Axl Rotten
Brian Knighton (April 21, 1971 – February 4, 2016), better known by the ring name Axl Rotten, was an American professional wrestler. In the early 1990s, he was a part of the tag team The Bad Breed with Ian Rotten. He had a short stint with World Championship Wrestling in 1991, but he was best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1993 to 1999.
| Axl Rotten | |
|---|---|
Rotten at the York County School Of Technology in April 2009 | |
| Birth name | Brian Knighton |
| Born | April 21, 1971 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | February 4, 2016 (aged 44) Linthicum, Maryland, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heroin overdose |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Axl Rotten Brian Knighton |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Billed weight | 277 lb (126 kg) |
| Billed from | "Hostile City" Newcastle, England |
| Trained by | Ricky Lawless Joey Maggs |
| Debut | 1987 |
| Retired | October 30, 2014 |
Bad Breed competed in ECW's tag team division in the early years of the company until the team was forced to disband after losing to The Pitbulls and engaged in a rivalry against each other that Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Feud of the Year in 1995. After an unsuccessful singles career, Rotten formed short-lived tag teams with Hack Meyers and D-Von Dudley before forming Hardcore Chair Swingin' Freaks with Balls Mahoney in 1997. The team lasted until Rotten departed ECW in 1999. Knighton then wrestled on the independent circuit and appeared at World Wrestling Entertainment's ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view in 2005.