints with SMW, XPW and various indie promotions. He also multiple made appearances for TNA. He was a three-time ECW World Tag Team Champion. The hardcore star has been retired for a few years now.

April 12, 2016

ECW Original Balls Mahoney Passes Away At Age 44


From WWE.com:

WWE is saddened to learn of reports that Jonathan Rechner, best known for competing in ECW as Balls Mahoney, has passed away. WWE extends its condolences to Rechner's family, friends and fans.

According to PWInsider.com, while the details of Balls Mahoney’s death are still scarce, he reportedly suffered a bad fall days ago and injured his hip. The report adds Mahoney was using a walker following the fall, then he became ill, and earlier today passed away. It’s unknown at this time whether or not the fall and subsequent sickness lead to Mahoney’s death.

February 4, 2016

Axl Rotten Passes Away


Brian Knighton, professionally known as Axl Rotten, was found deceased today in Baltimore, Maryland. According to sources we have spoken with, he was found by authorities in a motel. He had tweeted earlier today, so the belief is he passed away sometime in the last ten hours. Knighton was only 44 years old.

Knighton was best known for his run in the original Extreme Championship Wrestling, where a feud with his storyline brother and former tag team partner Ian Rotten resulted in ECW getting a ton of magazine press and online buzz for the usage of barbed wire baseball bats and a level of blood and violence that wasn't the norm in 1995 anywhere but some of the Japanese death match promotions. The feud was named the 1995 "Feud of the Year" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine and at the time, the throwback to the old days of wide-eyed, bloody photos in the magazines, mixed with the storyline of two "brothers" trying to maim each other with barbed wire, led to ECW far more coverage than it would have likely

Knighton, as Rotten, was trained by late WCW enhancement talent Joey Maggs and Maryland independent wrestler Ricky Lawless. Although he grew up in Baltimore, Rotten was billed as from the UK and for a time carried a cockney accent. His ring name was a tribute to heavy metal and punk rockers Axl Rose and Johnny Rotten. Metal music was a huge influence for Knighton, who was specifically a massive Kiss fan.

December 1, 2015

ECW Original Returns to WWE on Raw Tonight to Assist The Dudley Boyz


Last night on Raw, ECW original Tommy Dreamer made his return to WWE and joined The Dudley Boyz to assist them in their fight against The Wyatt Family.

The three ECW legends took on the team of Braun Strowman, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan in a 6 man tag team match. The finish of the match came when the match broke down and the ref ruled it a no contest.

November 5, 2015

Steve Corino Talks ECW and NXT Comparisons, NXT vs ROH on Wednesday Nights, Triple H’s NXT Vision, More


On last week’s episode former ECW World Heavyweight Champion and current Ring of Honor commentator Steve Corino was the featured special guest. Steve spoke candidly with the hosts about his thoughts on NXT, the current WWE developmental system, all the independent pro wrestling options currently available to pro wrestling fans and more.

You can listen to Steve’s appearance starting at the 3:11 minute mark by clicking here. Some of his quotes have been transcribed below it:

On Ring of Honor and WWE NXT both airing on Wednesday nights:

SC: It’s such a nervous feeling because you always know that the NXT show is going to be so great. I think it puts the pressure on Ring of Honor to produce a great show because you know at 8 o’clock on the WWE Network you are going to get a wonderful, wonderful show every week from NXT. I think it just raises the bar for everybody and I think that’s what makes wrestling so much fun.

On WWE branching out and creating relationships with independent promotions:

SC: It just shows the genius of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The trusted people in the inner circle that know that the future of sports entertainment or pro wrestling, whatever you want to call it, is at NXT. Triple H at that having his finger on the pulse, and Stephanie too, of what’s going on. What going to be the future? They’re not afraid to ask an EVOLVE or a PWG or scouting Ring of Honor to see who is the future. There’s no such thing as too many guys that are going to make the WWE machine billionaires. You know what I mean? So, once again, it’s a great time for wrestling.

On if the comparisons between ECW and NXT are fair to make:

SC: I think on the surface, yes. It’s a different world now. When ECW was around it was an alternative. It was an alternative world. To where companies like NXT or Ring of Honor or PWG or EVOLVE or even CZW… it’s such a hybrid of what goes on today. Everybody that’s involved isn’t afraid to admit that, you know, wrestling’s changed. The world has changed and we have to change with the times. Where as ECW was kind of a trend setter for it. I just think that it’s a good comparison but I think the originality of what NXT and EVOLVE and Ring of Honor and all these great companies are doing is just setting the stage for a real break through.

