text: On February 5, 1994, at ECW's event, The Night the Line Was Crossed, Awesome nearly injured wrestler, J.T. Smith when he performed a high-risk dive to the outside of the ring. Smith's back was folded backwards against the guard rail during the impact. This spot appeared in many ECW highlight reels including the intro to a variety of their television programs for years to come (according to ECW announcer Joey Styles his own reaction to the spot inspired his "Oh my God" catchphrase).
  Awesome returned to ECW in January 1997 at House Party, defeating Balls Mahoney. At Crossing the Line Again the following month, he lost to Louie Spicolli, departing ECW once more thereafter.
  In July 1998, Awesome began appearing for ECW again and continued his feud with Masato Tanaka in the United States. Awesome began in ECW by losing to Tanaka on an episode ECW's weekly Hardcore TV. However, following the match, he delivered an Awesome Bomb to Tanaka over the top rope through a table set up on the outside. Awesome lost to Tanaka again at the August Heat Wave pay-per-view event. In September 1998 at UltraClash, Awesome tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a bout with Balls Mahoney; he did not wrestle again until September 1999.