The Most Obscure and Forgotten Champions In ECW History

The Most Obscure and Forgotten Champions In ECW History

May 15, 2022

By Ryan Porzl

Continuing my tributes to ECW, we move to the second of the three part series. Like with New Japan and previously with WCW, we'll now take a look at forgotten names in ECW history. ECW may have only been around for nine years and many of their champions have become legends in the industry, they too have their list of champions that would make you go "who?" just like any other famous promotion. We'll now take a look at those obscure names. Once again, I'll only cover the original ECW from 1992-2001.

I don't own any pictures as I found them on Google.

Johnny Hotbody

Title(s) Held: ECW Heavyweight Championship, ECW Television Championship, ECW Tag Team Championship (3x)

Here's a trick question: name me the first triple crown winner in ECW history. No, it's not guys like Taz or Sabu or Mikey Whipwreck. Not only is it not guys like Raven, Shane Douglas, and The Sandman but those guys never even became triple crown winners. The answer is Johnny Hotbody. Hotbody is one of the most interesting guys in ECW history as this is a man who can be considered obscure but at the same time achieved so much to the point where he's one of the most prestigious wrestlers in the promotion's history. Along with being the inaugural ECW triple crown winner, he also became the second ever ECW Heavyweight Champion and the inaugural ECW Television Champion. Some of Hotbody's story is similar to others on this list. He was trained by Larry Sharpe in the famous Monster Factory and turned pro in 1988. Also, like many on this list, Hotbody also did time in the northeast indy circuit before working for ECW's predecessor Tri-State Wrestling Alliance where he had a feud with future partner Tony Stetson and formed a tag team with Larry Winters called the Dog Pound to become the inaugural TWA Tag Team Champions. After TWA shut down in 1992, Hotbody quickly jumped to ECW upon it's formation and would quickly become one of their top stars. On April 26, 1992, Hotbody would challenge the legendary Jimmy Snuka for the ECW Heavyweight Championship, who had just became the inaugural champion the day before. Hotbody would upset the Superfly and go on to win the championship. Hotbody would hold the belt for three months, successfully defending against Mr. Sandman (the future Sandman) and Jimmy Jannetty at ECW events before dropping the championship back to Snuka on July 14th.

Hotbody was far from over as shortly after the loss, ECW decided to crown a Television Champion and Hotbody would enter a tournament to crown the first champion. On August 12, 1992, Hotbody went on to win the tournament, defeating former partner Larry Winters in the finals to become the inaugural champion. Unfortunately, Hotbody wouldn't enjoy the reign for too long as he would suffer an ankle injury and was forced to vacate the title only a month later on September 12th.

Upon recovery, Hotbody then became a tag team wrestler as he formed the Suicide Blondes with Chris Candido and Chris Michaels. On April 3, 1993, during a Hardcore TV taping (shown May 25th), Hotbody would team with Candido to defeat Winters and Tony Stetson for their first ECW Tag Team Championship. They would hold the belts for over a month where they fended off challenges from The Super Destroyers and Tommy Cairo and Glen Osbourne before dropping the titles to the Destroyers on May 15th during a Hardcore TV Taping (shown July 6th).

Hotbody and the Blondes wouldn't be down for long as the same night (shown July 20th) they lost the titles, they would earn a rematch with Hotbody teaming with Chris Michaels in a rematch where they put their careers on the line against the Destroyers titles. Hotbody would regain the belts for the second time. Hotbody and the Blondes would reign as champs for two months before the titles were vacated due to Candido leaving ECW in July 1993.

Hotbody would get one more tag title in the fall, this time, teaming with Tony Stetson, he and Stetson would be awarded the tag team championship following the departure of previous champs Eddie Gilbert and Dark Patriot on October 1, 1993 at NWA Bloodfeast: Night One. Hotbody and Stetson would reign as champs for a month and a half as they defended against the likes of former AWA World Tag Team Champions Badd Company as well as JT Smith and The Sandman and The Bad Breed before losing the belts to Tommy Dreamer and Johnny Gunn at the first November to Remember on November 13, 1993 in a nine second loss. After losing the tag titles, Hotbody would slow down as he competed in ECW and the indie circuit until leaving ECW in 1995. Afterwards, Hotbody would wrestle sporadically in 1998 and 2001 before retiring. He would come out of retirement, having one last match in 2006 before retiring for good.