August 29, 2015

Paul Heyman Praises Corey Graves and Compares Him To UFC Commentator, Talks ECW and NXT Comparisons, What Makes NXT Unique, More


Sam Roberts Live featured Paul Heyman , who gave his thoughts on Corey Graves and his duties within WWE.

“Corey gets the whole roster over and that’s the key,” Heyman said. “The job that he’s doing is so phenomenal that sooner than later, we’re going to say that Joe Rogan is the Corey Graves of UFC.”

According to Heyman, ECW was all about showcasing professional wrestling styles that were new and progressive and tomorrow”, which is what NXT is about”.

Paul Heyman stated that “it was always what we didn’t have.” He compares having too many of similar style wrestlers and says he was always looking to do something different.

May 25, 2015

Joey Styles Says NXT Is Like ECW


A fan on Twitter wrote WWE's Joey Styles and said pro wrestling hasn't been good since the original ECW days, which Styles obviously played a big role in. Styles replied and said WWE NXT is very much like the original ECW, but without the mindless bloody violence. Styles also replied to another fan who said mindless bloody violence is a good thing. Below are his tweets:



May 13, 2015

Most Popular WWE Network Shows from Last Week, What Weekly Show Doesn't Do Good, Other Favorites


The most-watched WWE Network content from last week are as follows:

1. WWE 24: Roman Reigns
2. Chris Jericho interviews Stephanie McMahon
3. WWE NXT, May 6th episode
4. Jerry Springer Too Hot for TV: Love Hurts
5. Extreme Rules

The Cinco de Mayo special with Los Matadores didn't do well and Superstars episodes also don't do too well.

The special on Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show, the previous week’s NXT episode, Culture Shock with Corey Graves, Unfiltered with Renee Young, Mick Foley's Cheap Pops, the ECW Uncensored Volume 3 sneak peek, and a second Jerry Springer episode were also popular among viewers, as well as the last season of Tough Enough and 2014 episodes of Total Divas.

September 13, 2014

EVOLVE co-founder Gabe Sapolsky Comments on WWE NXT


History does repeat itself. I remember when ECW was shunned and ignored in the early days. Then suddenly we saw WWE and WCW embracing the principles and soon the ECW wrestlers. This ignited the biggest boom in the history of US wrestling. Yesterday, we saw some things that lit the Internet on fire because they are new and we didn't expect them. The biggest was HHH posing for a selfie with Kevin Steen, Hideo Itami and Fergal Devitt and then giving huge endorsements to Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville by tweeting that he would like to wrestle them. Kalisto as well as Zayn and Neville brought new excitement to NXT Takeover that had fans tweeting their support. This doesn't even include the impact that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are making on the main roster. WWE has even included me on the The Shield documentary and Paul Heyman DVD. So what's my point? A few years ago, none of this would have happened because the talents from the independents weren't considered "major league." WWE has obviously changed it's thought process and we are hopefully at the dawn of a new era. Will it lead to a boom like in the 90s? I don't know, but I do know that it will lead to new stars and and some fresh wrestling (or sports entertainment in the WWE Universe). The most important thing is that these innovative, cutting edge talents capture the imagination of new, young fans. Given the stage WWE is providing, they can.

September 10, 2014

Triple H Conference Call Recap: Compares NXT to ECW, Talks Recently Signed Indy Stars, Kenta’s NXT Debut, Sean O’Haire’s Passing, Hypes Takeover 2


Triple H took part in a conference call this afternoon to promote NXT Takeover 2 tomorrow night. Here are some highlights from the call:

* Triple H said that he doesn't like to refer to NXT as "developmental" anymore because it's become its own brand. He put over the matches scheduled for Takeover 2 tomorrow night.

* He wants to bring up Kevin Steen and Prince Devitt in the biggest way possible and for them to become huge superstars.

* He compared NXT to ECW, and noted that it's a feeder system for talent to reach the next level. He said the goal is for NXT to be more like WCW than ECW.

* As for NXT talents appearing on RAW and SmackDown more often, he noted that if that were to happen, then they would be WWE talents and not NXT.

* He talked about coming up with the idea for the Performance Center and pitching it to Vince McMahon.

* He was asked if Kevin Steen, Kenta or Prince Devitt would have to change their names. He said that they might change it, but admitted that they bring name value and that they had a following. While there may be changes, he doesn't want to erase their past.

