Bad Breed
Encyclopedia
The Bad Breed was the professional wrestling
tag team
of Axl Rotten
with his storyline brother/real life protégé Ian Rotten
. The team achieved their greatest fame in the Philadelphia wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling
but has also competed in the Global Wrestling Federation
and Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
.
(GWF) in 1992. On January 29, 1993 Axl and Ian defeated the Texas Mustangs (Bobby Duncum, Jr.
and John Hawk
aka. JBL) to win the GWF Tag Team Championship
. Their run with the GWF gold did not last long as they were defeated less than a month later by The Ebony Experience
(Booker T
and Stevie Ray
), and they left the promotion soon after.
then known as Eastern Championship Wrestling
(ECW). In their debut they defeated the makeshift team of Chad Austin and Todd Shawn at NWA Bloodfest: Part 1 on October 1, but lost to Badd Company
(Pat Tanaka
and Paul Diamond) less than 2 hours later. The next night they main evented the show in a loss to Public Enemy
in a "Three Way Steel Cage Match" (third team was Badd Company). A few weeks later Bad Breed unsuccessfully challenged for the ECW Tag Team Championship
as they lost to champions Tony Stetson
and Johnny Hotbody
. Bad Breed gained a measure of revenge by defeating Stetson and Hotbody on November 12 in a non-title match.
In June 1994, Bad Breed started a feud with Public Enemy over the ECW Tag Team Title, but throughout the feud Bad Breed was never able to defeat Public Enemy for the gold. After feuding with Public Enemy the Rottens next targeted The Pitbulls
, this feud led to the two teams facing off at November to Remember in a match where the Losing team was forced to split up. Bad Breed lost when Pittbull #2 pinned Ian.
Since the brothers both blamed each other for the loss, they began a feud against one another after teaming together for two years. The first match between the two “brothers” was at “Double Tables” on February 4, 1995 which Ian won. They next clashed in a “Hair vs Hair” match on the April 8 show Three Way Dance. After being shaved bald Ian came looking for revenge at Hostile City Showdown only a week later, this time in a “Barbedwire Baseball Bat” match, but once again Axl beat his “brother”. Their final match took place at Hardcore Heaven in a Taipei Death match.
on March 2, but Axl would not be around long enough to see the team lose the belts, which forced Necro Butcher
to team with Ian as they lost the titles on April 5.
The Bad Breed reunited at Hardcore Homecoming
on June 10, 2005, when they took on the reunion of The Gangstinators in an "ECW fight" (an un-sanctioned match where there are no rules, only a fight until there is one man or team standing). On the heels of their success at Hardcore Homecoming, Bad Breed once again teamed up in IWA Mid-South to win the IWA Mid-South tag team title from Vito and Sal Thomaselli, but were forced to vacate the titles when Ian suffered a concussion and had to take time off.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
of Axl Rotten
Axl Rotten
Brian Knighton is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Axl Rotten.-Early years:After watching a professional wrestling match on television, Knighton decided to become a wrestler...
with his storyline brother/real life protégé Ian Rotten
Ian Rotten
John Benson Williams is an American professional Wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in Global Wrestling Federation , Extreme Championship Wrestling , and his own wrestling promotion IWA: Mid-South.-Early career:After becoming a fan of Dusty Rhodes and "Superstar"...
. The team achieved their greatest fame in the Philadelphia wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
but has also competed in the Global Wrestling Federation
Global Wrestling Federation
Global Wrestling Federation was a professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. On many weeks, the promotion provided programming five days a week airing at 4 p.m...
and Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.- History :...
.
Global Wrestling Federation
The storyline brothers Axl and Ian Rotten first started to team as the Bad Breed in the Global Wrestling FederationGlobal Wrestling Federation
Global Wrestling Federation was a professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. On many weeks, the promotion provided programming five days a week airing at 4 p.m...
(GWF) in 1992. On January 29, 1993 Axl and Ian defeated the Texas Mustangs (Bobby Duncum, Jr.
Bobby Duncum, Jr.
Bobby Duncum, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling as a member of the West Texas Rednecks.-Professional wrestling career:...
and John Hawk
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
aka. JBL) to win the GWF Tag Team Championship
GWF Tag Team Championship
The GWF Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in the Global Wrestling Federation in Texas. The title existed from 1991 until 1994, when GWF closed. The title was featured on the promotion's show that aired nationally on ESPN...
. Their run with the GWF gold did not last long as they were defeated less than a month later by The Ebony Experience
Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team made up of two real-life brothers, Booker and Lane Huffman. Booker Huffman took the ring name of Booker T, and Lane Huffman took the ring name of Stevie Ray...
(Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
and Stevie Ray
Lane Huffman
Lane Steven Huffman is a retired American professional wrestler who is better known as Stevie Ray. He is best known as being part of the tag team Harlem Heat with his younger brother Booker T...
), and they left the promotion soon after.
