Johnny Grunge

American professional wrestler (1965–2006)

Johnny Grunge

Johnny Grunge in March 2002

Birth name| Michael Lynn Durham
Born| (1965-07-10)July 10, 1965[1]
Sulphur, Louisiana, U.S.
Died| February 16, 2006(2006-02-16) (aged 40)[2]
Peachtree City, Georgia, U.S.[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)| Johnny Grunge[3][4]
Johnny Rotten[3][4]
Billed height| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[4][5]
Billed weight| 263 lb (119 kg)[5]
Billed from| Compton, California[3]
Debut| 1987

Michael Lynn Durham (July 10, 1965 – February 16, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Johnny Grunge. He is known for his appearances with Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as one-half of the tag team The Public Enemy with Rocco Rock. In the course of his career, Grunge held championships such as the ECW World Tag Team Championship and WCW World Tag Team Championship.[3]

## Professional wrestling career

[edit]

### Early career (1987–1993)

[edit]

Grunge made his professional wrestling debut in 1987. In 1993 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, Grunge formed a tag team in the UWF with Rocco Rock known as The Public Enemy. This was not the first time they had met though as The Public Enemy faced one another in Austria c. 1991, with Grunge (using the name "Johnny Rotten") losing to Rock (using the name "Cheetah Kid" and was masked).[6]

### Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–1996)

[edit]

Grunge delivering a chair shot

In 1993, The Public Enemy joined Eastern Championship Wrestling, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based promotion soon to be renamed Extreme Championship Wrestling.[7] Between March 6, 1994 and October 28, 1995, The Public Enemy held the ECW Tag Team Championship on four occasions.[8] 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 to celebrate with The Public Enemy, with the ring collapsing as a result of the additional weight.[9] They were known for their hardcore wrestling style and usage of tables, a gimmick that was later adopted by the Dudley Boyz.[10] The Public Enemy's wrestling style was referenced in Weezer's song "El Scorcho"; 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 that was published in Pro Wrestling Illustrated.[11]

### World Championship Wrestling (1996–1998)

[edit]

In 1996, The Public Enemy joined the Atlanta, Georgia based World Championship Wrestling promotion. They debuted on January 15, 1996, defeating The American Males.[12] On September 23, 1996 in Birmingham, Alabama, The Public Enemy defeated Harlem Heat to win the WCW World Tag Team Championship, but Harlem Heat regained the titles on October 1, 1996 in Canton, Ohio.[13]

### World Wrestling Federation and return to WCW (1999)

[edit]

The Public Enemy left WCW in 1999, and briefly wrestled for ECW before joining the World Wrestling Federation. 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.[14] On July 18 at Bash at the Beach 1999, The Public Enemy returned to WCW and took part in the "Junkyard Invitational".[15]

The Public Enemy performing a double team maneuver with a table

### Later Career (1999–2006)

[edit]

They then returned to the independent circuit, making appearances with the X Wrestling Federation as The South Philly Posse, where they were managed by Jasmin St. Claire. In the early 2000s, Public Enemy performed for the short-lived i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling 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 brother Joey Grunge as The New Public Enemy throughout August 2003.[2] He also made appearances with Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling (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.[16] His cousin, Jason Ray, who wrestled for Big Japan Wrestling, helped book him for BJW's upcoming spring tour.[citation needed]

## Personal life

[edit]

Grunge was a neighbor of Chris Benoit and helped Benoit cope with Eddie Guerrero's death in November 2005.[17]

Grunge died on February 16, 2006, in his residence in Peachtree City, Georgia, as a result of sleep apnea complications, which was most likely caused by a coronary artery blockage due to obesity.[2] He was 40 years old.[18] Other reports say he was visiting a friend at the time of his death where he was unable to breathe.[1] He was morbidly obese and had ingested a huge quantity of Soma pills that were prescribed by doctor Phil Astin.[19]

## Championships and accomplishments

[edit]

