Best Big Man who was not getting paid. I share a birthday with him even if its not the same year. I was friends with him on Myspace. I do think there is more to the story as they say. Supposedly he knew some shady people. Really got Shafted by WCW for relations to Hogan. Paul was good at not paying talent but would always string along or lie. Even the One Night STand he didn't get paid properly for having best match with tAnaka. All the Joey Styles commentary. Last Great ECW Champion without doubt who was wasted by WWF too.
@@RyCoke27 Well guy needed money so I'm sure he was happy to get paid. Though I still wonder about circumstances. He Saved Sabu at least back in Japan :).
He has a very convincing personality - like Vince McMahon it was hard for people to say no. Def recommend my interview with Justin Credible because he went into a pretty deep story about Heyman around this time.
Yeah it's bizarre to me that this seems to be forgotten in the modern era. Heyman had heat with a lot of guys and was universally known as a scumbag yet he is on TV just about every week these days and you never hear it brought it. Seems like the Twitter crowd would run wild on his ass for this but it seems to be forgotten history. Heyman really won in the end, dude not only robbed the bank but got off scot free. Very rare to see someone with as much heat as him come out on top.
Thing is everybody universally agrees he was a creative genius who was awful with money. Most of the people who spoke out about his pay problems still praise him in general.
So sad that he took his life. I appreciate videos like this because they are sobering and remind us that these performers are humans too. RIP Mike, thanks for those awesome moments.
I have no complaints about the guy taking the money. I wish he wasn't treated so poorley in WCW and by his ECW associates. You can't feed your family with promises
Back when Swiss mercenaries were everywhere there was a famous saying, "No silver, no Swiss". I don't blame Mike at all for jumping. Loyalty means nothing when you can't afford to put the lights on and feed your family.
I really enjoy your videos. The content is solid but one of the things that really stands out is the quality of the videos. Good transitions, footage, etc. makes for a more enjoyable viewing experience.
I appreciate that - thank you. I'm a fan of your work as well, I know there's a couple of ya alternating voiceovers - you guys do great research and I dig the trivia and minigames you've been incorporating
You're very kind. JOB'd Out has been growing a ton in the last year especially, i hope i can keep that rolling with more short and long videos for everybody to enjoy
Bischoff you could trust the checks would clear. Dreamer said it best about Heyman - Paul never once lied to the fans, he'd lie to the wrestlers but never the fans
Mike Awesome a FAvorite of Mine who Best Big Man to EVer Wrestle. ECW got what it deserved as it booked in that match to that scrub in the opening credits. JT or what was his name? Anyways when he does that dive outside that supposedly breaks his back in same match top rope snaps. He loses clean. That was his first time in company as even FMW or in Japan he got done dirty. Hayabusa another favorite of mine. Sabu is who got him into company in first place who is my Favorite. There was no Way he was going to get Paid. Heyman even shafted him using Taz instead of Rhyno. Tommy DReamer family went like bankrupt. He never made good paying any of them. Joey Styles saying those things is abysmal. Great Matches Tanaka :).
This was a big deal back in the day when it happened. It's still interesting to go back and rewatch it just because it's the only time a WCW wrestler was against a WWF wrestler for the ECW world title. It was a unique situation and was just fun to watch. I believe that Mike Awesome is perhaps the saddest case in all of pro wrestling. He was very talented and tried to make everything he did work no matter how dumb it was, especially the WCW stuff. I actually enjoyed his work with Lance Storm in WCW as a member of Team Canada. I also feel that Mike Awesome got a lot of unfair criticism due to him leaving ECW for WCW. The Joey Styles lines on commentary at ECW One Night Stand were totally classless and just vindictive. Ironic too because many of the same people on that same show like Taz, The Dudleys, Lance Storm, and others had left ECW for the same reasons too. But you didn't hear Styles blasting them, but then I also remembered that Joey Styles always seemed like an arrogant prick even back in ECW before he made that commentary on Awesome in WWE. It seemed like a line Styles improvised into commentary because of his hatred of Awesome for leaving ECW. I guess that makes Styles a hypocrite since he couldn't cut it in WWE and left thus making him a traitor for leaving too.
