When Mike Awesome jumped to WCW from ECW he did so as a top guy in ECW (he was their champion) that was slotted in an upper midcard spot in WCW from the very beginning. He didn't become a main eventer, but he had a number of high profile matches while in WCW. Once WWE bought WCW they brought him in and he was actually the first WCW guy to win a title in WWE as he became the new Hardcore Champion on June 25, 2001. His WWE career didn't go that well, though. He was basically a jobber in WWE before being released a year after he got there. Here's a quote from Awesome in the Death of WCW book by Bryan Alvarez and RD Reynolds: "Being in the WWE 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." Sadly, Awesome's career suffered after leaving WWE and he committed suicide in 2007.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
