Theodore James Petty (September 1, 1953 – September 21, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "Flyboy" Rocco Rock. Rock is best known for his appearances in Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) alongside Johnny Grunge as the Public Enemy during the 1990s. He was a four-time ECW World Tag Team Champion, a one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, and a one-time NWA World Tag Team Champion.

Early life

Petty was born on September 1, 1953. Raised in Middlesex, New Jersey, he attended Middlesex High School, where he competed in baseball, football and wrestling. He graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in nutrition.

Their next scheduled appearance was at Crossing the Line '99 on February 12 in Queens, New York against the Dudleys, which they cancelled due to negotiating with the WWF. The team was buried on the February 20 edition of ECW Hardcore TV as being cowards who ran from a fight. Footage of the Dudleys hitting big moves on the team at an event in Detroit was shown, with a headline stating "Breaking News: The Dudleys Destroy Public Enemy." Two days later, the team would make their WWF debut.

World Wrestling Federation (1999)

The Public Enemy signed with the World Wrestling Federation Following 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.

The Public Enemy wrestled their final match for the WWF on March 30, 1999, in a match taped for Shotgun Saturday Night, losing to the Hardy Boyz via disqualification. The match was aired on television on April 10, 1999. Shortly after airing, both members of Public Enemy were released in mid-April 1999.

Return to World Championship Wrestling (1999)

After leaving the WWF, the Public Enemy returned to WCW in July 1999 at the Bash at the Beach pay-per-view, taking part in the "Junkyard Hardcore Invitational" that was won by Fit Finlay. Over the following weeks, the Public Enemy wrestled in the tag team division, facing teams such as the Insane Clown Posse; Chris Benoit and Perry Saturn; and Barry Windham and Curt Hennig. On the August 5, 1999 episode of WCW Thunder, Rock lost to Goldberg. They made their final appearance with WCW on the August 19, 1999 episode of WCW Thunder, losing to Sid Vicious in a handicap match.

Every year, the IWA-Mid South professional wrestling promotion memorializes him by holding the Ted Petty Invitational tournament. Previous winners include AJ Styles, Matt Sydal, Low Ki, and Mike Quackenbush.

Championships and accomplishments

thumb|Rocco Rock's [[Hardcore Hall of Fame banner in the former ECW Arena.]]

  • Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Other honoree (1995)
  • Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Championship Wrestling
  • ECW (World) Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Johnny Grunge
  • Hardcore Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2002
  • i-Generation Superstars of Wrestling
  • i-Generation Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Johnny Grunge
  • Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South
  • IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Main Event Championship Wrestling
  • MECW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Johnny Grunge
  • National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Johnny Grunge
  • NWA New Jersey
  • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Johnny Grunge
  • New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2010
  • New-Wave Championship Wrestling
  • NWCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Johnny Grunge
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 457 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years in 2003
  • Superstars of Wrestling
  • SOW Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Johnny Grunge
  • Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling
  • TCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Johnny Grunge
  • Tri-State Wrestling Alliance
  • TWA Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
  • UWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Johnny Grunge