Joe King
John Kronus, born George Caiazzo on January 13, 1969, in Everett, Massachusetts, became one of the most recognizable big men of the extreme wrestling era. Best known for his spectacular tag-team work in Extreme Championship Wrestling as one-half of The Eliminators, Kronus developed a reputation for combining impressive athleticism with a powerful, hard-hitting style.
Growing up, Caiazzo’s father George Sr., played in the NFL for the New York Giants. He entered professional wrestling in 1989 after getting trained by the legendary Killer Kowalski. At 6’4″ and 250 pounds, he developed his identity as a physically imposing but surprisingly agile wrestler. His career began gaining significant momentum when he teamed with the man who helped him enter the world of professional wrestling, Perry Saturn. He met Saturn while working as a bouncer for a local club that Saturn managed. The two were a natural fit. Saturn brought technical wrestling ability and intensity, while Caiazzo provided power and an unusual level of athleticism for a wrestler of his size. Saturn chose the ring name “John Kronus” for Caiazzo. Together, they became The Eliminators.
The Eliminators Arrive in ECW
After a successful run in the USWA, The Eliminators became a major force in ECW during the mid-1990s. The team’s presentation was distinctive. Saturn and Kronus were presented as dangerous, athletic destroyers, and their chemistry quickly made them one of the promotion’s most important tag teams.
What made Kronus particularly impressive was his ability to perform moves that fans didn’t normally expect from someone his size. He was capable of delivering moonsaults, dives and other high-impact maneuvers, such as explosive kicks and the 450 Splash…helping establish The Eliminators as one of the most exciting teams in ECW. Their signature move, the Total Elimination, became one of the most recognizable tag-team finishers of the era. The maneuver involved Kronus delivering a heel kick while Saturn simultaneously attacked the opponent with a sweep from the opposite direction.
ECW Tag Team Champions
The Eliminators quickly became one of ECW’s premier teams and captured the ECW World Tag Team Championship three times. Their championship reigns helped establish them alongside teams such as The Public Enemy, The Gangstas, The Dudley Boyz, and The Pitbulls.
The Eliminators were particularly important during a period when ECW’s tag-team division was one of the strongest and most influential in professional wrestling. Their matches were often chaotic, physical and filled with spectacular athletic maneuvers—exactly the type of wrestling that ECW’s audience demanded.
Feuds and Rivalries
The Eliminators competed against virtually every major ECW tag team of the era.
Their rivalry with The Dudley Boyz became especially memorable. Saturn and Kronus represented the athletic, martial-arts-inspired side of ECW’s tag-team scene, while the Dudleys brought a brutal, old-school brawling mentality. Kronus’ ability to perform aerial maneuvers despite his size made him particularly valuable in ECW’s fast-paced tag matches.
The End of The Eliminators
The Eliminators’ run came to an end when Perry Saturn suffered a serious knee injury in 1997.
The injury effectively put the team on the sidelines. Saturn would eventually leave ECW and move on to achieve notoriety in World Championship Wrestling, then later finding even greater exposure in WWE as part of The Radicalz. Kronus was left to continue his career without his longtime partner. Although he never quite duplicated the success he had achieved alongside Saturn, he remained an important part of the ECW landscape. He would form a tag team with New Jack, once again becoming an ECW World Tag Team Champion.
Later Career
Kronus continued wrestling after The Eliminators split, including appearances for promotions such as XPW, CZW, and other independent organizations. Kronus’ career was increasingly affected by both mental health and physical problems, however. The punishment associated with his wrestling style, combined with injuries accumulated over the years, took a significant toll.
Life After ECW
Unlike some of his contemporaries who became major mainstream stars, Kronus largely remained connected to the independent wrestling world. His ECW accomplishments, however, ensured that his name remained familiar to fans of extreme wrestling. The Eliminators were one of the teams that helped demonstrate that tag-team wrestling could be every bit as spectacular and influential as singles competition. Their combination of speed, power and aerial offense made them stand out in an already groundbreaking promotion.
Death
Tragically, John Kronus died on July 18, 2007, at the age of 38. His death came far too early and shocked many within the wrestling community.
Kronus’ passing was particularly heartbreaking because he was still relatively young and had spent much of his life devoted to professional wrestling. John Kronus may not have achieved the mainstream fame of some of his ECW contemporaries, but his impact on professional wrestling is undeniable. As one-half of The Eliminators, he helped create one of the most influential tag teams of the 1990s. Their athletic style, innovative offense and spectacular finishing moves helped influence the faster, more athletic style that became increasingly common in tag-team wrestling.
david Lee fullam
He deserved so much more.