While many associate Jason Knight with his time in ECW as a wrestler and a manager, his life story is diverse, impressive, and successful.
A few key facts that needed to be highlighted. Jason Knight’s diverse career he was the first ever Extreme Era ECW television Heavyweight Champion.
He was a decorated military veteran, a model, acted in films, is a domestic abuse survivor, is a PTSD advocate, a successful promoter with Assault Championship Wrestling.
As a trainer, he trained several individuals who later had legendary pro wrestling careers in TNA, AEW, WWE, and ROH.
Ronald Knight Georgi was born on December 12, 1963, to his Mother, Anka Dimitrijivic, and father, Kamal Georgi.
His mother, Anka Dimitrijivic, is from Serbia and was a successful translator, jewelry designer, model, and actress. Anka is a survivor of World War 2. One night she and her aunt were taken by the German Nazi’s to be executed on the Danube River.
Jason Knight – The Stories He Has Lived
For those who don’t know, the Danube (/ˈdæn.juːb/ DAN-yoob; see also other names) is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia.
It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest south into the Black Sea. A large and historically important river, it was once a frontier of the Roman Empire.
In the 21st century, it connects ten European countries, running through their territories or marking a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for 2,850 km (1,770 mi), passing through or bordering Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine.
Among the many cities on the river are four national capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade. Its drainage basin amounts to 817,000 km2 (315,000 sq mi) and extends into nine more countries.
From 21-23 January 1942 in the Novi Sad region, the mass execution of Serbs, Jews, and gypsies happened – known as the Novi Sad Rai”.
Over 1,300 people were executed and thrown into the Danube graves, and others went missing during the raid, a total of 4,000 Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies were murdered.
On the city quay now known as “the Quay of the victims of the raid,” A monument has been erected in memory of the mass murder. The monument is called “Family” because it shows human silhouettes with children.
From what Anka recalls, the Nazi’s took and were going to throw them in the river to drown them during the cold months. During a last-minute effort, the Russians occupied their town and saved them.
His father, Kamal Georges (the surname later changed to Georgi), was an Egyptian politician and journalist. Jason was born Ronald Georgi in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved back to Yugoslavia in what is now Serbia.
“My father was stationed at the embassy in London, that is where I first discovered wrestling at the age of six,” at that time in the late 1960s he was watching BBC’s World of Sport Wrestling in Britain.
The two big draws back then were massive babyface Big Daddy (Shirley Crabtree Jr.), and the gargantuan Giant Haystacks (Martin Austin Ruane) were two which captured his attention. Knight added.
“After my parents’ divorce, my mother moved back to Novi Sad, Serbia, where I was born and raised.
My maternal grandfather, a military man and World War II prisoner of war” — five years in a concentration camp — “was a huge part of my childhood.”
Romance brought his mother to America. His mother, who worked as a translator on movie sets in Serbia, met director/actor/ Visual Effects artist Ray Kellogg.
Ray Kellogg is best known for Directing Green Berets with Oscar Award winner John Wayne. He worked as a visual effects artist on films with Elvis and Marilyn Monroe.
Ray and Anka fell in love, and he asked her to marry him. After six years, he was finally able to bring her over to marry; however, shortly after her arrival in America, Ray Kellogg passed away from Cancer.
Anka found herself alone in a foreign country and was forced to reinvent herself. She decided to stay and self-taught herself to become a jeweler.
She eventually became a world-renowned jeweler and wrote several books. When she got established in the United States of America, she sent for Jason in 1977 so he could have a better life and more opportunities.
Jason has dual US-Serbian citizenship and became a naturalized US citizen in 1987. After returning to serve in the then Yugoslavian army as a special forces for two years, he became the rank of Sergent.
Knight can speak five languages fluently, including his native Serbo-Croatian. During his youth, Jason competed in martial arts, freestyle wrestling, and bodybuilding.
The famed bodybuilder Flavio Baccianini was his trainer. Flavio was the smallest man to ever compete in Mr. Olympia, standing under five feet tall and aptly nicknamed the “giant killer.”
