Ive been a big fan of shoemaker since his writing back at grantland, and wanted to finally read his book. Former wwe wrestler chris klucsaritis, one of the first openly gay pro wrestlers, was found dead in his queens, n. All dead before they were 50 and thats just a sampling of an evergrowing list. The observation of wrestlers dying young has been documented for years. Lets take a look at the top 10 wrestling books you should read and five you can feel free to skip. When and how they died i cannot remember a time when i didnt watch pro wrestling. This website exists to acknowledge deceased professional wrestlers, many of whom died young. According to a 2014 study by eastern michigan university examining professional wrestlers who were active between 1985 and 2011, mortality rates for. Pro wrestlers cycle of pain, drugs and doom eddie guerrero and chris benoit lived in a culture that breeds addicts, that encourages comic book hero bodies and that in recent years has seen. In it you will find wrestlers who have died in the last ten years, twenty years, and going all the way back to the late 19th century. This deadly month of june also came 2 years 10 months after the death of rowdy roddy piper 201 who starred in they live 21, which he. Michigan who parlayed his bodybuilding background into a successful mat career in which he was billed as the worlds strongest wrestler, had. The squared circle grows out of david shoemakers writing for deadspin, where he started the column dead wrestler of the week which boasts over 1 million page views a feature on the many wrestling superstars who died too young because of the abuse they subject their bodies to and his writing for grantland, where he covers the.
Community content is available under ccbysa unless otherwise noted. A lot of the articles weve published here at pro wrestling stories use his book as a base to start with, but by the time hart got around to penning his memoir, he was out of the business completely and seemingly had no ax. List of premature professional wrestling deaths wikipedia. Pillman died like, a while ago, from like perscription drugs and stuff, if i remember correctly. Pro wrestler rocky johnson, who trained his son the rock. Mike tyson admits his tigers could have come from convicted netflix. Pro wrestler rocky johnson, who trained his son the rock, dead at 75. I know probably 40 to 45 wrestlers who dropped dead before they.
Life, death, and professional wrestling shoemaker, david on. Death of the territories ecw press a canadian indie book. This list is sortable by ring name, real name, date of death, age, and cause of death. Italian football club uses 6yearold boys uniform design and it is all the joy we need. This category lists people who died during a professional wrestling match or event, or postmatch from an incident that started inring. The once promising wwe star has died after a battle with brain cancer. Dick garza, better known in wrestling circles as the mighty igor, died of a heart attack at the age of 70 monday in a detroit hospital. Tribute to pro wrestlers that have died new edition. This list may not reflect recent changes learn more. Deadspin has a dead wrestler blog, and there is a decent not great book about dead wrestlers written by the author of the blog called the squared circle. This is the most complete dead wrestlers list on the internet. There is much debate about how much effect steroid use has on the premature deaths of professional wrestlers. You can either learn from the experiences and be a.
According to a 2014 study by eastern michigan university examining professional wrestlers who were active between 1985 and 2011, mortality rates for professional wrestlers are up to 2. The squared circle is the emotional and physiological history of professional wrestling from david shoemaker. Looking back through everything, 14 pro wrestlers have passed away in 2015, and the year is just a little over half over. The road isnt kind and bad habits can take over ones life. Andre died in his sleep of congestive heart failure on the night of january 27, 1993, in a paris hotel room. I know probably 40 to 45 wrestlers who dropped dead before they were 50. Ranking the top 101 wrestlers of all time sports illustrated. And 1990 weeks 6 days after the wwe founded 41818, three wrestlers died on the same day. The only reason ecw died was because paul heyman was horrible with money and they got screwed by tnn once they signed wwf to a tv deal. Grisly case accents long list of wrestlers who died young. Pro wrestlers will likely never be as publicly respected as baseball and football players, yet. Grantland and deadspin correspondent presents a breakthrough ex. Add wwe nxt superstars nick ogarelli, tino sabbatelli, cezar bononi and mars wang to the list of wrestlers, producers, announcers and other employees released by wwe this week, according to pwinsider. My dad and grandfather used to watch it all the time and i.
How vince mcmahon raided the nwa, created wrestlemania, and redefined professional wrestling for good. Deceased wrestlerspromotersannouncers denotes european wrestler name died age real name sheik abdullah abbas ace abbott alex aberg carl abs 18950218 artur. Chris benoit, who was also quite popular, killed his wife nancy and 7 year old son daniel before commi. Former pro wrestler buddy landel, best known to fans of the nwa as nature boy, has died. Every time i looked someone up, i prayed they werent dead, but more often than not, they were. Pro wrestlers who have died in 2015 rowdy roddy piper.
If you wish to search the list, start typing into the search box below, just above the table it will automatically filter your search results as you type. Wcw was bad the last year or 2 but they were on cable tv still a top rated show with nitro and thunder. Sort of like guerrero used hard drugs and painkillers and shiat and it ate the lining of his heart away. It is staggering to watch the amount of wrestlers that have passed away in the last thirty years. A facebook page called rip dead wrestlers puts together tributes, twitter posts, and news regarding those that have passed away. Life, death, and professional wrestling prowrestling isnt considered the most highbrow of pursuits but another notetoself was to stop being defensive about things you enjoy as long as you recognize them for what they are hey i know too many adults who enjoy superhero comics and govinda movies instead of being.
Having seen the demons that can haunt wrestlers, lacey said they can either make you stronger or make you weaker. Pro wrestlers who have died in 2015 rowdy roddy piper makes 14. Three pro wrestlers diagnosed with cte or similar disease. Just because they re a wrassler doesnt mean they re instantly dead from roids.
The book is an examination of the wrestlers, fans, and cultural impact of the sport. While many people think of wrestling as a big joke, there is one thing about wrestling that isnt funny. Deaths such as chynas are worryingly common in the world. Pro wrestler james hellwig, known as the ultimate warrior. They rely on pills and other substances to dull lingering pain, and wrestling is less regulated than other pro sports and steroids became part of. They would have been in business longer if the stupid aoltime warner merger hadnt happened. I dont even think he knew the impact he has had on others. According to a 2014 study by eastern michigan university examining professional wrestlers. The era tends to be overshadowed by the golden age of the 80s and the monday night wars of the 90s.