Burton was born in Owatonna, Minnesota, to George and Blanche (Christianson) Knutson on August 13, 1934. He was a member of two separate stables Team Canada in both FMW and WCW. Michael Kennedy Ward, 75, died on June 11, 2022, after a courageous battle with cancer. While American audiences knew him by the name Mike Awesome, he also called himself The Career Killer, That 70s Guy, That 80s Guy, Fat Chick Thriller, The Mullet Guy and The Awesome One. He then powerbombed Rhyno onto a ladder and pinned him, becoming champion himself due to the 24/7 rule. In 1996, The Gladiator defeated Wing Kanemura for the FMW Independent World title. Required fields are marked *. He wanted to have a . 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. Mike Cates Loyce P. "Mike" Cates, 77, of Cherokee, passed away Wednesday morning, Dec. 16, 2009 in Country Side Estates in Cherokee. It's a great contrast to the cookie cutter obituaries you see in the newspaper everyday. I have no problem with Mike Awesome. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. photo: wwe.com. Gladiator became a free agent after ZEN's dissolution on May 5. 8 Things You May Not Have Known About Rick Rude. Celebrities including Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg and Natalie Portman flocked to the Upper East . Michael Kohn, age 57, of Yankton, S.D., passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011 at his residence in Yankton, S.D. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Awesome began in ECW by losing to Tanaka on an episode ECW's weekly Hardcore TV. The Rosary will be recited at 6:30 p.m., and the Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated October 13 at 10:00 a.m., followed by interment at Saint Michael Cemetery. Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. E. Anthony Cisneros Partner, Licensed Funeral Director . Riley 16, Brady 12, Colby 10, and Eleanor 8 years old. Awesome retained the World title that night over Kid Kash. He would combine doing that with doing Hindu squats by doing a squat between each push. 2007 at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home, 6919 Providence Road, Riverview, FL 33569. The service was exceptional. S.D. Brittany Medina Funeral Counselor. Obituary Example for a Blended Family Almost immediately upon arriving in ECW for his third stint in September 1999, he shocked the wrestling world by winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship at Anarchy Rulz by defeating the reigning champion Taz and nemesis Masato Tanaka in a three-way dance, which was signed on the spot. WWE Hall of Famer "Ravishing" Rick Rude was an amazing individual in and out of the ring. You can always change this later in your Account settings. They lost the title to the team of Hayabusa, Koji Nakagawa and Masato Tanaka on August 31. He wrestled in Japan and with a number of otherpromotionsfor brief periods of time. Mike Awesome's income source is mostly from being a successful Wrestler. (vitag.Init = window.vitag.Init || []).push(function(){viAPItag.display("vi_937032466")}). 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. 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 on September 30, 1997, to feud with FMW. Required fields are marked *. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. [10][15] 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). I had never heard of a wrestler by this name until I saw BlooD Sport..Most Violent ECW matches. This browser does not support getting your location. Former ECW World Champion Mike Awesome (real name Michael Alfonso), was found dead in his home on Saturday evening. Mike is survived by his parents; two brothers, Matthew (Maureen Rieff) Gulatto and Peter (Jamie Toepfer) Gulatto; beloved . On May 11, 1991, he married his high school sweetheart Delisa Diann Bowers in Hillsborough, Florida. Express your sympathy by sharing this obituary with family and friends. An Awesome title controversy looms over ECW. loop: false, His epically hilarious and witty obituary is one of our favorites because of it's offbeat language and tone. We have set your language to To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Learn more about managing a memorial . Visitation was held on Tuesday, February 21st 2023 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the Rose Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park (4161 E Admiral Pl, Tulsa, OK 74115). A celebration of Michaels life will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, February 23, 2007 at Serenity Meadows. [30] He was 42 years old. a pussy. 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. texasyosh wrote on 05.06.2022: [ 8.0] "Mike Awesome is a fantastic powerhouse and probably one of the more underrated wrestlers of his time. Year should not be greater than current year. Warren-McElwain provides a full range of services including burial, cremation, in our own crematory, entombment or body donation. > Video However, there was , Weve profiled 40 wrestlers who sadly, didnt make it to see age 40, including many enhancement talent names of the , Heart Attack / Heart Failure / Heart Disease, Comprehensive Deceased Wrestlers List (text-only), Comprehensive Deceased Managers List (text-only), 8 Things You May Not Have Known About Rick Rude. He must have been in a very sick situation to do something like this but at the end of the day You are one guy to be remembered and YOU ARE AWESOME!!!! However, there was He had turned 42 just a month before his death. You are given the most precious gift there is and you give it back? 