Athletes - Mike Lockwood

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	Athletes - Mike Lockwood

Michael John Lockwood (August 25, 1971 – November 6, 2003) was a professional wrestler born in Anaheim, California. He was best known as Crash Holly, the storyline cousin of Hardcore Holly in the World Wrestling Federation.

Career

Lockwood made his wrestling debut in 1989 and competed in Bay Area Wrestling until 1994. He used the alias Johnny Pearson during his stay. In 1996, Lockwood moved to All Pro Wrestling (APW), where he became "The Leprechaun" Erin O'Grady.

After viewing a tape of a match between O'Grady and Michael Modest, Extreme Championship Wrestling employee Taz contacted Lockwood about joining ECW. Prior to entering the World Wrestling Federation, he competed in Monterrey under a mask and using the alias The Green Ghost.

Lockwood (now using the ring name Crash Holly) entered the WWF as the cousin of Hardcore Holly, who he slightly resembled. The relationship between the cousins was strained, with the grizzled Hardcore Holly frequently threatening Lockwood. He was moderately successful, with his most notable achievement being his victory over Test for the WWF Hardcore Championship on the February 22, 2000 episode of SmackDown! Lockwood decreed that he would defend the championship twenty four hours a day, seven days a week ("24/7"). This meant that the title was permanently contested, not just in the course of sanctioned matches, and could thus change hands anywhere as long as a referee was present to administer the three count. Lockwood would frequently be attacked by other wrestlers while in unlikely locations, including an airport, a funhouse, a circus and even in his hotel room. While Lockwood was often pinned, he normally immediately regained the title from his opponent. In total, he would win the title 21 times. Lockwood also held the WWF European Championship, WWF Light Heavyweight Championship and the WWF Tag Team Championship (with Hardcore Holly).

In late 2000, Holly's onscreen "cousin" Molly Holly was introduced. In 2001, the Holly Cousins began a feud with The Dudley Boyz. In the course of this feud, Molly Holly began a relationship with Spike Dudley, leading to internal disputes within each family, as well as a Romeo & Juliet-style feud between the six of them.

When the WWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment and then divided into two "brands", Lockwood was initially drafted to the RAW roster, where he had little success. Hardcore Holly was drafted to SmackDown! Lockwood later jumped ship to SmackDown! in the midst of a match with Jeff Hardy, shortly after Eric Bischoff, having been informed that a RAW wrestler would leave RAW to reunite with a sibling on SmackDown! that night, ordered a beatdown on Jeff (who he thought was leaving RAW to be with his brother Matt Hardy). Unfortunately, Hardcore Holly would suffer a serious injury at the hands of Brock Lesnar in the weeks following Lockwood's jump to SmackDown! which took over a year to recover. The "Holly reunion" storyline was quickly scraped off and Lockwood was left with nothing to do until mid-2003.

Later on SmackDown!, Lockwood (now referred to simply as Crash) joined Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore as part of the "Mattitude Followers" stable (as Moore's supposed apprentice, Crash was also referred to by Hardy as a "Moore-on") but failed to recreate his earlier success, and was released by the WWE in July 2003. Lockwood later joined TNA and was renamed Mad Mikey, as well as joining some of his friends at Pro Wrestling Iron, an offshoot of APW, in Hayward, California.

On November 6, 2003, Mike Lockwood's life came to an end after he apparently choked on his own vomit while unconscious in his friend Steven Richards' home in Navarre, Florida following a party. Toxicology tests released in February 2004 showed that he had overdosed on painkillers and alcohol. Lockwood was 32 years old. He was reportedly extremely depressed during the week leading up to his death; according to some reports, his estranged wife had just served him with divorce papers.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Mike Lockwood ]

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