Jason Knight was trained by WWE Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Rodz, and Bobby Bold Eagle (Robert Cortes). Cortes was a protégé of Argentina Rocca; he made his WWWF debut in September 1968.
Cortes wrestled worldwide during his nearly 15-year career, including countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Africa, and most of Europe. Cortes was a protégé of Argentina Rocca.
He made his WWWF debut in September 1968. Cortes wrestled throughout the world during his near 15-year career including countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Africa and most of Europe.
While in Joint Promotions in the 1980s, he held the promotion’s tag team championship as part of a kayfabe “brother” tag team with former student Al Bold Eagle.
He was sometimes a big Daddy ally in his feud with Wild Angus Campbell and wrestled the likes of Pete LaPaque, Rollerball Rocco, Lucky Gordon, “Superstar” Mal Sanders, Dr. Death, and Skull Murphy.
Among his known former students are Billy Firehawk, Tiger Khan (Marlon Kalkai), Peligro (Abe Guzman), Panther, former WWE superstar Chris Kanyon, Primo Carnera II, and The Power Twins (Larry and David Sontag), as well as ECW alumni The Dirt Bike Kid, Rocco Rock, and Jason Knight.
“I learned a great deal from both as each have their own unique style. I have the deepest respect for my mentors and have kept in contact with both over the years”.
The WCW gig came about when Knight was in Florida and visited his friend, ring announcer Gary Michael Capetta, at a show. Kevin Sullivan was the booker at the show, and for whatever reason, they were shorthanded.
“My gear was with me, Kevin liked me, and my match was against Mike Rotunda, whom I met for the first time around 15 seconds before we went through the curtain.
After that I was asked to stay and work TV shows with the likes of the Steiner Brothers, Michael Hayes (as seen here).
Mean Mark [the future Undertaker] (as seen here), Big Van Vader, Sid Vicious, Super Invader, and Ric Flair.”
He went against two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair twice, one in WWE, and his first interaction was in WCW, as seen here:
Flair lost by disqualification, which technically means Jason won the match. Also, Jason was among Big Van Vader’s first opponents after Great American Bash, which aired July 7, 1990, as seen here:
He worked with other big names such as Rick Martel, The Mountie, Terry Taylor, Skinner, Men on A Mission, The Beverly Brothers, The Nasty Boys, Bam Bam Bigelow, The Berserker, and he had 2025 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee The Narcissist” Lex Luger WWF/ WWE In-Ring Debut on WWE Raw 2/1/1993 (as seen here)
WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman’s connection made in his teenage years in New York City came in handy. They crossed paths in WCW; however, their time together lasted many decades.
As the mad scientist behind the revolutionary Extreme Championship Wrestling, which sprang out of Eastern Championship Wrestling, Heyman recruited Knight.
“Paul talked me into it after a back surgery. I was supposed to be out for one to two years”.
Heyman booked him to team with Ian Rotten against The Public Enemy (Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock) in the opener on Ultra Clash, the first big super card Heyman promoted, on September 18, 1993, at the soon-to-be-renamed ECW Arena in Philadelphia.
“You can still see the bandage on my back on the PPV covering the incision protruding over the waistline of my ring gear,” noted Knight. Because of his previous modeling career, Paul dubbed Jason “the Sexiest Man On Earth.'”
Heyman was ready to give Knight more of a spotlight than he had had previously.
“I am a wrestler, I could wrestle, I could sell, I was built like a wrestler and one of the bigger individuals on the roster,” noted Knight.
“I gave many coming into ECW their tryouts. In my career, I have been asked countless times to put others over and promised a push that never seemed to come.”
During his early days of being in ECW, he teamed up with Curtis Hughes, aka Mr. Hughes, in ECW (as seen here)
Knight eventually did get that push and was there for the transition from Eastern to Extreme.
“I was the last person to hold the Eastern Championship TV title and the first person to hold the Extreme Championship TV Title.