Tommy Cairo

Title(s) Held: ECW Pennsylvania Championship

Cairo may be a forgotten name for most but many hardcore ECW fans probably remember him, mostly due to his 1994 feud with The Sandman. Cairo was originally a bodybuilder where he placed 9th in the 1985 AAU Mr. America Medium group before turning pro as a wrestler in 1988. Cairo would be another who entered ECW when it began in 1992 where he was a regular during their early years and it was during this time he became a champion while holding a title many ECW fans probably didn't know existed. On May 14, 1993, during a Hardcore TV taping (shown June 8th), Cairo took part in a battle royal with the winner becoming the inaugural ECW Pennsylvania Champion. In the end, Cairo won the match and became the first ECW Pennsylvania Champion. Cairo would hold the title for nearly three months but made no title defenses until losing it to Tony Stetson on August 7th at a Hardcore TV taping (shown September 14th). After losing the championship, Cairo would continue with ECW where he got several title shots but was never able to win another title. As mentioned, he was then in a memorable angle and feud with The Sandman before leaving ECW at the end of 1994. After leaving, Cairo would work the independent circuit, mostly for NWA New Jersey where he became the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship until retiring in 2000. Cairo then went on to be an electrician before returning to the business in 2007 as a trainer and independent promoter before retiring again in 2013. He came out of retirement for one appearance at an indie show in November 2021.

Larry Winters

Title(s) Held: ECW Tag Team Championship

Winters is another name from the early years of ECW. Winters originally turned pro in 1982 and became a journeyman wrestler for the next few years largely doing preliminary work for the WWF, AWA, and NWA/Jim Crockett Promotions. While working in the latter promotion, he met Joel Goodhart, who eventually hired him upon forming the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance in 1990. Winters would be a top star during the promotion's short history as he teamed with Johnny Hotbody as the Dog Pound and became the inaugural TWA Tag Team Champions and he also had a memorable hardcore feud with D.C. Drake. After TWA closed in 1992, Winters hooked up with Tod Gordon when he formed ECW where he helped trained future legend The Sandman and future ECW Television Glen Osbourne (more on him in a bit) and became the promotion's original booker before creative differences saw him replaced by Eddie Gilbert. Eventually, Winters would find himself winning another tag team championship. On April 2, 1993, Winters teamed with Tony Stetson to challenge The Super Destroyers for the ECW Tag Team Championship in a match that was a title vs. hair match as well as no disqualification and no count out on a Hardcore TV taping (shown May 11th). In the end, Winters and Stetson would not only keep their hair but defeat the Destroyers to win the titles. Ultimately, Winters and Stetson would only hold the belts for a day but made a successful title defense against the Destroyers before losing the belts on April 3rd to The Suicide Blondes at a Hardcore TV taping (shown May 25th). After losing the titles, Winters would continue working for ECW until he left in December 1993. After leaving, Winters would sporadically wrestle for the next sixteen years eventually finishing his career with another Tod Gordon promotion Pro Wrestling Unplugged as well as the revived Tri-State Wrestling Alliance before retiring in 2010. Sadly, Winters passed away on January 27, 2015 at the age of 58 due to a heart attack.

Tony Stetson

Title(s) Held: ECW Pennsylvania Championship, ECW Tag Team Championship (2x)

Stetson continues our streak of early ECW stars and his story is a bit of a repeat since I covered some of his reigns with Hotbody and Winters so work with me here. Like his former partner Hotbody, Stetson is another New Jersey native who trained at the Monster Factory in the 1980s. He did some prelim work for the WWF at first before working the indies and then for Tri-State. Stetson would be another who joined ECW when it formed in 1992 and was successful during the initial years. Stetson would first form a team with Larry Winters which saw him win his first championship when they defeated The Super Destroyers for the ECW Tag Team Championship on April 2, 1993 in a title vs. hair no disqualification and no count out match on a Hardcore TV taping (shown May 11th). Stetson and Winters held the titles for a day where they successfully defended in a rematch against the Destroyers before losing the titles on April 3rd to the Suicide Blondes on a Hardcore TV taping (shown May 25th).

