Mikey Whipwreck, real name John Watson, started out under a mask in 1993 when he made his independant debut as half of the Young Dragons. He had just graduated from Sonny Blaze's wrestling school. He started out working for Eastern Championship Wrestling. Mikey did pretty well in this early incarnation of ECW but he didnt exactly set the wrestling world on fire . He would take a tremendous beating by every opponent he ever set foot into the ring with. The lovable loser as he was called lost match after match until one night when he pulled off a major upset. When Mikey faced Pitbull # 1 for the world TV title in 1994 nobody expected Taz to interfere in the match, after suplexing Gary Wolfe out of his boots Mikey Rolled over and pinned him. The ECW arena went nuts, Joey Styles didnt have enough "Oh My Gods" in his vocabularly to describe what had just happend. Mikey then relized what just happend, he went nuts he actually tried to give the belt back. From then on every title defense Mikey would have he would try to give the belt to his opponent, saying his mother didnt want him to have the belt. Jason Knight would later beat Mikey for the belt when the Pitbulls got there revenge.

Cactus Jack had just left WCW and had entered into ECW and had started a bloody fued with Terry Funk. One night in the ECW arena Funk and Cactus were waging yet another bloody war when then ECW world tag team champions The Public Enemy attacked leading to the now world infamous chair incident. The match was set for the next ECW arena show, Cactus and The Funker vs The Public Enemy for the belts. But due to a flight miscue on the funkers part and his impending tour of japan with the IWA missed the event, Cactus was without an partner. That night Cactus told the ECW arena crowd he had a partner, as his music played Cactus went behind the curtain and minutes later he literally dragged a kicking and screaming Mikey Whipwreck to the ring. Mikey wanted no part of the PE, so Cactus carried most of the match until Flyboy Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge started pummeling Jack, the 3 men brawled into the crowd Mikey flew out of the ring and to the back stage area. Most thought never to be seen again, not so, back came Mikey with a weapon, a peice of aluminum siding, Mikey waffled both memebers of PE only to be hit with the drive by though a table, cactus came back in and knocked out Johnny Grunge with a chair, and Mikey rolled over on grunge for the win. All hell broke loose in the ECW arena, not only had Mikey Whipwreck and Cactus Jack just one the world tag team titles the same night ECW became Extreme, but Mikey Whipwreck had finally established himself as a superstar.

Mikey's signature move is the Whippersnapper, which debuted against The Sandman in Mikey's first title shot for the ECW World Heavyweight championship. This move would later be use by Stone Cold Steve Austin, with whom Mikey feuded with right after, and renamed The Stone Cold Stunner. Mikey debuted in WCW at Uncensored 99, against cruiserweight Billy Kidman. Here Mikey was stuck in the stagnant hardcore division that WCW attempted. In August 1999, Mikey asked for his release from WCW and two months later he got it. A month later Mikey debuted for the second time in an ECW arena.