I defeated Mikey Whipwreck on August 13, 1994. The company switched to Extreme Championship Wrestling on August 29, 1994.
The change was registered with the state of Pennsylvania on September 2, 1994. Making me the first person to hold the Extreme Championship TV title.
I also was the first match at the first ‘Extreme Era’ show on September 20, 1994, at Pulsations Club, along with Rockin’ Rebel, defending the title. I would hold and defend the belt several times”.
He held the title until November 3, 1994, at a live-to-tape ECW show Hardcore TV in Hamburg, PA, when he dropped it to 2 Cold Scorpio.
The event aired on November 22, 1994, via broadcast delay. Jason reportedly held the ECW TV title for 83 days. Jason also was the manager for former ECW tag team champion’s The Pitbulls, as seen here.
Towards the end of ECW’s run, Knight was in the Impact Players stable with Justin Credible, Lance Storm, and Dawn Marie. While it got him lots of attention, especially with ECW on TNN, Knight is not fond of the time.
“I’m grateful, but I’m a wrestler, not a manager. They had Dawn Marie, who did a wonderful job. They didn’t need me as a mouthpiece. I was underutilized, me being part of that made no sense”.
One of his favorite matches is the intergender match between himself and Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee Carlene Begnaud, aka Jazz, at ECW’s Heat Wave 1999.
“It meant the world to me because I was put in a position to work live and on pay-per-view with a very inexperienced performer, and it was do or die.
She held up her end of the bargain, and we made history. She will always remain family and a rare someone that just simply got it.
“They wanted Jazz put over but expected a tongue-in-cheek comedy act; we trained and kept quiet on how the match was going; by the time we were finished and went back to the locker room, mouths were on the floor; they never expected what Jazz and I pulled off”.
Not long after the bout with Jazz, Knight was back on the Northeast indie scene. Name a promotion, and he likely worked there.
On the bigger stage, he briefly appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in June 2003 and spent time in Memphis Wrestling.
Then, there were two ECW Jazz vs. Jason Knight 1999 ECW reunion shows in June 2005, the independent Hardcore Homecoming and the WWE-produced ECW One Night Stand, and Knight was a part of both.
As a pro wrestling trainer, Knight helped many pro wrestlers throughout the East Coast get started or polished. He was instrumental in former WWE superstar Nicole Bass’s entry into pro wrestling.
Some notable alumni from Knight’s school, formerly known as the House of Pain Dojo, include former TNA champion Velvet Sky, AEW’s Mercedes Martinez, New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee Dylan Kage, formerly of TNA, and others.
In an interview with Fighting Females magazine, Mercedes Martinez raved about the lessons learned.
“Jason Knight is a great trainer. He didn’t treat me any differently than the guy students. Hell, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Training with the boys gave me more motivation and determination to prove that I belonged and that I can be like them and better.
Jason was tough, and his school lived up to its name.” Sky (Jamie Szantyr) said something similar to Jim Varsallone of the Miami Herald in 2009.
I was never babied. I told Jason I wanted to be treated like the men. He wouldn’t have babied me anyway. That’s not his style.”
Several years ago, Jason became a victim of domestic assault with a weapon when he was stabbed through his hand with a knife and later slashed throughout his face and arms.
When the ambulance and first responders showed up, they had to put a Tourniquet on him to prevent him from bleeding to death.
The incident occurred while he was sleeping, and the female involved stabbed a knife through Jason’s hands and the alleged intent was to disfigure him out of jealousy.
At that time, Jason suffered from severe PTSD and depression and stayed away from the pro wrestling business for several years.
His now-wife Desiree Knight inspired him to get back into the gym and make a comeback. His official comeback match was at the ECW arena when he went against Alvin, managed by Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee Missy Hyatt and Matthew Roblez- at A Tribute to the Extreme 2
Jason will be making his return to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA, for an autograph signing appearance with ECW original Tommy Cairo. ECW original/ former TNA champion Kid Cash at the TWA “One and Done”/ RasstleCon
The event will be on May 3, 2025, 33 years after the sudden and shocking demise of the Tri-State Wrestling. The autograph signings will be at noon EST, and the pro wrestling matches will be later that night. The ECW Arena still means a lot to Knight.
