Wrestling / Mikey Whipwreck

John Michael Watson (born June 4, 1973) is a semi-retired American Professional Wrestler and trainer from Buffalo, NY best known for his work in ECW as Mikey Whipwreck. He started his career in 1994 as part of the ring crew before being noticed by Paul Heyman. Due to his small stature (5'9, 187 lbs.), he looked like someone who would never make it, and, according to Mick Foley's autobiography Have a Nice Day, his trainer, Sonny Blaze, refused to take Watson's money and trained him for free because he thought he would never make it. Paul named him "Mikey Whipwreck" and gave him an Underdog gimmick/character, with Mikey getting clobbered in his first several matches. To everyone's shock, he defeated Pitbull #1 for his first of two NWA ECW Television/ECW World Television Titles. Whereas most wrestlers would sound confident on the mic, especially after having won their first title, Mikey came off as terrified. He would go on to replace Terry Funk as Cactus Jack's tag team partner on August 27th when they defeated the Public Enemy for the NWA ECW Tag Team Titles, which would shortly after be renamed the ECW World Tag Team Titles, as that was the same night that Shane Douglas won the NWA World Heavyweight Title and threw it down and declared himself to be the ECW World Heavyweight Champion. Mikey would eventually go on to defeat the Sandman for the ECW World Heavyweight Title in October 1995, 2 Cold Scorpio for the TV AND Tag Team Titles in December at ECW Holiday Hell and he and Yoshihiro Tajiri would hold the ECW World Tag Team Titles for one day in August 2000. He also had a brief run in WCW in mid-1999 and would go on to compete for several independent promotions primarily in the Northeast/New England area. While in ECW, he and Taz were the main trainers at ECW's House of Hardcore wrestling school. Post-ECW, among the wrestlers he helped train were Zack Ryder, Jay Lethal, and the Spanish Announce Team (Jose and Joel Maximo and the Amazing Red.) In 1994 he won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's "Rookie of the Year" Award.

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"Tropersnapper":

• Affectionate Parody/Shout-Out: Once during a promo with Cactus Jack, he wore a T-shirt with a picture of Barney Rubble on a motorcycle with the slogan "Rubble Without A Cause!"
• Arch-Enemy: The Sandman, the Public Enemy, Jason, Justin Credible, the FBI, Sabu (in MLW)
• Bash Brothers: Paul Lauria, Cactus Jack, Hack Meyers, Tommy Dreamer, Little Spike Dudley, Yoshihiro Tajiri, Christopher Daniels, Jerry Lynn.
• Berserk Button: Once during a promo in MLW, the Sinister Minister was talking while Mikey was playing with a big rubber dinosaur when Los Maximos walked into the room. Mikey's reaction even left the Sinister Minister a little surprised and unnerved.
  MIKEY: "How many times have I told you, in the name of all that is decent and holy, never to interrupt me during happy time?"
• The Cameo: At TNA #82, The Gathering (CM Punk and Julio Dinero) (w/Father James Mitchell [the Sinister Minister]) d. Mikey and the Sandman.
• Distracted by the Sexy: The October 16 (taped October 10), 1998 episode of ECW Hardcore TV featured a match between Chris Candido (w/Tammy Lynn Sytch) vs. Jerry Lynn. Before the match, Mikey walked down to the ring to confront Lynn, as they had been rivals at the time. However, he saw Tammy, and, at least momentarily, lost his focus, though Candido covered up her cleavage, saying, "Oh wow are you hot, you're even hotter in person than you are on TV."
• Expy: Paul Heyman created the Mikey character as one of "The Wrestling School Dropout" Jim Mulkey from Tony Rumble's ICW/IWCCW promotion in New England in the early 1990s.
  • Mikey later gained one himself in Colin Delaney in WWECW.
• Finishing Move: Frankenmikey, Whippersnapper (Stunner)
  • While teaming with Tajiri, they would use a double-team brainbuster.
• Fragile Speedster: Early on, and running was all he was good at, not being able to get any offensive maneuvers. He got better with experience.
• Gondor Calls for Aid: Enlisted Sabu as a partner for a match against The Eliminators in 1996.
• Heel–Face Turn: He was responsible for training most of Special K and lead, and assisted them in battle. He also ended up turning on the group for, well, becoming Special K.
• Improv Fu: Joke wrestler Mikey Whipwreck stumbled into winning, all the way to the World Championship.
• Laughing Mad: After he joined forces with the Sinister Minister
• The Mentor: After ECW closed, he went into semi-retirement and began training new wrestlers. His students include Jay Lethal, Zack Ryder, and Trent Baretta, among others.
• Playing with Fire: Once on ECW on TNN, he lit a ringside table on fire while laughing insanely about it.
  • He also tried using it against Sabu in MLW in 2003, but Bill Alfonso doused it with water.
• Power Stable:
  • (in Ring of Honor): Special K
  • (in USA Pro) Raven's Flock
  • (in New York Wrestling Connection): The Black Circle, Order of the Black
• Red Baron: "The Unholy Altar Boy"

• Tag Team: The Young Dragons, with Paul Lauria
• Took a Level in Badass: BIG TIME. Started when he and Cactus Jack defeated the Public Enemy for the ECW World Tag Team Titles, and reached its pinnacle when he defeated the Sandman for the ECW World Heavyweight Title on the October 18, 1995 show. He even defeated STEVE AUSTIN at ECW November to Remember 95, their biggest show of the year.