Grunge's Hardcore Hall of Fame banner in the former ECW Arena

* Cauliflower Alley Club
* Other honoree (1995)
* Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling
* ECW World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Rocco Rock
* Hardcore Hall of Fame
* Class of 2007
* i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling
* i-Generation Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Rocco Rock
* International World Class Championship Wrestling
* IWCCW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Equalizer Zip
* Main Event Championship Wrestling
* MECW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock
* National Wrestling Alliance
* NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rocco Rock
* NWA New Jersey
* 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
* Pro Wrestling Illustrated
* 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[20]

* World Championship Wrestling
* WCW World Tag Team Championship (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)

## See also

[edit]

* List of premature professional wrestling deaths

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b O'Connor, Ryan (December 8, 2015). "Johnny Grunge - Dead at 39". Wrestler Deaths. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
2. ^ a b c d Brady, Hicks. "2006: The year in wrestling". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 18\. 2007 Edition.
3. ^ a b c d "The Public Enemy". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
4. ^ a b c Loverro, Thom (2006). The Rise and Fall of ECW. Pocket Books. pp. 28–29. ISBN 978-1-4165-1058-1.
5. ^ a b "Johnny Grunge profile". OWOW. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
6. ^ Williams, Scott E. (2011-11-01). Hardcore History: The Extremely Unauthorized Story of ECW. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-61321-582-1.
7. ^ Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Wrestling Observer Newsletter. July 2004.
8. ^ "ECW World Tag Team Title". www.wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
9. ^ Public Enemy and the ECW fans make the ring collapse: Extreme Warfare Vol. 1, retrieved 2021-07-02
10. ^ Kleinberg, Adam; Nudelman, Adam (2005). Mysteries of Wrestling: Solved. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-685-0.
11. ^ "Is This the ECW Match Weezer References in El Scorcho?". The Big Lead. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
12. ^ "Public Enemy - OWW". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
13. ^ "WCW World Tag Team Title". www.wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
14. ^ "ECW star Johnny Grunge dies". Slam Wrestling. 2006-02-16. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
15. ^ "411MANIA". Random Network Reviews: Bash at the Beach 1999. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
16. ^ Crenshaw, Holly. "**SECOND FUNERAL FOR JOHNNY GRUNGE | WrestlingFigs". Retrieved 2021-07-02.
17. ^ "Fish: Chris Benoit's doctor prescribed for other wrestlers". ESPN.com. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2021-07-02.
18. ^ Crenshaw, Holly (February 22, 2006). "Mike Durham Obituary". Legacy. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
19. ^ Muchnick, Irvin (2021-05-25). Chris & Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling's Cocktail of Death, The Ultimate Historical Edition. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-77305-766-8.
20. ^ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2000). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Johnny Grunge.

* The Public Enemy on WWE.com
* Johnny Grunge's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database
* Mike Durham at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

ECW World Tag Team Champions

1990s|

* The Super Destroyers (A. J. Petrucci and Doug Stahl)
* Larry Winters and Tony Stetson
* Suicide Blondes (Chris Candido, (Chris Michaels) and Johnny Hotbody)
* Dangerous Alliance (The Dark Patriot and Eddie Gilbert)
* Johnny Hotbody and Tony Stetson
* Johnny Gunn and Tommy Dreamer
* Kevin Sullivan and The Tazmaniac
* Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock)
* Cactus Jack and Mikey Whipwreck
* Dangerous Alliance (Sabu and The Tazmaniac)
* Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko
* Raven's Nest (Raven and Stevie Richards)
* The Pitbulls (Pitbull #1 and Pitbull #2)
* 2 Cold Scorpio and The Sandman
* The Eliminators (Kronus and Saturn)
* The Gangstas (Mustapha Saed and New Jack)
* Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley)
* Gangstanators (Kronus and New Jack)
* Full Blooded Italians (Little Guido and Tracy Smothers)
* Can-Am Express (Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon)
* Chris Candido and Lance Storm
* Rob Van Dam and Sabu
* Balls Mahoney and Masato Tanaka
* Balls Mahoney and Spike Dudley
* Raven and Tommy Dreamer
* Impact Players (Lance Storm and Justin Credible)

