Brian Damage
Perry Saturn and John Kronus aka the Eliminators were one of the hottest tag teams in the 1990’s. They were a dominant team in a very competitive tag team division in ECW. Having won the ECW tag team titles on three occasions, the Eliminators were destined to make their mark in a bigger promotion like the WWF or WCW. For various reasons, it never came to be. This is the story of how the mystique of the Eliminators came crumbling down.
It all began in the late 1980’s when Perry Satullo fresh off graduating Killer Kowalski’s wrestling school, managed a rock club in the Boston area. While working for the club, he met a bouncer by the name of George Caiazzo. The two became friends and Satullo talked about how he moonlighted as a professional wrestler. Caiazzo seemed interested in Satullo’s “other job” and began asking questions. Satullo said he brought in a video tape of one of his matches for Ciazzo to view. It was then that Ciazzo wanted to become a pro wrestler himself. Satullo guided him to his former trainer Killer Kowalski to begin his own training.
After Caiazzo completed his training, Satullo proposed that they form a tag team. Satullo had gotten booked down in Memphis, Tennessee for the USWA and thought that working with Caiazzo down south would help alleviate some of the cost of traveling down there by splitting the expenses. Caiazzo agreed and the duo formed a team, but what was their gimmick?
Satullo said he was a big fan of Greek mythology and read several books on various Greek gods. He said he named himself ‘Saturn’ based on how similar it was to his own last name. It was a Roman God and his Greek counterpart was named Cronus, so he gave that name to Caiazzo. Together as a team, Saturn named the team the ‘Harvesters of Sorrow’ due to the fact both Saturn and Cronus were Gods of the Harvest. They took that name and packed up and headed down to Memphis to meet with USWA booker Jerry ‘ the King’ Lawler. When they met with Lawler and told them their names and gimmick, Lawler said no. The King felt that the name of the team would be lost on the Memphis fans. That’s when Saturn came up with the Eliminators name. Saturn said he got that from John Kronus, who briefly wrestled a few singles matches as ‘The Eliminator.’
Lawler paired the team up with manager Bert Prentice and became an almost immediate force in USWA’s tag team division. While wrestling in the USWA, Saturn and Kronus shared an apartment with two other tag teams…the Spiders (The Headbangers in the WWF) and Bad Breed (Ian and Axl Rotten). Despite winning the USWA tag team titles, the Eliminators were barely making any money. They made approximately 40 dollars a week. The duo decided to return up north and quit, until Lawler agreed to double their pay. They remained with the promotion for a while longer, before quitting and returning to Boston.
While back in Boston, through Killer Kowalski’s connections, got a deal to wrestle in Japan for Genichiro Tenryu’s WAR promotion. Saturn said the pay was better than in Memphis and were allowed to utilize more high flying maneuvers that they were not permitted to do in the USWA. It was that tour of Japan, that got the Eliminators noticed by Paul Heyman, who invited them to work a few dates in ECW. Heyman proposed the team change their gimmick to an S & M tag team complete with leather masks, whips and chains. Both Saturn and Kronus respectfully turned down the idea feeling that it could never get over.
Saturn said that the Eliminators were only booked a few dates to help put over the Steiner Brothers, but ended up getting a contract offer after making a positive impression with Paul Heyman. The Eliminators were paired with Jason: The World’s Sexiest Man due to the fact that neither Saturn or Kronus were very capable at doing promos which were essential in ECW. Their finisher ‘Total Elimination’ which was devastating and impressive to fans, was thought up by Heyman and Saturn. The Eliminators went on to have classic feuds with the likes of the Pitbulls, the Gangstas and the Dudley Boyz going on to secure three separate ECW tag title reigns along the way.
Perry Saturn had gained so much praise and respect, that he was offered a job with Taz running ECW’s school ‘The House of Hardcore.’ Despite all of the Eliminators success in ECW, things started to take an ugly turn. Saturn tore up his knee in a match against the Dudleys. It pissed him off, because it was during a spot that wasn’t wrestling related, but a spot where Saturn kicked Big Dick Dudley and got his knee caught in Dudley’s crutch. Secondly, John Kronus got married to a woman who Saturn referred to as “Yoko Ono.” Kronus’ wife began controlling her husband and getting in his ear, that he was the real star of the team and should get the better spots in matches like hot tags, high spots, etc.
Saturn said that Kronus stopped listening to him and even defied Heyman, as he would do the exact opposite of what was asked of him. Add to that, Kronus’ drinking and drug abuse started to escalate. Saturn said that all they would do is fight every day, whether at the gym or in meetings. Saturn finally had enough and requested a split of the Eliminators. Paul Heyman refused the idea, feeling that Kronus would “get back to normal” once Saturn returned from his injury. That led to a blow out fight between Saturn and Heyman where Saturn insisted that he start wrestling as a singles wrestler once he returned from injury. Heyman then allegedly told Saturn, “If you could get a job somewhere else as a singles wrestler, you could leave.”
Saturn took that as an open invitation to looks elsewhere for employment. Rumors started to swirl that both the Eliminators were headed to WCW. It was even alluded to on WCW’s 1-900 Hotline. When Paul Heyman got word of this, he immediately had his lawyers draw up a new contract for both men to sign and stay with ECW. Saturn looked at the contract and told Paul he would have his own lawyer look it over. That’s when Heyman allegedly got into another shouting match with Saturn and told him to just sign it. Feeling cornered by Heyman, Saturn placed a call to WCW executive Terry Taylor. Saturn said that what the hotline reported was probably going to get him fired from ECW anyway, so offer me a contract with WCW. Taylor went back to Eric Bischoff and within a couple of days, received a WCW offer…which he signed.
Saturn was headed to WCW to become a singles wrestler, something that he wanted badly. Saturn did say that if Paul Heyman was upfront and honest with him and offered him a contract as a singles wrestler, he would have remained with ECW. Regardless, Saturn was gone from the company leaving ECW, the House of Hardcore and his partner John Kronus behind. Saturn ended up in Raven;s Flock faction in WCW and Kronus wrestled some singles matches and paired with New Jack as the Gangstanators. The end of the Eliminators was bitter and unfortunately did not have a happy ending. John Kronus tragically died in 2007 of heart failure at just 38 years old. From 1993 until 1997, the Eliminators were one of the very best tag team in wrestling.
David Fullam
Karma got Perry Saturn.