These are the list of the 10 Terrible Annoying Deaths of WWE Greatest Superstars. WWE have lost professional wrestler and they just have to accept it.
WWE
business is not just about sunshine and rainbows. It has always been
about men and women going to the limits, just to make the fans cheer
their name and bring the house down.
Though the business brings in
fame and superstar dome for most of the wrestlers, one thing that comes
along with those advantages is tragedy. Ever since its inception,
professional wrestling has been littered with tragic events, which have
left the affected wrestlers in trauma.
Despite being faced with grave dangers, wrestlers usually get dragged
into the vortex of hurting themselves, and ultimately give up their
lives as the price.
The number of wrestlers dying over the past few
decades has been very high, with Nelson Frazier Jr. being the latest
addition to that list.
Take a look at 10 great names who started
their careers dreaming of being the best in the business but ended up as
tragic (death) lessons for the generations to come.
12. The Ultimate Warrior (Age: 54)
The Ultimate Warrior
The
Ultimate Warrior was a beast in his heyday. He spent a few years in the
WWE (it was WWF back then) before moving to WCW in the year 1998.
He
was a two-time Intercontinental Champion and he famously pinned Hulk
Hogan in the main event at WrestleMania 6 to win his only World
Heavyweight Championship, courtesy of which he was looked at as the
Hulkster’s successor in the 90s.
He retired after wrestling just thrice in the WCW. And a decade after that, he wrestled one final time in Spain.
The
Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2014
on the 5th of April, following which he made an appearance on the 6th at
WrestleMania 30, and appeared on RAW for the first time in 18 years on
the 7th.
Unfortunately, he died the very next day on the 8th of April 2014, as a result of a heart attack.
11. Mike Awesome(42)
Michael
Lee “Mike” Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an
American professional wrestler.
He was best known for his appearances
with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship
Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling
Federation under the ring name Mike Awesome and for his appearances in
Japan for with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and All Japan Pro
Wrestling as The Gladiator.
10. Test (Age: 33)
test
Fans who have been following WWE since the Attitude Era days would not have forgotten the name Test.
Though he wasn’t a big name like some others in this list, Test was
someone who was stuck in the gap between upper midcard and main event.
The pushes that he had never really clicked, and he was left floundering
down the card despite having the skills to top the charts.
Apart
from WWE, he even had spells in some independent promotions and TNA
before retiring from in-ring action. However, Test didn’t have much time
to spend in retirement as he died due to an overdose of oxycodone just
three days before his 34th birthday. It was later revealed that he was
suffering from a chronic brain injury caused by repeated blows to the
head, which might have happened while wrestling.
9. Umaga (Age: 36)
Umaga
After
starting off his career as part of various tag teams in the WWE, Eddie
Fatu finally found his footing in the business with the character Umaga.
His
new character brought him a new dimension as a superstar, and he soon
found himself entangled in the WWE picture with big names like John
Cena. He was also the focal point of the WrestleMania face-off between
Donald Trump and Vince McMahon, as he was the hand-picked representative
of McMahon.
After that, however, Umaga was relegated into the
intercontinental title scene and he soon left the company. In 2009,
Umaga was found dead with blood coming out of his nose, and the cause of
death was later revealed to be a heart attack.
There were also
subsequent revelations that Umaga clearly violated many of the WWE
talent wellness policies and was using many drugs which eventually
contributed to his death.
8. Curt Henning (Age: 44)
Curt Henning
For
the new fans he might be the father of Curtis Axel but for those who
witnessed his rise as a superstar, Hennig was a name which had the
potential to be one of the big fish in the business.
Mr.
Perfect had a unique style and charisma inside the ring which made many
call him one of the best in-ring technicians of his generation. After
his wrestling career, Hennig stayed relevant in the business by taking
up the management and colour commentator roles, before being dragged
back into the ring by Ric Flair.
The match between the two went down
very well with the fans, and soon Hennig started jumping ships. He had
spells in WCW and TNA as well.
Hennig was found dead in 2003 due
to a cocaine overdose, and reports also suggested that the use of
steroids and painkillers contributed to his death. Hennig was later
inducted into the Hall of Fame and his legacy still remains in the
company, in the form of Curtis Axel.
7. Randy Savage (Age: 58)
Randy Savage
Randy
Savage is arguably one of the very few superstars who found their way
into the mainstream culture during the latter stages of the golden era.
Savage was known for his trademark costumes and raspy voice along with a
distinct in-ring charisma.
Savage
even went on to land a role in the first Spider-man film, making it
clear that his career wasn’t going to be restricted to just wrestling.
Though
Savage was almost out of the wrestling business by the time of this
death, the popularity and the reputation that he established during his
time in the ring made the news of his death truly shocking.
Savage
died from a heart attack at the age of 58 and caused a whirlwind of
reactions from all around the wrestling community. His death is easily
among the most impactful ones in wrestling history.