Yeah Mike Awesome Deserved so Much Better if only he got paid. That Judge JEff JOnes thing was working pretty well. He should have Wrestled Sabu or RVD more well known guys before it was over. Its like not paying the guy who has bills then blaming him for taking money that is actually legit? Almost everybody left the company for Money even a few who were still getting Paid. Raven left that really hurt them or many others. WCW totally shafted him to point that Patridge Bus is the Fondest memory when tosses the ICP dudes off for real :).
@@Daoloth Mike Awesome was a big man who moved like a cruiserweight with speed and agility but he had the power a man his size you'd expect too. So, in that regard he's criminally underrated. The stuff he did with Masata Tanaka in ECW was epic and his whole run there was great. In WCW, he started out strong with attacking Kevin Nash and they managed to screw him up within a month or two with just silly ass Vince Russo ideas. I feel that Mike Awesome gets a lot of criticism about leaving when guys like Sabu, Jerry Lynn, Lance Storm, and Shane Douglas all did the exact same thing for the exact same reason. Money. In any other profession in the world, a person leaving a job not paying the bills is considered smart and a business decision. In pro wrestling, you get sanctimonious platitudes from a nerd like Joey Styles who was probably living in his parents basement making statements about a guy with a family who was in a much different situation. When you have a family and bills to pay, the decision is really out of your hands if a promoter isn't paying you and honoring your contract. Despite how lousy Mike Awesome's WCW run was at points, he started out very strong and kinda redeemed himself in Lance Storm's Team Canada stable. He was the muscle for the group and he even managed to get some wins back and stopped the joke part of his character. I always thought it was extremely odd that the WWF didn't see the money in Mike Awesome because he was the typical big man type that Vince McMahon loved. It's likely that Paul Heyman was the reason Mike Awesome never got a push during the invasion which again, was a moronic business move made on personal feelings. Mike Awesome will forever be a what if scenario which is a damn shame because he had a lot to offer.
@@DWtechfan Yeah I have a bunch of Tributes to Mike Awesome on my computer I'll play every so often. It has some of his theme songs. Even his Spike Dudley match is memorable for all those big moves. He was related to Hogan so I think they used that against him. They could not shaft Hulk but they could get him. He was probably too good in the ring so they wanted to hold him back. Really wasting him helped sink WCW. I know Sabu wanted to go there but didn't sign contract in time. The Spite Booking from Heyman was always an issue with keeping ECW from rising above. Once Gordon left many didn't get paid. Awesome was really carrying the company. RVD at some point Rhino injured his ankle. If he was able to win the Title it was going longer. Paul just used it to leverage a job as he still is employed making money while not paying. Sabu I know wrestled him in a house show but could have him with Awesome or bigger matches. HE made mistake not going to Showtime taking the TNN deal instead. As they were doing like WEW events I would watch for pWo hehe. I think he wanted it to fail as it was best promotion from WWF taking stuff. Russo I always remember in that football helmet winning title or cage match. DAvid Arquette for that movie ;). You only get one chance to make first impression. Once they shafted him it was really no coming back. MOst stopped watching by time or during Vince run there. Making him comical or like a joke.
In the interview? We were drinking while we were chatting. He had also just come back from wrestling Hannibal a few days earlier which explained the forehead wounds
He was limited but the ecw way was to hide the limitations and focus on the strengths, so in the mid 90s being a suplex machine worked really well for him. By the time he was in WWE he was absolutely broken down and ready for the scrapyard
Where do you stand on the Mike Awesome situation?
ecw shouldve just paid him. the pr was not worth it
Best Big Man who was not getting paid. I share a birthday with him even if its not the same year. I was friends with him on Myspace. I do think there is more to the story as they say. Supposedly he knew some shady people. Really got Shafted by WCW for relations to Hogan. Paul was good at not paying talent but would always string along or lie. Even the One Night STand he didn't get paid properly for having best match with tAnaka. All the Joey Styles commentary. Last Great ECW Champion without doubt who was wasted by WWF too.
Mike Awesome took the bait n' got the switch. Poor guy.
@@RyCoke27 Well guy needed money so I'm sure he was happy to get paid. Though I still wonder about circumstances. He Saved Sabu at least back in Japan :).
To be fair, MOST ECW guys got screwed out of pay. Idk how the hell Pauly managed to keep it going as long as he did.
He has a very convincing personality - like Vince McMahon it was hard for people to say no. Def recommend my interview with Justin Credible because he went into a pretty deep story about Heyman around this time.