“It is home and a sanctuary because every one of us, performers and fans alike, represents a structure that can never die, be replicated, or falter”.
The next day, May 4, will be the grand opening of Jason’s new school, Impact Central Pro Wrestling Dojo, located at 319 West Landis Avenue, Vineland, New Jersey 08360, United States.
The Dojo is a state-of-the-art training facility complete with studio and filming equipment. The Dojo is available for credible promotion if they need to do a television taping.
Knight and fellow ECW original Iron Man Tommy Cairo are the senior instructors. Other instructors include Josh Adams, a former student of King Kong Bundy Steven Diamond, and ECW original Angel Orsini.
The Dojo is open Monday through Friday, 10 am to 3 pm. The Dojo is multi-functional; it also offers personal fitness lessons and will have special celebrity signings on select days.
Later in the year, Jason will be doing a benefit show for domestic abuse victims. Jason will be advocating suicide and PTSD awareness, especially for the military.
“This is exhilarating, challenging, humbling, and blessed that I can still do it. I want to give my knowledge to future generations”.
Jason Knight began promoter shows through Assault Championship Wrestling circa 2000. Knight was working with ECW original Joel Gertner and Mike E Milano then.
In the new ACW, Gertner returns as ACW’s commissioner. Assault Championship wrestling had legendary shows featuring Trent Acid, former ROH Matt Striker, former WCW April Hunter, former TNA Nikki Roxx, ECW legends New Jack, Balls Mahoney, Justin Credible, John Kronus, and Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee Francine Use to run out of Connecticut primarily.
Assault Championship Wrestling ended in 2004; the final champions were ACW Heavyweight Champion Ron Zombie, ACW Junior Heavyweight Champion Abuni, ACW Television Championship Scotty Charisma,
ACW Hardcore Championship Jamie Pain, ACW Great American Championship ECW original Tony Devito, ACW Tag Team Championship Kappa Tappa Kegga Cut Daniels and Andy Jaxx, and the ACW women’s Champion ECW original Angel Orsini.
A year ago, Assault Championship wrestling relaunched and began running shows, as seen here on 5/18/2024 at the Equinox in Williamstown, NJ.
Jason teamed up with former ECW television champions Pitbull 1 Gary Wolf and Mikey Whipwreck. They went against legendary Johnny Cashmere and the New Backseat Boyz JP Grayson and Tommy Grayson vs Livewire Charlie & Danger Ross.
For now, they will be running out of the Dojo and will have pro wrestling shows throughout New Jersey. There are plans for a promotion, too, Assault Championship Wrestling, which will include a collaboration with the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame with various inductions.
Once again, Jason Knight will run shows where it all began in Connecticut. His shows were done so well that they became the topic of legend in the New England area amongst numerous New England Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame inductees such as Bobby Ocean and Rob Zombie.
On April 3, 2025, Desiree and Jason Knight were made ambassadors to the Women’s Wrestling Hall of Fame for their involvement in preserving and promoting women’s pro wrestling.
Jason will be joining fellow ECW legends Steve Corino, Sandman, Jerry Lynn, Little Guido, Simon Diamond, Tod Gordon, Jason Knight, Big Vito, CW Anderson, Francine, and Mikey Whipwreck! Jason will be facing Rick Recon.
Later that evening, at the Pro Wrestling XX event located at 827 Jersey Avenue, Gloucester City, NJ 08030, Jason will compete in an Ironman Championship 4-way extreme rules match against Russian Manimal Volkoff, Eric Black, and Yankee TDM.
So far, Jason Knights’s year is booked solid with pro wrestling shows and appearances for various conventions. One big convention he will be appearing at is the adult film convention Exotica October 24-26 / in Edison, New Jersey.
Jason will be having a TV show on ECUSA TV, which you can watch either live or by downloading the app . The show will discuss bodybuilding.
