Brian Knighton (April 21, 1971 – February 4, 2016), better known by the ring name Axl Rotten, was an American professional wrestler.In the early 1990s, he was a part of the tag team The Bad Breed with Ian Rotten.He had a short stint with World Championship Wrestling in 1991, but he was best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1993 to 1999. Rotten made his pay-per-view debut at November to Remember, where Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks competed against Gangstanators, FBI and Dudley Boyz in a four-way dance for the tag team titles, where they were the last team eliminated by defending champions Full Blooded Italians. He was only 44 years old. My away! In the early 1990s, Rotten trained Ian Rotten, who formed a tag team with Axl, masquerading as his brother and taking his stage name from Cheech Marin's character in Get Out of My Room. He debuted in WWE on the June 6, 2005 episode of Raw, storming the ring with several other ECW alumni. [32] 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. WWE extends its condolences to Knighton’s family, friends and fans,” said the statement by the wrestling promoter confirming Knighton’s death on Thursday. News and Vito LoGrasso in a falls count anywhere match, in which the loser of the fall would be forced to leave ECW, thus forcing Vito out of ECW. It was unclear how … Our thoughts and prayers go out to Axl’s family and friends during this difficult time. [67] On October 21, 2016, it was revealed Knighton suffered from CTE. After an unsuccessful singles career, Rotten formed short-lived tag teams with Hack Meyers and D-Von Dudley before forming Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks with Balls Mahoney in 1997. No cause of death has been released. Knighton’s final tweet, posted 10 hours before his death, read, “The way I do things may not be the way you do things but you will find out there is only 1 way. Axl Rotten & Ian Rotten: IWA-MS Nowhere To Hide Apr 30th 2005: Axl Rotten & Billy Gunn: def. “Thanks for letting me learn from you, but most of all thanks for being my brother,” Williams, his former tag team partner, wrote in a tribute on Facebook. [34], At The Doctor is In, Rotten competed against D-Von Dudley in a match which ended in a no contest after interference by Dudley Brothers. The team lasted until Rotten departed ECW in 1999. A documentary in 2015 revealed a spinal injury that left Axl confined to a wheelchair. [62], Rotten made a one-night appearance with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on August 8, 2010 at the ECW tribute show Hardcore Justice. [31] At A Matter of Respect, Rotten teamed with Hack Meyers against FBI members J.T. An autopsy showed that Knighton's cause of death was a heroin overdose. [1] 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. The WWE confirmed Axl’s death. My away! He also 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.[5]. He had a short stint with World Championship Wrestling in 1991, but he was best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1993 to 1999.[1]. IWA Mid-South Prince of the Death Matches 2020 Results * Vincent Nothing defeats Jimmy Jacobs * IWA Mid-South Tag Team Title Match: Alice Crowley & Becky Idol (c) defeat 44OH! It had a television series that aired on Saturday nights on the local ABC channel. [68] US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant dismissed the lawsuit in September 2018. Balls Mahoney and Spike Dudley made the rescue for Rotten by attacking Impact Players and Smith, resulting in Mahoney substituting for Smith and went on to lose. Rotten, who was born Brian Knighton and took the name Axl Rotten professionally, was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:09 p.m. Shortly after, he formed a tag team with newcomer Balls Mahoney called The Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks, thus turning into a fan favorite again. Get breaking news alerts& today's headlines inyour inbox. From 1991 to 1993, Axl and Ian Rotten had a run with the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF) in Texas, being featured on their daily ESPN show. Young Thug, Jennifer Lopez’s Hair Makeover: Singer Shows Off Long Extensions — Before & After Pics, Kendall Jenner’s Hair Makeover: ‘KUWTK’ Star Shows Off New Super Long Extensions, Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Celebrity Survivors From Giuliana Rancic To Christina Applegate, & More, Rihanna Debuts New Savage X Fenty Collection: Shop The Must-Have, Sexiest Lingerie Looks From The Show, Rihanna Slays In Sexy Lingerie Looks During Savage X Fenty Vol. Video Review: ECW's Massacre on Queens Blvd. Axl rose to fame after competing in the Extreme Championship Wrestling company in the '90s. [26] His failures in singles competition continued as he would lose against the likes of J.T. Knighton then wrestled on the independent circuit and appeared at World Wrestling Entertainment's ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view in 2005. D-Von Dudley went on to form a tag team with Buh Buh Ray Dudley called Dudley Boyz at Crossing the Line Again,[45] which broke up Rotten's team with D-Von and Rotten moved on to singles competition. We invite you to share condolences for Axl Rotten in our Guest Book. [21], Following his feud with Ian Rotten, it was announced on the July 4 episode of Hardcore TV that Axl would receive his very first opportunity for the World Heavyweight Championship against The Sandman at Heat Wave, where Rotten failed to win the title. 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. Review: ECW TV 12/10 & 12/17/96", "ECW Crossing The Line Again 1997 2/1/1997", "Views from the Hawke's Nest: ECW November to Remember 1997", "The SmarK Retro Rant For ECW Guilty As Charged '99", "VIOLENT PANDA Wrestling Review: ECW Cyberslam '99", "Random Network Reviews: Anarchy Rulz 1999", "The SmarK Retro Repost – November To Remember 1999", "WWE Draft flashback - 2005 edition (06-06-05)", "TNA's Hardcore Justice full of ECW memories", "Extreme Injuries, Hardcore Recovery - Pro Wrestling Documentary", "Professional wrestler Axl Rotten died from overdose in Linthicum, according to police report", "WWE sued in wrestler class action lawsuit featuring Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka, Paul 'Mr Wonderful' Orndorff", "First case of CTE diagnosed in MMA fighter - The Boston Globe", "Piledriver: WWE uses 'Hell in a Cell' as springboard to future shows", "Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Heavyweight Title", https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rec.sport.pro-wrestling.info/nSj03Ge5w8U/discussion, "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 - 1996", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Axl_Rotten&oldid=980311888, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Match of the Year Achievement Award (1996) - with Corporal Punishment, SCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with, The Goodfellows (Gary Young and Steve Dane), Sicilian Stallions (Guido Falcone and Vito Mussolini), This page was last edited on 25 September 2020, at 19:57.

Both Rotten brothers blamed one another for the loss and Ian turned on Axl by hitting him with a chair after the loss, playing off real-life ill feelings, a rivalry developed that Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Feud of the Year in 1995.

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