- Early days
Despite the Dudley Boyz often being credited with popularizing the table match in mainstream professional wrestling, The Public Enemy were actually the first tag team in ECW history to use the tables on a regular basis in their matches.
Rocco Rock (Ted Petty) and Johnny Grunge (Mike Durham) had a long standing feud on the independent circuit. In addition, the 2 wrestled each other under their former ring names the Cheetah Kid and Johnny Rotten in a dark match at the first TV tapings for WWF Monday Night RAW, 8 months before they would debut as a tag team in ECW.
- ECW
The Public Enemy made their ECW debut on Ultra Clash in 1993, as then ECW booker Paul Heyman gave them the gimmick of white guys who embraced and loved the growing hip hop culture of America.
The team quickly became one of the more popular acts in the company; their wild brawling style, complete with a myriad of foreign objects and the inclusion of tables, made them one of the most feared teams in the company and it wasn't long before they won their 1st of 4 ECW Tag Team Championship.
As The Public Enemy was embraced by the majority of fans, Heyman was inspired to bring in The Gangstas to feud with The Public Enemy. The Gangstas immediately began a long and bloody feud with The Public Enemy which was most often cited as "classic ECW".
- Memorable moments in ECW
The Public Enemy was also involved in some of ECW's most memorable moments. On one occasion, during a tag match against Cactus Jack and Terry Funk, Terry Funk turned to the crowd and asked the fans if he could have a chair to use. A fan immediately threw a chair into the ring, and not long after many other fans followed suit. Eventually the ring was filled with steel chairs with both members of The Public Enemy completely buried in.
In another incident in Tampa, Florida, towards the end of their run with ECW, The Public Enemy asked the fans to come into the ring to dance with them one last time. As more and more fans piled in and onto the ring, all dancing and celebrating, the ring eventually collapsed.
- WCW
In 1996, after their success in ECW, The Public Enemy opted to signed for WCW rather than WWF. When they arrived in WCW, they continued acting as they did in the manner that made them so popular with fans in ECW. Although the majority of the WCW fanbase was unfamiliar with the ECW product at the time, they still carried tables to the ring. However due to the lack of the rest of their style, they seemed out of place and floundered in WCW. Despite so, their tenure lasted for 3 years, and they even won the WCW World Tag Team Championship once when they defeated Harlem Heat in 1996 for the title.
At ECW's House Party 1999, The Public Enemy (still under contract with WCW) made a long-awaited and much-hyped return to the ECW Arena, in order to answer the challenge of the Dudley Boyz. Following the showdown, Johnny Grunge grabbed the microphone and claimed that the past 3 years had been a "rollercoaster ride" for the team, and that "if you opened up our chest and looked at our hearts, there's only one thing stamped on it, and that's ECW!"
Grunge further thanked the Dudleys for house-sitting "the house that the Public Enemy built" while they were gone, and then invited everyone in attendance to join then in the ring for a post-show celebration.
- WWF
The Public Enemy then signed for WWF but they weren't accepted "backstage" by veteran WWF wrestlers and backstage personnel, due to animosity over the fact that The Public Enemy chose WCW over the WWF when they had the chance earlier. Rocko Rock was also forced to change his name and go by the shortened name "Flyboy" Rocko, in order not to cause confusion with The Rock (Dwayne Johnson).
The Public Enemy made their WWF debut on the February 22, 1999 episode of RAW is War. However, their stay in WWF only lasted 2 months with their only feud was against the APA; following the feud and The Public Enemy's subsequent released.
- Final Appearances
The Public Enemy briefly returned to WCW after leaving the WWF, with both men involved in the WCW Hardcore Junkyard Invitational at Bash At The Beach 1999. Neither member returned to WCW programming afterwards, and the Public Enemy made one last appearance on ECW (on TNN), which was their last exposure on mainstream television.
The Public Enemy then returned to the independent circuit after both WCW and ECW folded. They made appearances with the X Wrestling Federation (XWF) as The South Philly Posse and also appearing in ECW-nostalgia promotion Pro-Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW).
- Deaths
On September 22, 2002, Ted Petty (Rocco Rock) died after suffering a heart attack following a wrestling event as a singles wrestler. Every year the IWA-Mid South professional wrestling promotion memorializes him by holding the Ted Petty Invitational tournament. Previous winners include AJ Styles, Matt Sydal (Evan Bourne), Low Ki (Senshi) and Ace Steel.
Following the death of Rocco Rock in 2002, Grunge teamed with his "brother" Joey Grunge as The New Public Enemy throughout August 2003. He also made appearances with 3PW, and participated in a memorial segment for deceased ECW wrestlers at Hardcore Homecoming on June 10, 2005. Grunge was also a neighbor of Chris Benoit and regularly helped Benoit cope with Eddie Guerrero's death in November 2005. He was preparing for a comeback in 2006. Jason Ray, a wrestler for Big Japan Wrestling, had gotten him slated for the upcoming Spring 2006 BJW tour.
However On February 16, 2006, Mike Durham (Johnny Grunge) died in his home after suffering from complications from sleep apnea. A friend tried to get Durham to the hospital in time but by the time they arrived at the hospital, Durham was pronounced dead on arrival.
Links:
1) The Public Enemy vs. The Gangstas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kFD0PziZMw (Thanks to KidKnick)
2) Memorable ECW Moment: You asked for a chair eh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTmm_icx8Bc&feature=related (Thanks to wrestling7fan)
3) The Public Enmey vs. The Nasty Boys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7MfsxkSz9c (Thanks to luckychucky77)
4) The Public Enemy vs. The Brood (TPE's WWF debut)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/wwf%2Bpublic%2Benemy/video/x2tsva_public-enemy-vs-edgegangrel_sport (Thanks to Stinger 1981)
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