2000s|

* Masato Tanaka and Tommy Dreamer
* Mike Awesome and Raven
* Unholy Alliance (Mikey Whipwreck and Yoshihiro Tajiri)
* Full Blooded Italians (Little Guido and Tony Mamaluke)
* Danny Doring and Roadkill

* v
* t
* e

NWA World Tag Team Champions

1990s|

* Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson)
* Mr. Gannosuke and Tarzan Goto
* C. W. Anderson and Pat Anderson
* Border Patrol (Agent Gunn and Agent Maxx)
* Barry Windham and Tully Blanchard
* The Brotherhood (Eric Sbraccia and Knuckles Nelson)
* The Brotherhood (Knuckles Nelson and Rick Fuller)
* Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock)
* The Brotherhood (Dukes Dalton and Knuckles Nelson)
* Team Extreme (Khris Germany and Kit Carson)
* Murder, Inc. (Jimmy James and Kevin Northcutt)

2000s|

* xXx (Curtis Thompson and Drake Dawson)
* The Main Event (Reno Riggins and Steven Dunn)
* Bad Attitude (David Young and Rick Michaels)
* Bad Street Boys (Christian York and Joey Matthews)
* Dan Factor and David Flair
* New Heavenly Bodies (Chris Nelson and Vito DeNucci)
* Glacier and Jason Sugarman
* Disturbing Behavior (Jeff Daniels and Tim Renesto)
* Shane Twins (Mike Shane and Todd Shane)
* Real American Heroes (Joey Ryan and Karl Anderson)
* Los Luchas (Phoenix Star and Zokre)
* Skullkrushers (Keith Walker and Rasche Brown)

2010s|

* Dark City Fight Club (Jon Davis and Kory Chavis)
* The Usual Suspects (A.J. Steele and Murder One)
* Kingz of the Underground (Ryan Genesis and Scot Summers)
* Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer)
* IronGodz (Jax Dane and Rob Conway)
* Tencozy (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima)
* Heatseekers (Elliot Russell and Sigmon)
* Iron Empire (Matt Riviera and Rob Conway)
* Kazushi Miyamoto and Rob Terry
* Villain Enterprises (Brody King and PCO)
* Wild Cards (Royce Isaacs and Thomas Latimer)

2020s|

* Eli Drake and James Storm
* Aron Stevens and J. R. Kratos
* La Rebelión (Bestia 666 and Mecha Wolf 450)
* Commonwealth Connection (Doug Williams and Harry Smith)
* Blunt Force Trauma (Carnage and Damage) (current)

Recognized champions in other promotions

WWF|

* Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson)
* The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher)
* New Midnight Express (Bodacious Bart and Bombastic Bob)

TNA|

* A.J. Styles and Jerry Lynn
* America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm)
* Disciples of the New Church (Brian Lee and Slash)
* Triple X (Christopher Daniels, Elix Skipper and Low Ki)
* Amazing Red and Jerry Lynn
* Simon and Swinger
* 3 Live Kru (B.G. James, Konnan and Ron Killings)
* Red Shirt Security (Joe Legend and Kevin Northcutt)
* Abyss and A.J. Styles
* Dallas and Kid Kash
* D-Lo Brown and Apolo
* The Naturals (Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens)
* Chris Harris and Elix Skipper
* Christopher Daniels and James Storm
* Team Canada (Bobby Roode and Eric Young)
* A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels
* Latin American Xchange (Hernandez and Homicide)
* Team 3D (Brother Devon and Brother Ray)

Unrecognized champions in other promotions

WCW|

* Miracle Violence Connection (Steve Williams and Terry Gordy)
* Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes
* Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas
* Hollywood Blonds (Brian Pillman and Steve Austin)
* The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson and Paul Roma)

