The Sandman
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 240 lbs.
Year Turned Pro: 1989
Catch Phrase: "Politically Incorrect and Damn Proud of it!"
Championships Held:
ECW World Heavyweight championship (5 times)
ECW World Tag Team championship (with 2 Cold Scorpio) (1 time)
Hardcore Hall of Fame (2007)
When one thinks Extreme Championship Wrestling or Extreme Rising, they think The Sandman. After all, the five-time former ECW World Heavyweight Champion is the ultimate anti-hero in the world of professional wrestling, and that's just how he loves it.
With a pre-match workout of firing up a cigarette, popping open a cold brew and smashing the can against his head to draw blood, The Sandman epitomizes the Extreme Attitude of ECW. An incredibly popular mainstay in Extreme Championship Wrestling from its inception, the Sandman truly is Extreme Rising's Hardcore Icon.
The Sandman lets it all hang out in the ring, preferring to rely on his primal brawling instincts rather than scientific wrestling. It means nothing for him to crack an opponent with his trusty Singapore cane, suplex a table on their head, or wrap his body in barbed wire to create a human barbed wire battering ram.
The Sandman's wars with Tommy Dreamer were a turning point in the career of the "Innovator of Violence," and the two maintain a strong friendship to this day derived from that mutual respect. The Sandman's wars with Raven took mental and physical pain to an all new extreme when Raven enlisted The Sandman's then-estranged family as a way to defeat The Sandman. The Sandman's wars with Sabu created some of the most violent and brutal encounters ever seen in wrestling.
In the end, The Sandman reigned supreme, all the while teaming with Dreamer to protect the borderlines that separate Extreme Championship Wrestling from other promotions.
The greatest challenge to The Sandman's status as ECW's Hardcore Icon was the beast known as Rhino, who was backed by Cyrus and The Network. After several months of challenging and attacking The Sandman, Rhino took tastelessness to an all new extreme by attacking The Sandman's wife, Lori Fullington, and piledriving her through a table on Mother's Day.
With a fire matched only by his lit cigarette and vengeance on his mind like never before, the Beer Chugging, Cigarette Smoking, Cane Swinging Son of a Bitch continues his quest to destroy Rhino and The Network. Sandman won his fifth and final ECW World Heavyweight Belt at the FINAL PPV ECW Guilty as Charged 2001 before losing it almost immediatly to Rhino. As that war ended so did ECW as in April 2001 Paul Heyman decided to close the doors and file bankruptcy. Sandman worked indy's working with close friend Tod Gordon. Sandman made his way back into our tv screens for a brief period beween 2006-2007 on WWE Television under the Softcore ECW. Sandman once again went away and wasnt seen much from again until the HardCore Justice PPV ran by TNA. Since then, 2 years later, Sandman has found a home in Extreme Rising!