Yeah it's bizarre to me that this seems to be forgotten in the modern era. Heyman had heat with a lot of guys and was universally known as a scumbag yet he is on TV just about every week these days and you never hear it brought it. Seems like the Twitter crowd would run wild on his ass for this but it seems to be forgotten history. Heyman really won in the end, dude not only robbed the bank but got off scot free. Very rare to see someone with as much heat as him come out on top.
Thing is everybody universally agrees he was a creative genius who was awful with money. Most of the people who spoke out about his pay problems still praise him in general.
So sad that he took his life. I appreciate videos like this because they are sobering and remind us that these performers are humans too. RIP Mike, thanks for those awesome moments.
I have no complaints about the guy taking the money. I wish he wasn't treated so poorley in WCW and by his ECW associates. You can't feed your family with promises
Back when Swiss mercenaries were everywhere there was a famous saying, "No silver, no Swiss". I don't blame Mike at all for jumping. Loyalty means nothing when you can't afford to put the lights on and feed your family.
I really enjoy your videos. The content is solid but one of the things that really stands out is the quality of the videos. Good transitions, footage, etc. makes for a more enjoyable viewing experience.
I appreciate that - thank you. I'm a fan of your work as well, I know there's a couple of ya alternating voiceovers - you guys do great research and I dig the trivia and minigames you've been incorporating
Mike Awesome deserved better.
These videos really so deserve way more views
You're very kind. JOB'd Out has been growing a ton in the last year especially, i hope i can keep that rolling with more short and long videos for everybody to enjoy
NEVER be loyal to an employer who osnt paying you. He had every right to seek employment elsewhere. And why would anyone trust Heyman or Bischoff???
Bischoff you could trust the checks would clear. Dreamer said it best about Heyman - Paul never once lied to the fans, he'd lie to the wrestlers but never the fans
Nitro Girl Beef.... What a time to watch wrestling.
i see him as that 70's guy
Canadian Killer for me
If Paul Heyman would've simply paid Mike his money that he earned , none of this would've happened.
I honestly think Mike Awesome deserved better.
Imagine a WWE wrestler took on an AEW wrestler for the Impact world title
AEW and Impact have had a working relationship so all they would need is get WWE on board by bribing them
@@newageweeb4049 Impact and AEW ended their partnership in October 2021
@@leximille6801 I just assumed they're still on friendly terms
They are still on good terms. Kazarian had worked with impact through the end of his AEW deal before signing with impact earlier this year
Great video!
Hi do you answer would you do project with me to put wcw and Wwf back without the wwe edits?
Mike Awesome a FAvorite of Mine who Best Big Man to EVer Wrestle. ECW got what it deserved as it booked in that match to that scrub in the opening credits. JT or what was his name? Anyways when he does that dive outside that supposedly breaks his back in same match top rope snaps. He loses clean. That was his first time in company as even FMW or in Japan he got done dirty. Hayabusa another favorite of mine. Sabu is who got him into company in first place who is my Favorite. There was no Way he was going to get Paid. Heyman even shafted him using Taz instead of Rhyno. Tommy DReamer family went like bankrupt. He never made good paying any of them. Joey Styles saying those things is abysmal. Great Matches Tanaka :).
Greener pastures for sure
This was a big deal back in the day when it happened. It's still interesting to go back and rewatch it just because it's the only time a WCW wrestler was against a WWF wrestler for the ECW world title. It was a unique situation and was just fun to watch. I believe that Mike Awesome is perhaps the saddest case in all of pro wrestling. He was very talented and tried to make everything he did work no matter how dumb it was, especially the WCW stuff. I actually enjoyed his work with Lance Storm in WCW as a member of Team Canada. I also feel that Mike Awesome got a lot of unfair criticism due to him leaving ECW for WCW. The Joey Styles lines on commentary at ECW One Night Stand were totally classless and just vindictive. Ironic too because many of the same people on that same show like Taz, The Dudleys, Lance Storm, and others had left ECW for the same reasons too. But you didn't hear Styles blasting them, but then I also remembered that Joey Styles always seemed like an arrogant prick even back in ECW before he made that commentary on Awesome in WWE. It seemed like a line Styles improvised into commentary because of his hatred of Awesome for leaving ECW. I guess that makes Styles a hypocrite since he couldn't cut it in WWE and left thus making him a traitor for leaving too.
