Everything about Jim Fullington totally explained
James ("
Jim")
Fullington
Title reigns
He won the ECW Heavyweight Title from Don Muraco on
November 16,
1992. He would also go on to win the
ECW World Heavyweight Title a record-setting
five times. He defeated Shane Douglas for the title on
April 15,
1995. His next reign came when he defeated
Mikey Whipwreck and Steve Austin in a 3-Way Dance on
December 9 1995. On
October 5 1996, he defeated
Stevie Richards, who was defending the title for Raven, for his fourth ECW World Title. His fifth title win would come on
January 7 2001 when he defeated
Steve Corino and
Justin Credible at ECW's last pay-per-view, Guilty as Charged in a Tables, Ladders, Chairs, and Canes match. He also teamed up with
2 Cold Scorpio to reign as
ECW World Tag Team Champions in late 1995.
Feud with Tommy Cairo & Tommy Dreamer
Sandman began a feud in 1994 with Tommy Cairo over Sandman's
kayfabe treatment of his valet, "Peaches", who was revealed to be Fullington's real-life wife, Lori. This feud began to define the attributes of the Sandman character. He began wielding a (relatively safe but very loud)
kendo stick, referred to as a Singapore Cane, reflecting the current event of the controversial caning of American
Michael P. Fay in
Singapore. During this time, Sandman displayed a delight in caning other wrestlers, notably a rookie Tommy Dreamer. He also showed no qualms over striking his wife with the weapon.
Sandman acquired a new valet,
Woman, and the feud continued with Cairo and Peaches against Sandman and Woman.
In late 1994, The Sandman was "blinded" after a lit cigarette was pushed into his eye during an "I Quit" match with Tommy Dreamer. The Sandman subsequently claimed that he'd have to retire as a result, with Dreamer responding by dedicating the remainder of his career to him. Cairo began mocking The Sandman, which led to Dreamer heavily beating him during a match at
November to Remember 1994. During The Sandman's retirement ceremony, The Sandman reconciled with Peaches (Woman had abandoned him upon his blinding) before revealing that he wasn't in fact blinded and attacking Dreamer. The Sandman later revealed that his "blinding" had been an elaborate ruse concocted to trick Dreamer into hurting Cairo on his behalf.
Feud with Shane Douglas
Sandman challenged Shane Douglas for the ECW Heavyweight Championship in April 1995, but was attacked by his own valet, Woman, who helped Shane Douglas retain the title.
In a rematch at
Hostile City Showdown 1995, Sandman faced Douglas (who had Woman in his corner) in a rematch. During the course of the match, Woman turned on Douglas, helping Sandman defeat the now over-confident Douglas and become the ECW Champion. It was revealed that the entire sequence of events was a
double-cross planned all along by Woman to aid Sandman while psychologically destroying Douglas in the process.
Douglas attempted to regain the championship in the following months, but left for the World Wrestling Federation before he was able to.
Feud with Cactus Jack
Sandman's feud with Cactus Jack lasted throughout 1995, and culminated in a series of matches involving
barbed wire.
In one of these, a Texas Death match in
February 1995, Sandman was hit with a heavy metal
frying pan, giving Fullington a legitimate
concussion. Throughout the remainder of the match, Fullington was visibly groggy and disoriented, which was remarked upon by commentator
Joey Styles. Due to the concussion, Fullington forgot the ending of the match: several times Cactus Jack hit Sandman with his signature double-armed DDT and again and again Fullington kicked out of the
pins instinctively. This went on for about a minute before Foley (Cactus Jack) delivered a legitimate maneuver intended to hurt Fullington, hoping it would keep him down. Later in the back Fullington asked what happened at the end of the match, much to the dismay of Foley.
Sandman's first title defenses after winning the ECW Championship from Douglas were against Cactus Jack, with Jack never getting the upper hand due to interference by Woman, rival
Terry Funk, 'stickler' referee
Bill Alfonso, and Shane Douglas, who was bitter over losing his title.
Feud with Raven
Sandman spent the time period from
December 1995 through
May 1997 engaged in a bloody war with
Raven. In the storyline, Raven
brainwashed Fullington's real-life son Tyler into joining his cult-like following and turned him against his father. Raven psychologically attacked Sandman by having his son deny his relationship with his father, telling Tyler that his parents' divorce was Sandman's fault, and making him perform Raven's trademark taunt and other mannerisms. This led to many bloody matches between Sandman and Raven.
