| Anthony Durante | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | Pitbull #2 Pitbull Spike Mad Bull Buster |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Billed weight | 250 lb (110 kg; 18 st) |
| Born | July 26, 1967 Hammonton, New Jersey |
| Died | September 25, 2003 (aged 36) |
| Trained by | Larry Sharpe |
| Debut | September 1988 |
Anthony Durante (July 26, 1967 - September 25, 2003) was a professional wrestler best known as "Pitbull #2" as one half of the tag team The Pitbulls, with "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe.
Contents |
Career
ECW
Durante was best known as being one half of the tag team The Pitbulls in ECW, along with Pitbull #1, Gary Wolfe. The Pitbulls won the ECW World Tag Team Championship on September 16, 1995 from Raven and Stevie Richards after interference from their manager, Francine. This is also the match where Durante purposely botched a Superbomb on Raven in an attempt to seriously injure him, something professional wrestlers regard as "breaking a code." One month later they would lose the titles back to Raven and Richards.
On May 11, 1996, at A Matter of Respect, Durante faced off against Raven in a losing effort for the ECW World Championship, in a match that also involved The Sandman.
On June 1, 1996, at Fight the Power, Durante defeated Shane Douglas to win the ECW World Television Championship.
On April 13, 1997, at the first ECW pay-per-view, Barely Legal, Durante faced Shane Douglas in a losing effort for the ECW World Television Championship.
JAPW
The first JAPW Heavyweight Champion was Joe Rules, who won the title on October 31, 1997. He eliminated Durante in a 20 man battle royal to become the champion. But later in the evening Durante would defeat Joe Rules for the title after duping him into a match. His reign would last until December 5, 1997 when he would be stripped due to injury.
Death
Durante died on September 25, 2003 along with his girlfriend, Dianna Hulsey, both from drug overdoses. A substance believed to be the painkiller OxyContin was found in the house but it was officially determined that he overdosed on the painkiller fentanyl. He and his girlfriend were found after lying in their home dead for days, all while their two small children, a 21-month-old boy and 8-month-old girl, were apparently alone in the house among the bodies, whilst accompanied by chicken nuggets.[1]
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Managers
- Francine
- Lance Wright
- Terri Runnels
- Rick Rude
- Jason Knight
- Tod Gordon
- Cassy Strayter
- Robert Fuller
Championships and accomplishments
- Catch Wrestling Association
- CWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Larry Cameron
- Extreme Championship Wrestling
- High Risk Championship Wrestling
- HRCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Pitbull #1
- Jersey All Pro Wrestling
- Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation
- MEWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- National Wrestling Alliance
- National
- NWA United States Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Pitbull #1
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 76 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1997
- Other titles
- GWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Pibull #1
References
- ^ Poole, Robert Jr. (2003-11-07). "Wrestling Deaths Becoming Serious Concern: What can the sport do to save itself from tragedy ?". AllSports.com. http://www.allsports.com/cgi-bin/showstory.cgi?story_id=45668. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
External links
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