Dead Wrestlers

[Antman]

In the past month or so at least 3 more wrestlers died. Bad Leroy Brown, Ernie "The Big Cat" Ladd, Arnold Skaaland. Many seem to die young. Is it the roids, or the other drugs? The list of wrestlers who have died young is endless. I could start naming them but there's too many. Bam BamBigelow just died a few months ago. I think he was 43.

[Mr Badguy]

Add Mike Awesome to that list.

He hung himself.

[Antman]

I couldn't think of Mike Awesome's name, but I knew he just died.

[SA ME WHO]

Big Cat and Arnold Skaaland are more exceptions than the rule. Many guys do cash out way too young.

It's not an easy life. And, if you're not mentally equipped to deal with it (or you don't catch some super lucky breaks), you go through stuff on your own.

Without insurance (or a good plan because you had to find some policy on your own), your only way to cope sometimes is pain killers or gutting it out. Look at the Von Erich clan. David, drug overdose. Kerry, drug problems - suicide. Mike - TSS - suicide. Chris - depression - suicide.

Brian Pillman, Owen Hart, Crash Holly, Davey Boy Smith, Hawk, Adrian Adonis, Louie Spicolli, Rick Rude, Curt Hennig, Chris Candido, The Renegade, Dino Bravo, JYD, Yokozuna, Ray Traylor (Big Boss Man), Eddie Guerrero, Herculez Hernandez, and Elizabeth.

All of them, in the past two decades, before their 50th birthday. Many of them drug related, some with suspicious (criminal) circumstances, a few accidents, and a few just naturally.

I don't know the relationship between the percentages of the entire population that pass on early from those things versus the percentage of the wrestling community that pass on early from those same things, but, it certainly seems like it's quite a bit higher, doesn't it?

[POJO_Risin]

Mike Awesome fucking hung himself?

seriously?

[POJO_Risin]

Here's a pretty good list of wrestlers who have died before 50...

Chris Von Erich - 21
Mike Von Erich - 23
Louie Spiccoli - 27
Art Barr - 28
Gino Hernandez - 29
Jay Youngblood - 30
Rick McGraw - 30
Joey Marella - 30
Ed Gatner - 31
Buzz Sawyer - 32
Crash Holly - 32
Kerry Von Erich - 33
D.J. Peterson - 33
Eddie Gilbert - 33
The Renegade - 33
Owen Hart - 33
Chris Candido - 33
Adrian Adonis - 34
Gary Albright - 34
Bobby Duncum Jr. - 34
Yokozuna - 34
Big Dick Dudley - 34
Brian Pillman - 35
Marianna Komlos - 35
Pitbull #2 - 36
The Wall/Malice - 36
Leroy Brown - 38
Mark Curtis - 38
Eddie Guerrero - 38
Davey Boy Smith - 39
Johnny Grunge - 39
Vivian Vachon - 40
Jeep Swenson - 40
Brady Boone - 40
Terry Gordy - 40
Bertha Faye - 40
Billy Joe Travis - 40
Larry Cameron - 41
Rick Rude - 41
Randy Anderson - 41
Bruiser Brody - 42
Miss Elizabeth - 42
Big Boss Man - 42
Earthquake - 42
Mike Awesome - 42
Ray Candy - 43
Dino Bravo - 44
Curt Hennig - 44
Bam Bam Bigelow - 45
Jerry Blackwell - 45
Junkyard Dog - 45
Hercules - 45
Andre the Giant - 46
Big John Studd - 46
Chris Adams - 46
Mike Davis - 46
Hawk - 46
Dick Murdoch - 49
Jumbo Tsuruta - 49
Rocco Rock - 49

I know most of them...

[rustoffa]

Tracy Smothers isn't dead, but Gordon Solie is. Let's relive a classic Solie call!!

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[Little Texan]

I don't know how Jake "The Snake" Roberts is still alive, as big of a crackhead as he is! Anyone see that documentary about him a few years back? It was some pretty sad stuff.

[Mr Badguy]

So who`s next?

Kurt Angle?

He was let go from WWE because of their wellness programme then signed for TNA.

Rumours are he`s a heavy painkiller addict.

[monkeythe]

Pojo,

Please credit that list to:
http://prowrestling.about.com/od/whatsrealwhatsfake/a/wrestlersdeaths.htm

My bosses are serious about that type of stuff. Although I think it is pretty cool to be quoted by a Roth army Mod.

As far as Bam Bam goes, he died of a bad combo of medicine & coke plus he had enlarged heart arteries like Eddie had.

[SA ME WHO]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Here's a pretty good list of wrestlers who have died before 50...

Chris Von Erich - 21
Mike Von Erich - 23
Louie Spiccoli - 27
Art Barr - 28
Gino Hernandez - 29
Jay Youngblood - 30
Rick McGraw - 30
Joey Marella - 30
Ed Gatner - 31
Buzz Sawyer - 32
Crash Holly - 32
Kerry Von Erich - 33
D.J. Peterson - 33
Eddie Gilbert - 33
The Renegade - 33
Owen Hart - 33
Chris Candido - 33


How crazy is it that on this list (which excludes David Von Erich, 25), the top 3 are Von Erich brothers and all 4 Von Erich brothers (that were deceased before 50(35) years of age) were in the top 10/18?

[Full Bug]

Where did your hear the medicine and coke thing? I dont doubt it, I just hadnt heard about that....

[Full Bug]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Mike Awesome fucking hung himself?

seriously?
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2007/02/19/3645984.html

[monkeythe]

Originally posted by Full Bug
Where did your hear the medicine and coke thing? I dont doubt it, I just hadnt heard about that....


I quoted this story for that info:
http://pasco.tbo.com/pasco/MGBVNUTETYE.html

As far as David Von Erich not being on the list, the title of the list which was not included on this site stated that the wrestler had to die after 1985. When I created the list, I chose that year because it was the year of the first WrestleMania, the turning point in the wrestling industry.

[SA ME WHO]

Originally posted by monkeythe

As far as David Von Erich not being on the list, the title of the list which was not included on this site stated that the wrestler had to die after 1985. When I created the list, I chose that year because it was the year of the first WrestleMania, the turning point in the wrestling industry.

Ahh, gotcha. Though it's not relevant to the "Von Erich curse" point, it's quite relevant in terms of looking back historically. Thanks for the 411.