Mike Knox
| Mike Hettinga | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 17, 1978[1][2] Amarillo, Texas[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Mike Knox |
| Billed height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 260 lb (118 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Phoenix, Arizona[3] |
| Trained by | "Navajo Warrior" Steve Islas[1] UPW |
| Debut | 1998[4] |
Michael Hettinga[5] (born on July 17, 1978) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment and wrestling on its ECW brand under the ring name Mike Knox.
Career
Impact Zone Wrestling (2002-2005)
Knox was trained by Steve "Navajo Warrior" Islas and started wrestling for Islas' organization Impact Zone Wrestling in 2002. He would go on to hold the IZW Heavyweight Championship on two occasions and the IZW Tag Team Championships with friend and rival Derek Neikirk on one occasion.
World Wrestling Entertainment (2005-Current)
Knox was signed to a WWE developmental deal in February 2005,[4] and made a handful of appearances on WWE shows, including one appearance as a masked "jihadist" for Muhammad Hassan.[6]
Extreme Championship Wrestling (WWE)
Mike Knox debuted on the June 20, 2006 episode of ECW on Sci Fi by interfering in Kelly Kelly's striptease segment, coming from the backstage area and covering her with a towel before escorting her off stage. It was later revealed that that Kelly was Knox's (kayfabe) girlfriend, as well as an exhibitionist, and he informed her that he did not appreciate her stripping in front of anyone but him. For his in-ring debut, a win over Danny Doring, Kelly accompanied him to the ringside acting as a valet. Knox was pushed strongly, interfering in matches, and squashing his opponents. He later formed a short-lived tag team with Test before starting a feud with CM Punk, after growing jealous of Kelly Kelly's admiration towards Punk. CM Punk won every match in the feud, including a match which decided a spot in December to Dismember's Elimination Chamber match.
Knox made his pay-per-view debut at Survivor Series 2006 where he teamed up with Rated-RKO, but was the first man eliminated after taking a superkick from Shawn Michaels. His next pay per view appearance saw him abandon Kelly Kelly during a mixed-tag match against Kevin Thorn and Ariel, at December to Dismember, resulting in his team's loss. He then attacked her on the next ECW on Sci Fi episode, breaking the duo up for good. Knox then disappeared after this for a while.
On January 2007, WWE released numerous wrestlers. Mike Knox and Tatanka's names were put up on the list of released superstars on WWE.com, though, both men's names were quickly taken down. Though, just hours later, Tatanka's name was put back on the list.
On February 13, 2007, Knox returned to ECW in a losing effort to CM Punk and then once again disappeared from television for several months.
Return to developmental territories
On March 8, 2007, Knox and Derek Neikirk, the reformed Team Elite, won the DSW Tag Team Championships for the first time, defeating the Major Brothers. However, after DSW closed, Knox was sent to WWE's Florida-based territory, Florida Championship Wrestling.
Return to ECW
Knox returned on September 11, 2007 episode of ECW on Sci-Fi, defeating Balls Mahoney. The next week, he lost to a rematch to Mahoney. He then defeated Nunzio on the next edition of ECW, and the next week Knox went against ECW Champion CM Punk and lost after a GTS (Go To Sleep) from Punk. On February 26, 2008 he lost a match against the returning Stevie Richards after a Stevie-T. On April 1, 2008 he won a match defeating Richards with a Spinning reverse STO. Recently he has been feuding against Tommy Dreamer defeating Dreamer in a series of matches and even in an extreme rules match on the 100th episode of ECW on Sci-Fi he beat Colin Delaney the next week. he recently lost to Kofi Kingston after the match he attacked kofi with the help of Shelton Benjamin
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
- With Derek Neikirk
- Last Breath (Double flapjack spinebuster)
- Kelly Kelly
- Paul Heyman
- Seth Evar
Championships and accomplishments
- Always In There Promotion
- AIT Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- DSW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Derek Neikirk; Final champions under the WWE banner
- Impact Zone Wrestling
- IZW Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- IZW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Derek Neikirk
Personal Life
On April 7 2008, it was reported that a family in Locust Grove, Georgia had discovered a stash of steroids, testosterone and human growth hormones hidden in the attic of their home which they had bought from Hettinga. Also found was a contract from the WWE, and a memorandum to WWE wrestlers in 2004 about their new dress code.[7] A police investigation is currently ongoing.[8]
References
- ^ a b c "OWW: Mike Knox". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
- ^ a b "UPW: Mike Knox". UPW. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ^ a b c d "Bio". WWE. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
- ^ a b "Gerweck: Mike Knox profile". Gerweck. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
- ^ "Mike Knox (II) - Biography". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
- ^ "WWE SmackDown - July 7, 2005 results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ Bottles Labeled as HGH Found in Locust Grove HomeMyFox Atlanta, April 7 2008
- ^ Police: Steroids Found In Wrestler's Former Metro Atlanta HomeWSB-TV Atlanta, April 7 2008