Mike Awesome
Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the 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.
| Mike Awesome | |
|---|---|
Awesome in December 1999 | |
| Birth name | Michael Lee Alfonso |
| Born | January 24, 1965 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | February 17, 2007 (aged 42) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
| Spouse(s) |
Delisa Diann Bowers (m. 1991) |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | Horace Hogan (cousin) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Captain Awesome The Gladiator Mike Awesome The Pro Fat Chick Thriller That 70's Guy |
| Billed height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) |
| Billed weight | 292 lb (132 kg) |
| Trained by | Steve Keirn |
| Debut | February 26, 1989 |
| Retired | February 26, 2006 |
Alfonso achieved the biggest success of his career in FMW as The Gladiator, where he became a three-time world champion, with two reigns as Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion and one reign as Independent Heavyweight Champion. His second Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship reign from 1996–1997 was the longest reign in the title's history, lasting for 489 days. During this reign, he defeated W*ING Kanemura to unify the title with the Independent Heavyweight Championship at the 1996 Year End Spectacular. He would then tour with ECW, where he became a two-time World Heavyweight Champion. He was a member of two separate stables Team Canada in both FMW and WCW.