After losing the tag titles, Stetson took a break from the tag team division and focused on singles and it was here where he won his only singles championship. On August 7, 1993, Stetson would challenge Tommy Cairo for the ECW Pennsylvania Championship at a Hardcore TV taping (shown September 14th) and would go on to win the championship. In the end, Stetson would be the second and last Pennsylvania Champion as he made one title defense in a rematch with Cairo before the title was abandoned following the September 18th UltraClash event.

Right around the time the Pennsylvania Championship ended, Stetson would earn his last title when he and Johnny Hotbody were awarded the ECW Tag Team Championship on October 1st at NWA Bloodfeast: Night One after previous champions Eddie Gilbert and The Dark Patriot departed the promotion. Stetson and Hotbody would hold the belts for two months as they fended off challenges from The Bad Breed at the inaugural November to Remember as well as The Sandman and JT Smith and Badd Company before losing the titles on November 13th at the 1993 November to Remember to Tommy Dreamer and Johnny Gunn. After losing the titles, Stetson continued to work in ECW till leaving in 1996 during which, he briefly changed his name to The Broad Street Bully towards the end of his run. Afterwards, he wrestled sporadically till 2002 during which time he worked coordinating supply distributions to a Methodist Hospital. He eventually would return by 2008 and even worked for the revived TWA from 2009-2011. He wrestled part time until retiring for good in 2015.

The Super Destroyers

Title(s) Held: ECW Tag Team Championship (2x)

ECW has had a rich history when it comes to tag teams and tag team wrestling with many memorable teams going through there including The Dudley Boyz, The Public Enemy, The Eliminators, The Gangstas, The Pitbulls, and various versions of FBI. However, before any of those teams were on top in ECW, there was one team that was the first tag team champions and that was the masked duo known as The Super Destroyers which consisted of journeymen AJ Petruzzi (#1) and Doug Stahl (#2). The Destroyers have a unique history in ECW as they are able to say they have both the longest and tie for the shortest reign in the history of the tag team championship. Prior to their teaming, Petruzzi was a longtime prelim talent for the WWF from 1984-1986 while Stahl was a prelim wrestler for the National Wrestling League, NWA/WCW, and Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Both would enter ECW upon it's formation in 1992 and became the masked Super Destroyers who were managed by Hunter Q. Robbins III. On June 23, 1992, The Destroyers would enter a tournament to crown the inaugural ECW Tag Team Champions and would emerge victorious defeating Jimmy Jannetty and JT Smith in the semifinals before defeating The Night Breed (Glen Osbourne and Max Thrasher) to become the first champions. The Destroyers would hold the titles for over nine months and would become the longest reigning champions at 283 days all the while fending off challenges from mostly no names. Eventually the reign would end on April 2, 1993, against the team of Larry Winters and Tony Stetson during a Hardcore TV taping (shown May 11th) in a title vs. hair no disqualification and no count out match.

The Destroyers weren't done yet as they would pursue the titles until finally challenging and defeating The Suicide Blondes for the gold on May 15, 1993 during a Hardcore TV taping (shown July 6th) in a title vs. mask match. Unfortunately, the Destroyers would go from having the longest reign to one of the shortest as they lost the titles on the same night back to the Blondes at another Hardcore TV taping (shown July 20th) in a title vs. career match. After losing the titles, the Destroyers continued on until breaking up in the fall with #1 defeating #2 in a mask match at UltraClash on September 18th. Afterwards, both would leave ECW by the end of 1993 with #1 retiring from wrestling outside of some sporadic appearances in small shows from 1996-1998 while #2 wrestled the North Carolina independent circuit as the Black Scorpion all the while doing prelim work for WWF before retiring in 1996. Both would reunite for some shots in 2005 as The Super Destroyers before retiring for good in 2006.