6. Brian Pillman (Age: 35)
Brian Pillman
The
evolution of Pillman from a cruiserweight into a credible character
required less than a decade. In that time, he made the loose cannon one
of the most famous gimmicks in the wrestling business. But no one
could’ve foreseen such a career being shortened by the clutches of
death.
Pillman was allegedly an alcoholic and also used drugs well beyond
the prescribed limits. Reports suggest that it was those habits that
contributed to his early demise. Passing away at the age of 35, Pillman
still could have contributed a lot to the wrestling world if it wasn’t
for the untimely tragedy.
His death was a big blow for Vince
McMahon, who saw not just a regular pay-per-view performer going away,
but also faced a lot of negative publicity from all over the world. He
wasn’t the first wrestler to die in this way, but Pillman was a big name
and his demise created a huge buzz about the company’s drug policies.
5. David Von Erich (Age: 25)
David Von Erich
The
Von Erich family is arguably one of the most controversial and talked
about wrestling families in the history of the business for all the
wrong reasons, and one prominent reason among that is David.
Back
in the territory days of wrestling in 1980s, a particular promotion
name WCCW in Dallas was catching attention for bringing breakout shows
for the fans. Run by Fritz Von Erich, the main feud in that promotion
was the one involving Fritz’s sons.
From
the three sons that Von Erich had, David was the most talented; he was
even touted to be the next NWA World Champion after being groomed
heavily at WCCW. However, tragedy soon struck the Erichs as David was
found dead in a hotel room due to intestinal enteritis, which was caused
by a drug overdose.
4. Bruiser Brody (Age: 42)
Bruiser Brody
Brody
had a remarkable career that spanned almost two decades, and which saw
him establish himself as the greatest brawler that United States had
ever seen till then. However, outside the ring he was known as a family
man who had an eye for getting an extra dime whenever possible.
He often had a terrible relationship with his promoters because of
this business-minded approach. That eventually cost him his life as Jose
Gonzalez, a promoter in Puerto Rico, stabbed Brody to death in the
locker-room after an argument broke out between the two.
The
murder was a black mark in the Puerto Rican promotions, and after that
none of the American wrestlers were ready to work there. The incident
also ensured that now, wrestlers keep their guard up even in the locker
room.
3. Eddie Guerrero (Age: 38)
Eddie Guerrero
Before
finding his way into WWE, Eddie was known to be among the pioneering
wrestlers who brought technical skills into a hardcore-based promotion
like ECW.
He
rose from there and went through WCW before finally ending up in Vince
McMahon’s yard. Eddie soon turned out to be a fan favourite there too,
with both the heel and face elements, and even went on to win the WWE
title and headline WrestleMania.
Known for his incredible charisma
and special in-ring skills, Guerrero had no trouble fitting into any
kind of scenario. The guy was also known for fighting his personal
demons and rising to rule the hearts of fans by putting together a
spectacular comeback story.
Unfortunately, however, Eddie passed
away at the young age of 38 years due to acute heart failure. The drug
problems that he had at some point before his death were blamed for the
incident, and Eddie’s death left a big void in the business which is yet
to be filled.
2. Owen Hart (Age: 34)
Owen Hart
One of the most gifted wrestlers from the Hart Family, Owen
potentially had a great career ahead of him. If it wasn’t for the WWE’s
decision to make him slide down into the ring from an awkward height,
Bret Hart might not have been the biggest name from the Hart Family.
Hart fell to his death from a height of 78ft while making his entrance
in the Over The Edge pay-per-view of 1999. The show went on despite his
death, and the company later gave a two-hour tribute to the late great,
with the storyline paused for paying homage.
One of the greatest
highlights of Hart’s career was the heel turn which he pulled off
perfectly against his brother Bret; this lead to an epic match between
the two at WrestleMania X which still reminds the fans of what they
lost.
Hart was known as a great person rather than just a
wrestler, which is quite an achievement in a business like professional
wrestling.
1. Chris Benoit (Age: 40)
Chris Benoit Wins the Triple Threat World Title Match (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
You knew this was coming, didn’t you? How can this list of tragedies be complete without the name of Chris Benoit?
Personally speaking, Benoit was one of those wrestlers that I grew up
watching and who had a great impact on me. The way he won the Royal
Rumble, the moment when he cried after winning the WrestleMania match
against Triple H and Shawn Michaels, his crippler cross face, those
jumps from the pods of Elimination Chamber, the way he collapsed after
Eddie’s death – all of those memories still remain etched vividly in my
head.
Though it was concluded that he murdered his family and
committed suicide, that is yet to be proven with credible evidence.
Keeping that tragic climax apart, the life of Benoit as a wrestler is
one that could be an inspiration for everyone out there. And even
wrestlers like Daniel Bryan and others follow the style for which Benoit
was known.
Benoit’s death was a shocking loss to the professional wrestling world,
and every time his name comes up, I always imagine what WWE would’ve
looked like if he was still in the roster.
Source: Starnaija
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