* Triple H was very happy with the performances on RAW by Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd. He talked about Zayn and noted how proud he was of Zayn's progression.

* He talked about Mick Foley helping him grow as a performer, and said that Mick's matches with him meant a lot of his career.

* He said that he'd like for NXT to continue to grow and go on the road.

* He finished the call by mentioning the passing of Sean O'Haire, and offered his condolences to O'Haire's family on behalf of himself and the company.

June 10, 2014

Joey Styles On WWE Network Royalties, Would Announce NXT


Joey Styles answered some interesting questions on Twitter. The following is from his verified Twitter account:

“@GetTheEOut: @JoeyStyles I hope you get royalties for @WWENetwork views of #ECW shows.” I don't but I do get more offers for appearances.

@Ryzilla85 7@JoeyStyles would u ever get behind the desk again if @WWE asked" Yes for @WWENXT. It reminds me of ECW & tapes monthly in FL.

February 16, 2014

This Day In Wrestling History


Bret Hart defeats Undertaker, Steve Austin & Vader for the WWF(E) Title, starting his fourth reign as champion.
February 16, 1997

The final episode of WWE's version of ECW aired.
February 16, 2010

September 5, 2013

WWE Raw Box Set Announced


WWE will be releasing a "Raw 20th Anniversary Collection" containing 12 DVDs (or 10 blu-ray discs) that boast a full 20 episodes of Monday Night Raw, "uncut and unedited".

The box set is available for pre-order now through Amazon.com, and will be released on December 3rd in the United States for $79.99. They have also released a brief synopsis of the collection:

"Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Raw, WWE presents 20 of the most memorable Raw episodes in history all in one all-new collector's set. For the first time ever, this collection will feature 20 COMPLETE EPISODES of Raw spread out over 12 DVD discs (10 Blu-ray). Each episode will be featured in chronological order, and were carefully selected to present a wide range that showcases all eras, several milestones and historic moments throughout Raw history. This collection is a must-own for WWE fans."

Both the WCW/WWF "simulcast" and "homecoming" editions of Monday Night Raw will be included in the set. It's worth noting that if the collection is true to its word, and will leave each episode "uncut and unedited", both episodes feature matches with Chris Benoit. Other episodes that have been confirmed include Mankind's WWF Championship title win, the very first Raw Roulette, the night Raw finally ended Nitro's ratings dominance, the DX Invasion and the original ECW Invasion.

February 16, 2013

This Day In Wrestling History


Bret Hart defeats Undertaker, Steve Austin & Vader for the WWF(E) Title, starting his fourth reign as champion.
February 16, 1997

The final episode of WWE's version of ECW aired.
February 16, 2010

January 7, 2013

This Day In Wrestling History


Nicole Bass sues the WWF(E) for sexual harrassment
January 7, 2000

ECW's last pay per view prior to the WWE revival, Guilty As Charged, takes place in New York City.
January 7, 2001

January 5, 2013

This Day In Wrestling History


Jim Londos defeats William Demetral in NYC to win the Greek Heavyweight Title.
January 5, 1919

Nick Kozak defeats Killer Kowalski to win the Hawaii version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Title. At the same event, Ron Reed defeats Luther Lindsay for the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title.
January 5, 1966

Jimmy and Johnny Valiant defeat Dick the Bruiser and WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino for the World Wrestling Association World Tag Team Title in Indianapolis, Indiana.
January 5, 1974

Shane Douglas returns to ECW at the ECW Arena in Philly and makes several harsh comments about his time in the WWF(E).
January 5, 1996

December 29, 2012

This Day In Wrestling History


The Monday Night Wars continued, WCW Monday Nitro's 4.6 rating defeated WWF Monday Night RAW's 3.6 rating. RAW in Uniondale, New York featured Owen Hart defeating WWF Champion Shawn Michaels by disqualification when Triple H broke one of his crutches over Hart's head while he had Michaels in the sharpshooter. Nitro was just over 200 miles away in Baltimore, Maryland, and featured Ultimo Dragon defeating WCW Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero by submission to win the title for the second time, Booker T winning his first of a record six WCW World Television Titles from Disco Inferno, and a main event of WCW World Champion Sting defeating Hollywood Hulk Hogan.
December 29, 1997