* v
* t
* e

WCW World Tag Team Champions

MACW/JCP
(1975–1988)|

| 1970s|

* Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Gene Anderson and Ole Anderson)
* Paul Jones and Wahoo McDaniel
* Rufus R. Jones and Wahoo McDaniel
* Dino Bravo and Mr. Wrestling
* Greg Valentine and Ric Flair
* Dick Slater and Dusty Rhodes
* Paul Jones and Ricky Steamboat
* Baron von Raschke and Greg Valentine
* Jimmy Snuka and Paul Orndorff
* Baron von Raschke and Paul Jones
* Blackjack Mulligan and Ric Flair
* Jay Youngblood and Ricky Steamboat
* Greg Valentine and Ray Stevens

|

1980s|

* Jimmy Snuka and Ray Stevens
* The Masked Superstar and Paul Jones
* Ivan Koloff and Ray Stevens
* Ole Anderson and Stan Hansen
* Don Kernodle and Sgt. Slaughter
* Jack Brisco and Jerry Brisco
* Bob Orton Jr. and Don Kernodle
* Mark Youngblood and Wahoo McDaniel
* Don Kernodle and Ivan Koloff
* Dusty Rhodes and Manny Fernandez
* The Russians (Ivan Koloff and Nikita Koloff)
* The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson)
* The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey)
* Manny Fernandez and Rick Rude
* Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
* Barry Windham and Lex Luger
* The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
* Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk)

WCW
(1988–2001)|

| 1980s|

* The Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda and Steve Williams)
* Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes)
* Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner)

|

1990s|

* Doom (Butch Reed and Ron Simmons)
* Enforcers (Arn Anderson and Larry Zbyszko)
* Dustin Rhodes and Ricky Steamboat
* Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton
* Terry Gordy and Steve Williams
* Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes
* Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas
* Hollywood Blonds (Brian Pillman and Steve Austin)
* Arn Anderson and Paul Roma
* The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags)
* 2 Cold Scorpio and Marcus Bagwell
* Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan
* Pretty Wonderful (Paul Orndorff and Paul Roma)
* Stars and Stripes (Marcus Alexander Bagwell and The Patriot)
* Harlem Heat (Booker T and Stevie Ray)
* Bunkhouse Buck and Dick Slater
* American Males (Marcus Bagwell and Scotty Riggs)
* Sting and Lex Luger
* The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock)
* The Outsiders (Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Syxx)
* The Giant and Lex Luger
* Kevin Nash and Sting
* The Giant and Scott Hall
* Kenny Kaos and Rick Steiner
* Barry Windham and Curt Hennig
* Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko
* Filthy Animals (Billy Kidman and Rey Misterio Jr.)
* Perry Saturn and Raven
* Jersey Triad (Bam Bam Bigelow, Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon)
* Chris Benoit and Perry Saturn
* West Texas Rednecks (Barry Windham and Kendall Windham)
* Filthy Animals (Konnan and Rey Misterio Jr.)
* Filthy Animals (Billy Kidman and Konnan)
* Creative Control/The Harris Brothers (Gerald/Ron Harris and Patrick/Don Harris)
* Bret Hart and Goldberg

2000s|

* Crowbar and David Flair
* Mamalukes (Big Vito and Johnny the Bull)
* Buff Bagwell and Shane Douglas
* KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark)
* The Perfect Event (Chuck Palumbo and Shawn Stasiak)
* Dark Carnival (The Great Muta and Vampiro)
* Filthy Animals (Juventud Guerrera and Rey Misterio Jr.)
* Mark Jindrak and Sean O'Haire
* Misfits in Action (Corporal Cajun and Lieutenant Loco)
* Boogie Knights (Alex Wright and Disco Inferno)
* The Insiders (Diamond Dallas Page and Kevin Nash)
* Natural Born Thrillers (Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire)

WWF
(2001)|

* Brothers of Destruction (Kane and The Undertaker)
* Booker T and Test
* Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy)
* Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley)

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