George "John Kronus" Caiazo Passes Away...

[DAN_D]

FORMER ECW STAR JOHN KRONUS PASSES AWAY
by Mike Johnson @ 7:50:07 PM on 7/18/2007


Former ECW World Tag Team champion George "John Kronus" Caiazo was found dead this afternoon in his New Hampshire home. I don't have further details at this time. I've heard Kronus underwent a knee operation (possibly a knee replacement, which I heard a few months back he was going to have) last week.

Within wrestling, Kronus' claim to fame was working as half of the Eliminators tag team with Perry Saturn. Of the two, Saturn was always considered the more serious, militant, all business type while Kronus was more laid back and goofy. The personality clash often translated into their promos with Saturn cutting deadly serious, gravely voiced promos, followed by Kronus acting goofy and laughing to close them out.

In the ring, one could easily pick up on Saturn calling spots and controlling matches when they teamed. Saturn was the wrestling machine with crisp precision and stiff kicks. Kronus would bleed heavily in brawls and, billed at 6' 3", nail major highspots that were more likely to be performed by Cruiserweights, including a trademark 450, a handspring elbow and a Space Flying Tiger Drop, among others big moves.

The two worked the New England independent scene and had a brief run in the USWA where they defeated Eddie Gilbert and Brian Christopher for a six week Tag Title reign. The duo toured for WAR in Japan in the summer of 1995 before debuting in the original Extreme Championship Wrestling in September 1995, managed by Jason Knight as heels with the idea of feuding against The Steiners, although the team left the territory shortly after the Eliminators debuted.

The Eliminators were promoted by ECW as the best tag team in the world by ECW, meshing brawling with a series of high impact double team maneuvers, including stereo splashes off the ropes, combinations of kicks and their finisher, The Total Elimination, with Saturn kicking an opponent low at the same time Kronus would nail them high with a kick.

The team, which held the ECW Tag Team championships on three occasions, had several notable feuds in ECW against The Pitbulls, The Gangstas and an excellent series against Rob Van Dam and Sabu that ran for months on ECW house shows. The run against Sabu and Van started in the Fall of 1996 and run into February 1997, highlighted by an amazing 30 minute draw at the 1996 November to Remember. That bout was likely the in-ring highlight of Kronus' career as he had gotten into the best physical condition of any point of his in-ring run. It was easily the best match of that year's flagship ECW event, which was a loaded show. The feud continued into early 1997, including several tables and ladders matches.

In the spring of 1997, ECW jumped to PPV and The Eliminators, who had turned babyface due to the fan reaction of their work, made two brief cameos on WWF's Monday Night Raw to help promote the debut show, Barely Legal. The team actually opened the first PPV up, defeating The Dudley Boyz for what would turn out to be their last ECW World Tag Team championship win. The bout was designed to be a highlight reel of major spots to showcase the Eliminators and give Joey Styles a chance to push them to the (theoretically) new viewing audience as the best tag team in the business. The two teams had started their feud the month before when the Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley, who had just aligned after months of feuding with each other, shockingly captured the belts.

By August 1997, Perry Saturn had torn his ACL when slipping in the ring on weapons that were laying on the mat during a brawl in Trenton, New Jersey. He was expected to be out of the ring for an extended period of time. Saturn had surgery but instead signed a deal to jump to WCW as a singles star, leaving Kronus behind. The two never teamed again.

ECW later put Kronus and former foe New Jack together as a team, including a Tag Team title win over the Dudleys. The New Jack/Kronus team would be involved in the weapons and blood laden brawls