Mick Foley (as Mankind) defeated The Rock for his first WWF(E) Title after Stone Cold Steve Austin returned knocking out The Rock with a steel chair. The show would air on the following Monday, January 4, 1999. That night Tony Schiavone would reveal the result during WCW Monday Nitro, airing live that night, noting that Mankind as champion "ought to put a lot of butts in the seats." Schiavone would later claim Eric Bischoff fed him that line to say. D-Generation X celebrated with Foley after the match.
December 29, 1998

On an edition of ECW on SyFy from East Rutherford, New Jersey, Tommy Dreamer wrestled his last match for WWE's version of ECW, facing Zack Ryder in a match where Dreamer promised to leave ECW if he lost.
December 29, 2010

October 28, 2012

This Day In Wrestling History - ECW Goes Too Far


Arena recap filed by Dave Scherer of pwinsider.com on October 28, 1995:

On this night, ECW totally dropped the ball.

The singularly most stupid series of events in wrestling history occurred. Raven and Cactus pulled out a chair that had towels affixed to it somehow. These towels were soaked in lighter fluid or some other flammable liquid and they used the branding iron to ignite the whole mess. As the flames rose off of the chair, the sickening feeling in my stomach worsened. Cactus winds up and hits Dreamer with the chair, and he catches on fire. The fans were stunned, and did not even pop. I said into my recorder, “Death must be the next bump.”

Cactus tries to pick up the chair, but it is flaming almost uncontrollably. He somehow picks it up and as he winds up, the towels that are burning are coming loose, which someone should have thought of as it is pretty hard for something that is burning to stay attached to a chair. He throws the chair at Funk, who is now laying on the floor near the ring barricade, and fire goes everywhere.

Funk is literally a man ablaze. As Funk is running around ringside, fans are trying to put him out. The towels are laying on the floor burning and the crowd starts to go nuts. A few people came over with the fire extinguishers and as the shoot the towels, they actually go into the crowd making matters worse. If one person, as I was told was the plan, had suffocated the fire, it would have gone out, instead it was shot across the Arena floor.

I was told that the whole fire gimmick was thought up by Funk and Cactus, and was not known to Paul Heyman beforehand. In any event, the buck stops with Heyman and it is ultimately his responsibility.

All of this was bad enough. People were scared and nervous, and undoubtedly some of the world’s true sick sons of bitches were actually enjoying all of this. And then the stupidest of all things happened. Off went the house lights. The big finale of this was to be an angle where Raven took Dreamer up to the crows nest and hung him up there and “crucified him.” To get him up there and set it up, they needed the lights out. For about 2 minutes.

But for the love of God, at this point in the show, given the fire was going astray, had just been extinguished, and that people were startled to run for, turning off the lights for the purpose of doing a f**king angle is ludicrous and should never have happened. The lights going off caused people to head for the doors, When the lights came back on, there was Raven licking and biting the blood of the crucified Dreamer.

What Paul Heyman was thinking while all of this was going on is a mystery to me, but this was the worst judgment he could have possibly shown. A major mistake was made.

At this point, I went outside and watched the people come out, helping anyone I could. People were coughing from getting sprayed with the fire extinguishers, people were bleeding from getting hurt in the melee (one guy broke his nose and I was told another broke a leg), and some people were actually burned.

Terry Funk and his wife came out and he was taken to the hospital with second degree burns on his right arm, from his bicep to his elbow. He returned later to the hotel in pretty good spirits and was said to be doing well. Before leaving, Funk went ballistic backstage and was throwing chairs, (one of the which that went through the wall) yelling at people, and even knocked over an enormous industrial fan as the guys were running from him. He was upset about now he would miss out on work because, as one witness put it “his arm looked like raw meat.” He had just spent 3 three months applying salve from burns he received in Japan and now the process will start all over again.

Tommy Dreamer also suffered a broken nose as well as burns on his back from during the match. Cactus Jack was distraught backstage, and felt very bad for what had happened.

A lot of fans were saying they were done with ECW. People said they felt that ECW had violated their safety and were pissed off. And, in the interest of fairness, there were a group of people who were chanting “ECW” and the show ended. It was a truly unnerving experience for me that crossed the line.

And people wonder why I hate ECW and don't think much of Paul Heyman...

September 22, 2012

This Day In Wresting History


Owen Hart & Davy Boy Smith defeated the Smokin' Guns for the WWF(E) Tag Team title.
September 22, 1996

ECW interrupts a match at a WWF(E) In Your House PPV. The Sandman, Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer bought ring side tickets. The three are escorted out of the building after The Sandman spits beer on Savio Vega.
September 22, 1996

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Oderint Dum Metuant: Let Them Hate As Long As They Fear