Public Enemy The Public Enemy was the tag team of Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge in Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) , World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) , National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) , and the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) . They won the World Tag Team Championships in each company except WWF . Their name was taken from the rap group of the same name , and prior to becoming a team , Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge had a long standing feud on the independent circuit . In addition , the two wrestled each other under their former ring names the Cheetah Kid and Johnny Rotten in a dark match at the first TV tapings for " WWF Monday Night Raw " on January 11 , 1993 , eight months before they would debut as a tag team in ECW . Today , both members of this tag team are deceased . Extreme Championship Wrestling . The Public Enemy made their ECW debut on " Ultra Clash " in 1993 , as booker Paul Heyman gave them the gimmick of white guys who embraced and loved the growing hip hop culture of America . Heyman has stated that he got the inspiration to create The Public Enemy from a Time article about the street violence going on in Los Angeles during the early ' 90s , with a quote that stated " The generation of today is more afraid of living than dying " . The team quickly became one of the more popular acts in the company ; their wild brawling style , complete with a myriad of foreign objects and the inclusion of tables , made them one of the most feared teams in the company and it wasn ' t long before they won their first ( of four ) ECW Tag Team Championship . As The Public Enemy was embraced by the majority of fans , Heyman was inspired to bring in The Gangstas ( New Jack and Mustapha Saed , from Smoky Mountain Wrestling ) to feud with TPE . The Gangstas immediately began a long and bloody feud with The Public Enemy , which pitted The Gangstas ' " harsh , gritty West Coast gangsta " lifestyle against The Public Enemy ' s " East Coast feel good " style . Their feud is among the feuds most often cited as " classic ECW " . Memorable moments . The Public Enemy was also involved in some of ECW ' s most memorable moments . On one occasion , during a singles match between Cactus Jack and Terry Funk at ECW Hardcore Heaven 94 , the Public Enemy interfered and attacked both wrestlers . Terry Funk turned to the crowd and asked the fans if he could have a chair to use . A fan immediately threw a chair into the ring , and not long after many other fans followed suit . Eventually the ring was filled with chairs with both members of The Public Enemy buried underneath . In another incident in Tampa , Florida , towards the end of their run with ECW , The Public Enemy asked the fans to come into the ring to dance with them one last time . As more and more fans piled in and onto the ring , all dancing and celebrating , the ring actually collapsed . At ECW ' s House Party 1999 ( on January 10 ) , The Public Enemy made a long - awaited and much - hyped return to the ECW Arena , in order to answer the challenge of the Dudley Boyz . At the time , they were still under contract to WCW , but they successfully brawled ( along with assistance from New Jack ) with the Dudleys . Following the showdown , Johnny Grunge grabbed the microphone and claimed that the past three years had been a " rollercoaster ride " for the team , and that " if you opened up our chest and looked at our hearts , there ' s only one thing stamped on it , and that ' s ECW ! " Grunge further thanked the Dudleys for house - sitting " the house that the Public Enemy built " while they were gone , and then invited everyone in attendance to join then in the ring for a post - show celebration . World Championship Wrestling . In 1996 , after their success in ECW , The Public Enemy signed on to work for World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) . When they arrived in WCW , they continued acting as they did in the manner that made them so popular with fans . Although the majority of the WCW fanbase was unfamiliar with the ECW product at the time , they still carried tables to the ring . Due to the lack of the rest of their style , they seemed out of place and floundered in WCW . Their tenure lasted for three years , and they won the WCW World Tag Team Championship on one occasion ( in a victory over Harlem Heat ) in 1996 ) . World Wrestling Federation . The Public Enemy signed on to work for the World Wrestling Federation . They weren ' t accepted " backstage " by veteran WWF wrestlers and backstage personnel , however , due to animosity over the fact that The Public Enemy chose WCW over the WWF when they had the chance . Rocko Rock was also forced to change his name and go by the shortened name " Flyboy " Rocko , in order not to " cause confusion " with The Rock . They made their WWF debut on the February 22 , 1999 episode of " Raw is War " . In the two months they lasted in the WWF , their only feud was against the APA ; following the feud and The Public Enemy ' s subsequent release , the APA claimed that they " ran The Public Enemy out " of the WWF . They said they could do the same to another famous ECW tag team ( the Dudley Boyz ) ; after the Dudley Boyz succeeded in the feud , it was commonly referred to as " Passing the Acolyte Test " since the Dudley Boyz did get over after a feud with the APA while The Public Enemy failed . Later activity . The Public Enemy briefly returned to WCW after leaving the WWF , with both men involved in the infamous " WCW Hardcore Junkyard Invitational . " Neither member returned to WCW programming afterwards , and the Public Enemy made one last appearance on " ECW on TNN " , which was their last exposure on mainstream television . The tag team made brief appearances on the independent scene after both WCW and ECW folded , appearing in ECW - nostalgia promotion Pro - Pain Pro Wrestling ( 3PW ) , along with various NWA territories . They also participated in the unaired tapings for the X Wrestling Federation promotion , under the name " South Philly Posse , " and managed by Jasmin St . Claire . Deaths . On September 21 , 2002 , Ted Petty ( " Flyboy " Rocco Rock ) died after suffering a heart attack following a wrestling event . Johnny Grunge had been semi - retired for a few years after the XWF failed to get a TV deal . On February 16 , 2006 , Mike Durham ( Johnny Grunge ) died in his home after suffering from complications from sleep apnea . A friend tried to get Durham to the hospital in time , but by the time they arrived at the hospital , Durham was pronounced dead on arrival . Durham ' s widow has since become an advocate against drug abuse in the wrestling industry since the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide in 2007 .