Glen Osbourne

Title(s) Held: ECW Television Championship

Finally, we reach the end of early Eastern Championship Wrestling champions. Trained by Larry Winters and turned pro in 1990, Osbourne's story is identical to some on this list as he was a regular for TWA during it's two year run before joining ECW upon it's debut in 1992. Originally, Osbourne would team with another wrestler named Max Thrasher to form a team team called Nightbreed where they made it to the finals of the tournament to crown the first Tag Team Champions before the two broke up and began a bloody feud. It would be right around this time when Osbourne would become an ECW champion. After inaugural Television Champion Johnny Hotbody went down with a broken ankle, a tournament was held to crown a new champion. On September 30, 1992, Osbourne would win the tournament defeating the Sandman in the finals for the vacant championship. Osbourne would hold the belt for around five months fending off challenges from Thrasher, Hotbody, and The Canadian Werewolf before being stripped of the title in February 1993 in order for the championship to be put in a tournament just as ECW was debuting their Hardcore TV show. After losing the title, Osbourne attempted to get it back in a tournament but lost in the finals to Jimmy Snuka. Afterwards, Osbourne continued working for ECW until leaving in May 1993. After leaving, Osbourne worked many years for promotions such as Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation and East Coast Wrestling Association winning championships in both and even being inducted into the ECWA Hall of Fame in 1996. From 2009-2010, Osbourne worked for the revived TWA and even won the promotion's heavyweight championship. He eventually retired in 2011.

Tony Mamaluke

Title(s) Held: ECW World Tag Team Championship

It turns out not everyone on this list is from ECW's early years as the last two are from the last years. First on the list is Tony Mamaluke. A trainee of Dean Malenko, Mamaluke originally became known for his late 1999/early 2000 cup of coffee run in WCW as mobster Tony Marinara who managed the tag team the Mamalukes of Big Vito and Johnny the Bull while feuding with Disco Inferno. After he was released, he made his way to ECW under the name of Tony Mamaluke and became part of the Full Blooded Italians along side Little Guido and Big Sal E. Graziano. At an ECW event at the Hammerstein Ballroom on August 26, 2000, Mamaluke would team with Guido to upset the Unholy Alliance team of Mikey Whipwreck and Yoshihiro Tajiri to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship. Mamaluke and Guido would hold the belts for three and a half months successfully defending against the Unholy Alliance and Danny Doring and Roadkill in various matches on ECW tv shows like Hardcore TV and ECW on TNN as well as the Anarchy Rulz and November to Remember PPVs before losing the titles to Doring and Roadkill at Massacre on 34th Street on December 3, 2000. After losing the titles, Mamaluke continued working for ECW until it shut down in early 2001. Afterwards, he became a journeyman for several years making appearances for NWA-TNA (now Impact), Ring of Honor, CZW, FIP, and MLW during which time he captured the ROH World Tag Team Championships in 2005 with Sal Rinauro. From 2006-2007, Mamaluke then competed for WWE's ECW brand but was mostly used as enhancement talent and was never pushed before eventually being released. After his release, he went back to the indie circuit where he mostly remained outside of a brief return to TNA in 2010. He would mostly compete in Northeast indies like NYWC and ECWA along with Extreme Rising and House of Hardcore. He eventually retired in 2018.

Danny Doring and Roadkill

Title(s) Held: ECW World Tag Team Championship

Finally, we looked at the first ECW Tag Team Champions and now, we'll look at the last ECW World Tag Team Champions. Both Doring and Roadkill would have similar backgrounds as both trained at ECW's House of Hardcore school and turned pro in 1996. Doring would be originally given the gimmick of a dull wrestler who encouraged "boring" chants but he think they were chanting for him before changing his gimmick to a womanizer while Roadkill would be given the gimmick of an Amish chicken plucker. The two would form their team in late 1997 and largely had an uneventful first few years outside of a brief period where they were managed by future WWE Hall of Famer Lita in 1999. By mid 2000, the duo began to move up the ladder and gain in popularity. After getting several shots at the gold, Doring and Roadkill would finally collect towards the end of ECW's existence. On December 3, 2000, at the Massacre on 34th Street pay-per-view, Doring and Roadkill would defeat the FBI to become the new ECW World Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately, Doring and Roadkill wouldn't be able to enjoy their reign as they would defend the belts against Da Baldies, Hot Commodity, and the FBI (Tommy Dreamer filled in for Roadkill) in what would be some of ECW's last events before the promotion shut down in April 2001, making Doring and Roadkill the final tag team champions. After ECW shut down, Doring and Roadkill would work the indies as well as make appearances for NWA-TNA (Impact), Ring of Honor, and XPW either separately or together while getting WWE tryout matches. They would both sign with WWE by 2005 including taking part of the revived ECW brand until Doring was released in 2007 while Roadkill did some time in Ohio Valley Wrestling where he held their tag team championship. Roadkill would eventually retire after he was released in 2008 but the two would reunite for the first House of Hardcore show in 2012. Doring continues to wrestle sporadically in 2022.