Former ECW Champion Mike Awesome wrestled his final match in 2005, and it turned out to be the best of his entire career.
Awesome passed away in 2007, two years after retiring from wrestling after his last match. His career was filled with controversies, many stemming from his move from WCW to ECW.
All was not forgiven by the time his last match began, but by the time the final bell had rung, the fans were chanting for Mike Awesome and giving him a standing ovation in the ring.
Mike Awesome’s Last Match
Mike Awesome wrestled his last match ever at the ECW One-Night Stand event, hosted by the WWE.
He was brought back to the WWE for the first time since his release in 2002, after which he stated “Being in the WWE sucked”.
He went to work in Japan for many years, before having one last match in the WWE as part of the ECW Reunion show. It paid tribute to the history of the hardcore promotion, which Awesome’s legendary feud with Masata Tanaka.
Despite the ECW fans having little love for Awesome (he walked out of the company while the WCW Champion), by the time his final match against Tanaka was over, they gave him a standing ovation.
Mike Awesome’s last match was against Masata Tanaka at ECW One Night Stand, and is considered the best of his entire career.
Rated 9.06 on Cagematch, the match went for a little under ten minutes, but felt like more (in a good way!). The pair crammed so much ridiculous hardcore action into such a short amount of time, it made for an incredible spectacle.
The match was just 9 and half minutes of the pair throwing each other through tables and no-selling chair shots to the head. While this may not be everybody’s cup of tea, it was a brilliant match to watch.
The ECW crowd make it even better, reacting loudly to every spot and adding an extra star to an already fantastic bout.
This is Mike Awesome’s highest rated match, and his last match before he died in 2007.
Joey Styles Said He Wished Mike Awesome Killed Himself
The only thing that sours you on the match is something Joey Styles said on commentary.
The voice of ECW was always a big supporter of the promotion, and viewed Mike Awesome as a Judas for deserting the company in 2000.
He insulted Awesome all throughout the match, playing into the crowd’s dislike of the former ECW Champion.
At one point in the match, Joey Styles said, “And it’s a shame he didn’t succeed in taking his own life“.
At the time, this was just a bit off-color. However, Mike Awesome died two-years later, found in his house after hanging himself to death.
Him committing suicide puts a big dampener on the match, knowing the vitriol for a man who was feeling this bad about himself from the crowd, and from the commentary team.
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