Mike Alfonso, better known to wrestling fans as Mike Awesome was found dead at the age of 42 in Tampa.

Friends were going to pick him up at his home, he didn't answer the door and was found hanging. This is being ruled a suicide until the results of the autopsy.

Awesome found great success as "The Gladiator" in FMW in Japan. He was a high-flying big man and was later made ECW champion on two occasions in 1999 and 2000, where he and Masato Tanaka continued their feud from FMW. While he was champion he signed a WCW contract, and Tazz was loaned back to ECW from WWE to take the title back.

Awesome worked for a short time with the WWF after the collapse of WCW during the Invasion angle and after that in All Japan. He had not wrestled in some time. Awesome was recently working as a realtor at Coldwell Banker.

Credit: Wrestlingobserver.com


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Mike Awesome was an UNBELIEVABLE big man. He was everything that guys like Sid Vicious only wished they could have been when it came to actual in ring talent. WCW murdered his career.

[Ron Simmons]DAMN[/Ron Simmons]

uhmump95 Wrote:[Ron Simmons]DAMN[/Ron Simmons]

My sentiments exactly.

Awesome was awesome.

Damn.