Yeah Mike Awesome Deserved so Much Better if only he got paid. That Judge JEff JOnes thing was working pretty well. He should have Wrestled Sabu or RVD more well known guys before it was over. Its like not paying the guy who has bills then blaming him for taking money that is actually legit? Almost everybody left the company for Money even a few who were still getting Paid. Raven left that really hurt them or many others. WCW totally shafted him to point that Patridge Bus is the Fondest memory when tosses the ICP dudes off for real :).
@@Daoloth Mike Awesome was a big man who moved like a cruiserweight with speed and agility but he had the power a man his size you'd expect too. So, in that regard he's criminally underrated. The stuff he did with Masata Tanaka in ECW was epic and his whole run there was great. In WCW, he started out strong with attacking Kevin Nash and they managed to screw him up within a month or two with just silly ass Vince Russo ideas. I feel that Mike Awesome gets a lot of criticism about leaving when guys like Sabu, Jerry Lynn, Lance Storm, and Shane Douglas all did the exact same thing for the exact same reason. Money. In any other profession in the world, a person leaving a job not paying the bills is considered smart and a business decision. In pro wrestling, you get sanctimonious platitudes from a nerd like Joey Styles who was probably living in his parents basement making statements about a guy with a family who was in a much different situation. When you have a family and bills to pay, the decision is really out of your hands if a promoter isn't paying you and honoring your contract. Despite how lousy Mike Awesome's WCW run was at points, he started out very strong and kinda redeemed himself in Lance Storm's Team Canada stable. He was the muscle for the group and he even managed to get some wins back and stopped the joke part of his character. I always thought it was extremely odd that the WWF didn't see the money in Mike Awesome because he was the typical big man type that Vince McMahon loved. It's likely that Paul Heyman was the reason Mike Awesome never got a push during the invasion which again, was a moronic business move made on personal feelings. Mike Awesome will forever be a what if scenario which is a damn shame because he had a lot to offer.
@@DWtechfan Yeah I have a bunch of Tributes to Mike Awesome on my computer I'll play every so often. It has some of his theme songs. Even his Spike Dudley match is memorable for all those big moves. He was related to Hogan so I think they used that against him. They could not shaft Hulk but they could get him. He was probably too good in the ring so they wanted to hold him back. Really wasting him helped sink WCW. I know Sabu wanted to go there but didn't sign contract in time.
The Spite Booking from Heyman was always an issue with keeping ECW from rising above. Once Gordon left many didn't get paid. Awesome was really carrying the company. RVD at some point Rhino injured his ankle. If he was able to win the Title it was going longer. Paul just used it to leverage a job as he still is employed making money while not paying. Sabu I know wrestled him in a house show but could have him with Awesome or bigger matches. HE made mistake not going to Showtime taking the TNN deal instead. As they were doing like WEW events I would watch for pWo hehe. I think he wanted it to fail as it was best promotion from WWF taking stuff. Russo I always remember in that football helmet winning title or cage match. DAvid Arquette for that movie ;). You only get one chance to make first impression. Once they shafted him it was really no coming back. MOst stopped watching by time or during Vince run there. Making him comical or like a joke.
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
Weren't WCW security officials at the event? Or is that just...rumor and innuendo.
They were- and Doug Dellinger was visible in the video (I put an arrow up at him following behind Awesome)
@@JOBdOut oh yeah!! Lol. That's awesome. Literally. 😁😁
Man, Justin looked WASTED in that vid 🥺.
In the interview? We were drinking while we were chatting. He had also just come back from wrestling Hannibal a few days earlier which explained the forehead wounds
@@JOBdOut Gotcha, wasn’t sure how old that interview was. I worry about these guys, we’ve lost too many.
Too true, I get it. That interview was from 2021 and the dude was loads of fun
How is ECW not making money from ticket sales?
They were - but the cost of the weekly TNN show cost more than they were bringing in
@@JOBdOut oh ok
Tazz was a awful wrestler
He was limited but the ecw way was to hide the limitations and focus on the strengths, so in the mid 90s being a suplex machine worked really well for him. By the time he was in WWE he was absolutely broken down and ready for the scrapyard
Interesting never knew about this. Thank ya sir