Johnny Grunge
Johnny Grunge | |
---|---|
Birth name | Michael Lynn Durham |
Born | Sulphur, Louisiana, U.S. | July 10, 1966
Died | February 16, 2006[1] Peachtree City, Georgia, U.S.[1] | (aged 39)
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Johnny Grunge[2][3] Johnny Rotten[2][3] |
Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[3][4] |
Billed weight | 263 lb (119 kg)[4] |
Billed from | Compton, California[2] |
Debut | 1987 |
Michael Lynn Durham (July 10, 1966 – February 16, 2006) was an American
Professional wrestling career
Early career (1987–1993)
Grunge made his professional wrestling debut in 1987. In 1993 in
Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–1996)
In 1993, The Public Enemy joined
World Championship Wrestling (1996–1998)
In 1996, The Public Enemy joined the
World Wrestling Federation and return to WCW (1999)
The Public Enemy left WCW in 1999, and briefly wrestled for ECW before joining the
Independent circuit (1999–2006)
They then returned to the
Personal life
Grunge was a neighbor of Chris Benoit and helped Benoit cope with Eddie Guerrero's death in November 2005.[16]
Grunge died on February 16, 2006, in his residence in Peachtree City, Georgia, as a result of sleep apnea complications, which was most likely caused by a coronary artery blockage due to obesity.[1] He was 39 years old. Other reports say he was visiting a friend at the time of his death where he was unable to breathe.[17] He was morbidly obese and had ingested a huge quantity of Soma pills that were prescribed by doctor Phil Astin.[18]
Championships and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other honoree (1995)
- Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling
- Hardcore Hall of Fame
- Class of 2007
- i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling
- i-Generation Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Rocco Rock
- International World Class Championship Wrestling
- IWCCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Equalizer Zip
- Main Event Championship Wrestling
- MECW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock
- National Wrestling Alliance
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock
- NWA New Jersey
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock
- New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2010
- New-Wave Championship Wrestling
- NWCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 465 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
- Superstars of Wrestling
- SOW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Rocco Rock
- Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling
- TCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock
- Ultra Championship Wrestling
- UCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Jason Ray
- Universal Wrestling Alliance
- UWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Rocco Rock[19]
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock
- Other Accomplishments
- IPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock
- MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock
- Hardcore Hall of Fame (2007)
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Brady, Hicks. "2006: The year in wrestling". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 18. 2007 Edition.
- ^ a b c d "The Public Enemy". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4165-1058-1.
- ^ a b "Johnny Grunge profile". OWOW. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
- ISBN 978-1-61321-582-1.
- ^ Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. July 2004.
- ^ "ECW World Tag Team Title". www.wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ^ Public Enemy and the ECW fans make the ring collapse: Extreme Warfare Vol. 1, retrieved 2021-07-02
- ISBN 978-1-55022-685-0.
- ^ "Is This the ECW Match Weezer References in El Scorcho?". The Big Lead. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ^ "Public Enemy - OWW". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ^ "WCW World Tag Team Title". www.wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ^ "ECW star Johnny Grunge dies". Slam Wrestling. 2006-02-16. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ^ "411MANIA". Random Network Reviews: Bash at the Beach 1999. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ^ Crenshaw, Holly. "**SECOND FUNERAL FOR JOHNNY GRUNGE | WrestlingFigs". Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ^ "Fish: Chris Benoit's doctor prescribed for other wrestlers". ESPN.com. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
- ^ O'Connor, Ryan (December 8, 2015). "Johnny Grunge - Dead at 39". Wrestler Deaths. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-77305-766-8.
- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
External links
- The Public Enemy on WWE.com
- Johnny Grunge's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database
- Mike Durham at IMDb