During one particularly brutal match, Sandman's son interfered to help his father. Afterward, the two embraced, but Raven came from behind with a
Singapore Cane, and smacked his enemy. Steven Richards and the
Blue Meanie came out with a giant wooden cross, tied Sandman down to it, and then lifted it up and "
crucified" him. At the time,
Kurt Angle was backstage and the offensive angle caused him to leave and threaten a lawsuit if his name appeared on the same episode as the "crucifixion". Raven came back onstage after the event and gave a questionable apology for his actions. To this day, Scott Levy (Raven), who came up with the idea, claims that the angle wasn't intended as an insult to
Jesus Christ, but an insult to The Sandman, by using religious iconography to convey an artistic standpoint. The footage of the crucifixion was never used by ECW and wasn't publicly seen until it appeared on the
WWE DVD The Rise and Fall of ECW.
Sandman joined forces with Tommy Dreamer, temporarily, in 1996 as the two were battling Raven. This team would become more permanent in 1997 as the duo feuded with the Dudleys and the anti-ECW team of Sabu &
Rob Van Dam. after WWE's tour of South Africa during which he'd an argument with a road agent over an unlit cigarette on the plane back to the United States. Fullington claims to have asked for his release after the incident, as he was unhappy in WWE.
Independent circuit
The Sandman appeared at
IWA Mid-South's
Ian Rotten Retirement Show in
Plainfield, Indiana on
December 7 2007 in a losing effort to
Drake Younger. The next night, in
Elizabeth, Pennsylvania at the International Wrestling Cartel's
A Call To Arms 4: Controlled Chaos, Sandman defeated Dennis Gregory in a
steel cage match to capture the IWC Heavyweight Championship. On
January 3 2008, at the All Entertainment Action Wrestlng event
Crucifix Bombardment 2008 Sandman defeated 'The Raging Rhino' Hans Wilkshire in a Hardcore Match to win the vacant AEAW American Heavyweight Championship and the AEAW Hardcore Wrestling Championship. He has also appeared for 2CW Living on the Edge on April 12 in Syracuse, NY. At the 2CW appearance it has been reported that he was a mess, mumbling on the mic, then worked a short match, and eventually passed out. On 19th April 2008, he appeared on 1PW's supershow, 'Know Your Enemy 2008', in a losing effort to
Damned Nation in an 8-man tag team match, where he teamed up with
El Ligero & Bubblegum (Hubba Bubba Lucha) and
Iceman.
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
Signature foreign objects
Managers
Ring entrance and music
Championships and accomplishments
All Entertainment Action Wrestling
- AEAW American Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)
- AEAW Hardcore Wrestling Championship (1 time, current)
Eastern Championship Wrestling | Extreme Championship Wrestling
Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling
Future of Wrestling
- FOW Hardcore Championship (1 time)
International Wrestling Cartel
- IWC World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Stars and Stripes Championship Wrestling
- SSCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
USA Pro Wrestling
- USA Pro United States Championship (1 time)
Universal Wrestling Federation
- UWF Universal Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Westside Xtreme Wrestling
- wXw Hardcore Championship (1 time)
Xtreme Pro Wrestling
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him # 250 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003.
1Sandman's first reign occurred while the promotion was an NWA affliate, was named Eastern Championship Wrestling, and was prior to ECW declaring the championship as a "world" title. Though he later held the title another four times after ECW declared a "world" title.
Personal life
Before wrestling, Jim worked as a construction worker in his hometown of Philadelphia. It is noted that his portrayal of ‘The Sandman’ is heavily influenced through his own experience and habits, namely his heavy drinking and bar fighter attitude. This attitude, which has served him well wrestling wise, led to him being incarcerated early in his life.
Fullington was married to Lori Fullington, and has three children; Kelly born in 1987, Tyler born in 1989, and Oliver born in 1994. Tyler would feature in the infamous ECW ‘ Raven Vs. Sandman’ storyline.
Jim has two tattoos; a strand of barbed wire and a portrait of his own face on his right arm. He also has a fondness for rugby.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Jim Fullington'.
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