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. I wish he didnt do it, of course, but dont sit there and pass judgement on him. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. He also became That 70s Guy for a spell in a gimmick that included him driving an old-school bus and hosting a cheesy segment called The Lavalamp Lounge. Other gimmicks in WCW had Awesome being billed as The Career Killer (after throwing Chris Kanyon off the top of a three-tiered cage) and The Fat Chick Thriller along with being part of the Team Canada contingent, even though he was from Florida. He graduated in 1953, from Blooming Prairie High School. Please reset your password. He did an Awesome Bomb through a table and pinned Tanaka on the floor of the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. 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.[9]. The family will receive friends from 6:00 pm 8:00 pm Thursday, February 22, 2007 at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home, 6919 Providence Road, Riverview, FL 33569. thanks, (foreshadowing Awesome's unexpected real-life death 20 months later), but by the end the crowd were chanting "this match rules!" #295 Tampa, FL 33634. His matches with Masato Tanaka were always fantastic. Mike Alfonso. In need of a new champion with credibility to replace the departing Taz, Heyman handpicked Awesome for the role of ECW World Champion. As the CEO of Milestone Funeral Partners I guide and support our leaders and caregivers in all business functions of Funeral Homes, Crematories, and Cemeteries. The world has lost a great son, brother, husband, father, and leader. Name:Michael Lee Alfonso Date:January 24th, 1965 - February 17th, 2007 In the FMW, he went on to two World Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championships, World Street Fight Six-Man Tag Team Champion and Independent World Heavyweight Title Champion by 1997. Awesome made an appearance at WWE's (formerly the WWF) ECW One Night Stand reunion pay-per-view on June 13, 2005, defeating Masato Tanaka. Sometimes the way you remember your loved one isn't all rainbows and butterflies. When Thompson committed suicide in 2005, Johnny Depp funded a crazy, awesome funeral in the writer's honor. Kelsey Rossette Funeral Counselor, Apprentice Embalmer Heather Martin-Cisneros Funeral Counselor. That turned out to be former champion, and WWE employee, Tazz. He made ECW to me. He is survived by his wife, Delisa, son; Casey, daughter; Carissa, his father; Tony and mother; Sharon, along with his brother, Rick. 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. [10] Awesome's hardcore reign came to an end a few weeks later on the July 12 edition of SmackDown! He spent a year as an iron worker to save up for college, and helped build several . brand on the July 27, 2002, edition of Velocity where he was defeated by Tajiri. Jul 1: Money in the Bank Alfonso was trained to wrestle by Steve Keirn, debuting on February 26, 1989, at the Eddie Graham Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. I also wrestled in China, South Korea, Guam, Australia, Germany, England, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Canada and the United States. (Getty Images) Archbishop Justin Welby told the 2,000 mourners in Westminster . At 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. 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. Michael Lee Alfonso, a wrestler who was twice named the Extreme Championship Wrestling World Champion, committed suicide on Feb. 17. January 24th, 1965 February 17th, 2007. > Books Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Mike Vasquez Jr. to pay them a last tribute. On August 26, Gladiator wrestled his last FMW match, in which he defeated longtime rival Super Leather. Awesome and Lance Storm were defeated by Edge and Christian at Invasion on July 22, Awesome's first WWF pay-per-view match. 34 And Jesus said, ''Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.''. What a match??? But if you guys really look up to him, use his death as a lesson. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Michael J. Lawler, 56, passed away on December 22, 2021 at Witham Health Services in Lebanon, Ind. [23], Awesome was released from the WWE on September 27, 2002, along with Shawn Stasiak and Horace Hogan. After 3 years in college, he began training as a pro wrestler under Steve Keirn. This partnership led the two to form a tag team which lasted nearly three years. Obituary. Born and raised in Tampa, Fla., Alfonso married his high school sweetheart and fathered two children. [11], Due to concerns over legal issues WCW refrained from having Awesome appear on their television shows with the ECW belt. 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