1. Brian Knighton, better known by the ring name Axl Rotten, was an American professional wrestler.
33 Facts About Axl Rotten
1. 2.
Axl Rotten had a short stint with World Championship Wrestling in 1991, and was better known for his matches in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1993 to 1999.
3.
Axl Rotten then wrestled on the independent circuit and appeared at World Wrestling Entertainment's ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view in 2005.
4.
Axl Rotten debuted on the independent circuit at the age of 17, adopting the ring name "Axl Rotten", a portmanteau of the rockers Axl Rose and Johnny Rotten.
5.
Axl Rotten won his first championship teaming with Lawless to win the tag team titles in Frank Cain's Star Cavalcade Wrestling during the summer of 1988.
6.
Axl Rotten succeeded Lawless as the promotion's heavyweight champion when, shortly after reigning champion Ricky Lawless was murdered, he won the vacant title from The Psycho in Thomasville, Georgia, on November 30,1988.
7.
Axl Rotten later opened his own professional wrestling promotion in Maryland called Universal Independent Wrestling.
8.
In 1991, Rotten had a short stint with World Championship Wrestling, where he feuded with P N News.
9.
Axl Rotten lost to the debuting Rob Van Dam in RVD's first ECW match at House Party on January 5,1996.
10.
Axl Rotten began a rivalry with The Full Blooded Italians, defeating FBI member Little Guido at Hostile City Showdown.
11.
Axl Rotten then formed a tag team with Meyers as they took on The Samoan Gangsta Party at Hardcore Heaven, which ended in a no contest due to interference by The Gangstas and The Eliminators.
12.
At Heat Wave, Axl Rotten competed against Tarzan Goto in a losing effort.
13.
At The Doctor Is In, Axl Rotten competed against D-Von Dudley in a match which ended in a no contest after interference by Dudley Brothers.
14.
Axl Rotten left with D-Von after the match and formed a tag team with D-Von, thus turning into a villainous character for the first time in his ECW career.
15.
Axl Rotten followed with a feud against Dudley Brothers member Spike Dudley, whom he defeated in matches at Winter Blowout and CyberSlam.
16.
Mahoney and Axl Rotten often teamed with the likes of New Jack and Spike Dudley to feud with Dudley Boyz and The Full Blooded Italians.
17.
Mahoney and Axl Rotten were frequent contenders for the World Tag Team Championship but came up short in their bid for the titles.
18.
At Anarchy Rulz, Axl Rotten issued a challenge to Mike Awesome for the World Heavyweight Championship, right before the World Television Championship main event match but was confronted and attacked by Impact Players and Johnny Smith, who was the scheduled opponent for World Television Champion Rob Van Dam.
19.
Balls Mahoney and Spike Dudley made the rescue for Axl Rotten by attacking Impact Players and Smith, resulting in Mahoney substituting for Smith and went on to lose.
20.
Axl Rotten then wrestled on the independent circuit throughout the early 2000s.
21.
Axl Rotten performed at the ECW reunion event Hardcore Homecoming on June 10,2005, reuniting with Ian Axl Rotten in a loss to The Gangstanators.
22.
At the follow-up event, November Reign, on November 6,2005, Axl Rotten defeated Ian Axl Rotten in a Taipei Death match.
23.
Axl Rotten wrestled at the Extreme Reunion event on April 28,2012, defeating Balls Mahoney.
24.
On October 30,2014 Axl Rotten's back gave away, and was left agony on the floor.
25.
Axl Rotten was hospitalized making him retire form the sport.
26.
In June 2005, Axl Rotten was temporarily hired by World Wrestling Entertainment for its ECW tribute pay-per-view, One Night Stand.
27.
Axl Rotten debuted in WWE on the June 6,2005, episode of Raw, storming the ring with several other ECW alumni.
28.
Axl Rotten went to wrestle several dark matches for WWE in July 2005.
29.
Axl Rotten made a one-night appearance with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on August 8,2010, at the ECW tribute show Hardcore Justice.
30.
Axl Rotten teamed with Kahoneys, losing to Team 3D in a "South Philadelphia Street Fight".
31.
Axl Rotten appeared in an uncredited, non-speaking role on the first episode of the show Homicide: Life on the Street, entitled "Gone for Goode", seen being questioned in "The Box" while Lieutenant Al Giardello gives Det.
32.
Axl Rotten attended Southern High School, leaving in eleventh grade to pursue his ambition of becoming a professional wrestler.
33.
Axl Rotten was living in Anchorage Rehab Center in Salisbury, Maryland.