Pro wrestling has been host to its fair share of tragic deaths, and Mike Awesome was another victim of the industry in 2007. It must have been an utterly horrendous moment for the man's friends to find he had hung himself in his own home, and whilst wrestling obviously isn't the sole reason for his demise, he clearly wasn't happy with the circumstances surrounding the downturn in his career. A lot of this can be linked back to Awesome's arrival in the then-WWF in 2001. Coming over from WCW, another company which hadn't exactly used the big man to the best of his abilities (That 70's Guy!?), Awesome was one of the first men to crash-land on McMahon turf, doing so by winning the Hardcore Title in Madison Square Garden. From there, it was all downhill for Mike Awesome, who had been such a crucial part of the latter years of the original ECW. His only remaining highlights came on the 2005 ECW One Night Stand show, where he rekindled his magical rivalry with Masato Tanaka. Beforehand, Awesome had requested his own release in 2002, stating afterwards that he hated the WWE system and that it had turned him off pro wrestling.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