Extreme Championship Wrestling
In October that same year the Rotten ”Brothers” made their debut for a relatively new promotion in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
then known as Eastern Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
(ECW). In their debut they defeated the makeshift team of Chad Austin and Todd Shawn at NWA Bloodfest: Part 1 on October 1, but lost to Badd Company
Badd Company
Badd Company was a professional wrestling tag team in the American Wrestling Association in the late 1980s, which later went by the name the Orient Express. It is rumored that the team name was derived from the rock band Bad Company...
(Pat Tanaka
Pat Tanaka
Patrick "Pat" Tanaka is a semi-retired American professional wrestler best known for his work in the American Wrestling Association as one half of Badd Company and the World Wrestling Federation as one half of The Orient Express...
and Paul Diamond) less than 2 hours later. The next night they main evented the show in a loss to Public Enemy
The Public Enemy (professional wrestling)
The Public Enemy was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge. The duo competed in many promotions, including Extreme Championship Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , National Wrestling Alliance , and the World Wrestling Federation...
in a "Three Way Steel Cage Match" (third team was Badd Company). A few weeks later Bad Breed unsuccessfully challenged for the ECW Tag Team Championship
ECW Tag Team Championship
The Extreme Championship Wrestling World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling...
as they lost to champions Tony Stetson
Tony Stetson
Tony Matteo is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, best known by his ring name "Hitman" Tony Stetson, who has competed in Northeastern independent promotions during the late 1980s and 1990s...
and Johnny Hotbody
Johnny Weiss
Johnny Weiss is a retired American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Johnny Hotbody. He is best known for his work in the Tri-State Wrestling Alliance and Extreme Championship Wrestling where he became the first ECW Triple Crown Champion.-Career:Johnny Hotbody broke into...
. Bad Breed gained a measure of revenge by defeating Stetson and Hotbody on November 12 in a non-title match.
In June 1994, Bad Breed started a feud with Public Enemy over the ECW Tag Team Title, but throughout the feud Bad Breed was never able to defeat Public Enemy for the gold. After feuding with Public Enemy the Rottens next targeted The Pitbulls
The Pitbulls
The Pitbulls were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of "Pitbull #1" Gary Wolfe and "Pitbull #2" Anthony Durante. They were best known for their tenure in Extreme Championship Wrestling, where they were one-time World Tag Team Champions...
, this feud led to the two teams facing off at November to Remember in a match where the Losing team was forced to split up. Bad Breed lost when Pittbull #2 pinned Ian.
Since the brothers both blamed each other for the loss, they began a feud against one another after teaming together for two years. The first match between the two “brothers” was at “Double Tables” on February 4, 1995 which Ian won. They next clashed in a “Hair vs Hair” match on the April 8 show Three Way Dance. After being shaved bald Ian came looking for revenge at Hostile City Showdown only a week later, this time in a “Barbedwire Baseball Bat” match, but once again Axl beat his “brother”. Their final match took place at Hardcore Heaven in a Taipei Death match.
Reunions
Axl and Ian Rotten would reunite in 2002 where the duo won the IWA Mid-South Tag Team ChampionshipIWA Mid-South Tag Team Championship
-Title history:-External links:*...
on March 2, but Axl would not be around long enough to see the team lose the belts, which forced Necro Butcher
Necro Butcher
Dylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...
to team with Ian as they lost the titles on April 5.
The Bad Breed reunited at Hardcore Homecoming
Hardcore Homecoming
Hardcore Homecoming was a series of professional wrestling events which were advertised as a reunion of talent from the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion....
on June 10, 2005, when they took on the reunion of The Gangstinators in an "ECW fight" (an un-sanctioned match where there are no rules, only a fight until there is one man or team standing). On the heels of their success at Hardcore Homecoming, Bad Breed once again teamed up in IWA Mid-South to win the IWA Mid-South tag team title from Vito and Sal Thomaselli, but were forced to vacate the titles when Ian suffered a concussion and had to take time off.
In wrestling
- Finishing move
- British Invasion (Electric chair / Diving clothesline combinationDoomsday DeviceDoomsday Device, often shortened to Device, is a term used in professional wrestling to reference a tandem move in which one wrestler hoists the opponent on their shoulders so that they are facing in the same direction in what is known as the electric chair position, while another wrestler climbs...
)
- British Invasion (Electric chair / Diving clothesline combination
Championships and accomplishments
- Independent Wrestling Association Mid-SouthIndependent Wrestling Association Mid-SouthIndependent Wrestling Association Mid-South is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky.- History :...
- IWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions (2 times)
- Global Wrestling FederationGlobal Wrestling FederationGlobal Wrestling Federation was a professional wrestling promotion based in Dallas, Texas. It started in June 1991 and folded in September 1994. At one time its shows were presented on the ESPN television network. On many weeks, the promotion provided programming five days a week airing at 4 p.m...
- GWF Tag Team ChampionshipGWF Tag Team ChampionshipThe GWF Tag Team Championship was the tag team title in the Global Wrestling Federation in Texas. The title existed from 1991 until 1994, when GWF closed. The title was featured on the promotion's show that aired nationally on ESPN...
(1 time)