Mikey Whipwreck began his career as a member of the ECW ring crew, before the House of Hardcore opened, ECW used some local teens in the Philly area to set up the ring, and if they could set it up in enough time before the show, they'd be allowed to bounce around it, and maybe if they were any good, get a shot to at least work a squash bout on the shows. Paul Heyman saw young Mikey bouncing around the ring, and decided he had the look, and the talent to be a wrestler...and Paul had the perfect gimmick for him...only one problem...Mikey DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO WRESTLE!!! Not even bump!!!
Mikey started in ECW getting squashed, beaten, practically KILLED in the ring. Anybody who has seen an ECW style match, even the non-weapons stuff will tell you it's a stiff brutal style, now imagine a 19 year old kid out there doing this, and he dosen't know how to properly bump, and he's not getting any sort of offense in, he's just going out and taking ass kickings for 10 to 15 minutes non-stop. For months Mikey was taking this, and getting hurt quite a bit. Tommy Dreamer and Taz were also working with Mikey before his matches, trying to, as Mikey later called it: "fix my wrestling" they taught Mikey to bump, and some holds and things he could do. But Paul was adamant that Mikey should not use any of this new knowledge, except the bumping (because the guy was getting concussions left and right). When Mikey finally got an offensive move in, the crowd went nuts! They had already sympathized with this tough little bastard that was getting killed every night for their amusement and now he was fighting back! Paul E. was quick to capitalize on this momentum. Mikey won the ECW TV Title on a fluke (5/13/94) from Pitbull #1 Gary Wolfe. He dropped the belt to Jason on August 18th of that year. The reign though saw Mikey winning his bouts by fluke, and publicly trying to give the belt back so he didn't have to get beat up anymore.
Cactus Jack and Terry Funk were scheduled to face the Public Enemy for the ECW tag team titles. But Funk couldn't make it, so Cactus came out, and was allowed to pick a substitute partner, speculation was rampant, would Cactus choose someone from WCW? The WWF? A long lost legend? Someone in the upper echelons of ECW? Cactus came out...and announced his choice...Mikey?! The reaction was a solid "what the hell is he thinking?" even ECW announcer Joey Styles was baffled. However, that hot August night, Cactus and Mikey became ECW tag team champions (8/27/94), it was Mikey's career highlight to that point, not just because he'd won the tag titles, but because he'd won them with the man he idolized, Cactus Jack. A return bout was quickly signed, it was the night Mikey would become a man. The PE came out, then Cactus came out...dragging Mikey to the ring who was trying to make a break for it!! Cactus then said Mikey didn't have to fight if he was afraid, but he'd chosen Mikey out of everyone else in ECW because he knew he could trust Mikey, and he believed in him, but if Mikey wanted to run, Cactus would fight on alone. So Cactus went to the ring, and Mikey turned to leave. Rocco and Johnny began mercilessly beating the shit out of Cactus. Mikey couldn't abandon his partner, he hit the ring, and the duo took the win. Post-match, Cactus told Mikey how proud he was that Mikey had made the right choice, and overcame his fear. They dropped the belts on November 5th, 1994 back to Public Enemy.
Mikey managed to capture the ECW World Heavyweight Title from The Sandman (10/25/95), via fluke (I believe Sandman took a swing at Mikey with his cane, but it richoted off the turnbuckle, knocking The Hardcore Icon out) and had some pretty good bouts with the likes of Rey Mysterio, and a return bout or two with The Sandman. Mikey would lose the title on December 9th, 1995 in a triple threat bout with Steve Austin (anyone remember that guy? He's pretty obscure I know ; p) and The Sandman when Mikey was the first man pinned by Austin. Sandman won the bout for those who were wondering.
From here, Mikey managed to win the ECW tag team titles again on his own, defeating Sandman and 2 Cold Scorpio on December 29th 1995, when Mikey was asked to announce his choice of a partner, the now demented Cactus Jack came out, hugged Mikey and accepted the belt, and hugged Mikey (yeah yeah, I know he was always demented, but this was during his tenure with Raven and his anti-hardcore nutso gimmick). Mikey was once again tag partners with Cactus Jack, Mikey was elated at the situation...no, no, wait, wrong word...Mikey was overjoyed with the situation...no, no, I failed again...Mikey was jubilant? Happy? Tolerant? Mikey was SCARED TO DEATH OF CACTUS!!! Oh, there it is. Mikey wanted no part of the crazy Cactus (which was really funny since in reality, he was overjoyed and honored to be holding the tag titles again with his hero), They would hold the tag titles until February 5th 1996, when they dropped the belts to The Eliminators, thanks in part to Mikey pasting Cactus in the head with a chair, so as to finally be free of the insane Cactus. This began Cactus's last ECW feud, leading into his last match at The Big Ass Extreme Bash, where he defeated Mikey, gave an emotional speech, and then left for the WWF. Mikey had a few more matches, then departed for a short and disastrous run with WCW (I think he had like two matches, then sat at home for about two years).
In 1999, shortly before the November to Remember, rumors circulated that Mikey Whipwreck and The Sandman were headed back to ECW, and Paul E. was adamant publicly that he would not bring either man back to the promotion because of the way they had left for WCW. But both Mikey and The Sandman returned on the same night. Mikey would return paired initially with the repackaged Sign Guy Dudley, now calling himself Lou E. Dangerously (a rip on Paul's old on air character), but that partnership quickly dissolved, and Mikey was once more on his own. Mikey began a gimmick where he lost more and more of his matches, and began to crack under the frustration, seemingly losing his mind, and talking to himself, he began to beat on opponents after they beat him. Mikey had become unstable, and it was leading him directly into the next phase of his career.
