Michael Lynn Durham (July 10, 1965 – February 16, 2006) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

, better known by his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

, Johnny Grunge. He is known for his appearances with Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling,

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...

and the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

as one-half of the

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establis ...

The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman, and starring James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods ...

with Rocco Rock. In the course of his career, Grunge held

championships In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

such as the

ECW World Tag Team Championship The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestli ...

and

WCW World Tag Team Championship The WCW World Tag Team Championship, originally known as the NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'', was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling ...

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1987–1993)

Grunge made his professional wrestling debut in 1987. In 1993 in

Woodbridge, New Jersey Woodbridge Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in northern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a regional hub of transportation and commerce for Central Jersey, central New ...

, Grunge formed a

in the UWF with Rocco Rock known as

. This was not the first time they had met though as The Public Enemy faced one another in Austria , with Grunge (using the name "Johnny Rotten") losing to Rock (using the name "Cheetah Kid" and was masked).

Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–1996)

In 1993, The Public Enemy joined

Eastern Championship Wrestling Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) was an American professional wrestling promotion that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operated by its parent company HHG Corporation. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as Nationa ...

, a

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

-based

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

soon to be renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling. Between March 6, 1994 and October 28, 1995, The Public Enemy held the

ECW Tag Team Championship The ECW World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestli ...

on four occasions. While in ECW, they were involved in two infamous incidents - the first when the ECW audience hurled folding chairs into the ring until The Public Enemy (both "unconscious") were submerged, and the second when the ECW audience invaded the

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

to celebrate with The Public Enemy, with the ring collapsing as a result of the additional weight. They were known for their

hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, inc ...

style and usage of tables, a

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand out ...

that was later adopted by the

Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley. The team was also joined by various Dudley family members, notably Spike Dudley and ...

. The Public Enemy's wrestling style was referenced in

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...

's song "

El Scorcho "El Scorcho" is a song by the American rock band Weezer. It is the first single from the band's second album, '' Pinkerton'', released in 1996. The music video features the band playing in an old ballroom in Los Angeles (as revealed by Weezer's ...

"; the line "watchin' Grunge legdrop New Jack through a press table" was derived from a caption for a photograph of Grunge fighting wrestler

New Jack Jerome Young (January 3, 1963 – May 14, 2021) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name New Jack. He was best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he became notorious for his willingn ...

that was published in ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

''.

World Championship Wrestling (1996–1998)

In 1996, The Public Enemy joined the

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

based

promotion. They debuted on January 15, 1996, defeating The American Males. On September 23, 1996 in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

, The Public Enemy defeated

Harlem Heat Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team composed of two brothers, Booker and Lash Huffman (better known as Booker T and Stevie Ray). The team achieved their greatest success in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where they won the WCW ...

to win the

, but Harlem Heat regained the titles on October 1, 1996 in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

World Wrestling Federation and return to WCW (1999)

The Public Enemy left WCW in 1999, and briefly wrestled for ECW before joining the

. Both men made their debut on the February 22, 1999 episode of '' Raw is War'', but were released from the WWF two months later. They had previously performed in the company at Survivor Series 1995 facing

The Smoking Gunns The Smoking Gunns were a professional wrestling tag team of kayfabe brothers Billy Gunn (Monty Sopp) and Bart Gunn (Mike Polchlopek). They portrayed cowboys in the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1996, where they held the WWF T ...

. On July 18 at Bash at the Beach 1999, The Public Enemy returned to WCW and took part in the "Junkyard Invitational". The Public Enemy - March 2002 - Table

Later career (1999–2006)

They then returned to the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

, making appearances with the

X Wrestling Federation The X Wrestling Federation (XWF) (later referred to as the Xcitement Wrestling Federation) was an American professional wrestling promotion that operated from 2001 to 2002. The previous number two and three American promotions, World Champions ...

as The South Philly Posse, where they were managed by

Jasmin St. Claire Jasmin St. Claire (born October 23, 1970) is an American former pornographic actress. She is also known for her work as a professional wrestling personality, most notably for ECW. She has made appearances in the world of professional wrestling ...

. In the early 2000s, Public Enemy performed for the short-lived

i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling i-Generation Wrestling Superstars of Wrestling was a small series of professional wrestling shows in 2000. The roster consisted of wrestlers who had previously achieved fame in other promotions. The tour promoted a World Championship, an Australa ...

among other independent promotions. The team won various independent tag team titles. Following the death of Rocco Rock in 2002, Grunge teamed with his

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced ) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants. The term has evolved to become a code word ...

brother Joey Grunge as The New Public Enemy throughout August 2003. He also made appearances with

Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling, or 3PW, was a hardcore professional wrestling promotion based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Considered an attempt at reviving Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), it ran many shows from the former ECW Arena. The promo ...

(3PW) until his last match in 2004. He participated in a memorial segment for deceased ECW wrestlers at '' Hardcore Homecoming'' on June 10, 2005, and at the end of that year, Grunge was preparing for a comeback. His cousin, Jason Ray, who wrestled for Big Japan Wrestling, helped book him for BJW's upcoming spring tour.

Personal life

Grunge was a neighbor of

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit ( ; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for Chris Benoit double-murd ...

and helped Benoit cope with

Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and World Championship Wrestling ...

's death in November 2005. Grunge died on February 16, 2006, in his residence in

Peachtree City, Georgia Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 38,244. Peachtree City is located in southern Metro Atlanta. Golf carts are widely used in the city. Over 10,000 hous ...

, as a result of

sleep apnea Sleep apnea (sleep apnoea or sleep apnœa in British English) is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which repetitive Apnea, pauses in breathing, periods of shallow breathing, or collapse of the upper airway during sleep results in poor vent ...

complications, which was most likely caused by a coronary artery blockage due to obesity. He was 40 years old. Other reports say he was visiting a friend at the time of his death where he was unable to breathe. He was morbidly obese and had ingested a huge quantity of Soma pills that were prescribed by doctor Phil Astin.

Championships and accomplishments

Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Ab ...

**Other honoree (

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

) * Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling **

( 4 times) – with Rocco Rock * Hardcore Hall of Fame **Class of 2007 *

** i-Generation Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Rocco Rock * International World Class Championship Wrestling ** IWCCW Tag Team Championship (

2 times "2 Times" is the debut single of English singer Ann Lee. It was released in Italy in December 1998 by X-Energy as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999), and was issued worldwide the following year. The single peaked at number tw ...

) – with Equalizer Zip *Main Event Championship Wrestling **MECW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock *

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...

NWA World Tag Team Championship The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship, world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed List of National Wrestling Alliance territories ...

( 1 time) – with Rocco Rock *

NWA New Jersey NWA most commonly refers to: * N.W.A ("Niggaz Wit Attitudes"), a hip hop group from Compton, California * National Wrestling Alliance, a professional wrestling organization * Northwest Arkansas, the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers metropolitan ...

** 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 *

**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 *

( 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)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grunge, Johnny 1965 births 2006 deaths American male professional wrestlers People from Sulphur, Louisiana Professional wrestlers from Louisiana ECW World Tag Team Champions 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers 21st-century male professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers NWA World Tag Team Champions WCW World Tag Team Champions 1987 professional wrestling debuts