[simple simon]

with this last story about Crush Adams (and the Benoit story before it) i got to thinking, just how common is it that Pro Wrestlers die before their time ...... i was seriously shocked by what i found

How bad is the problem?
The list below only includes wrestlers that have appeared on national TV and were stars. Imagine if this many baseball players died at such an early age. There would be congressional hearings. Yet because it is wrestlers, no one cares. In an effort to stop this problem, the WWE has recently instituted a wellness program that monitors wrestlers for drug usage and cardiovascular issues.

Famous Wrestlers That Have Died Since 1985 Before the Age of 65
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
John Kronus - 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
Chris Benoit - 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
Biff Wellington - 42
Brian Adams (Crush) - 43
Ray Candy - 43
Nancy Benoit (Woman) - 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
Sherri Martel - 49
Moondog Spot - 51
Ken Timbs - 53
Uncle Elmer - 54
Pez Whatley - 54
Eddie Graham - 55
Tarzan Tyler - 55
Haystacks Calhoun- 55
Giant Haystacks - 55
The Spoiler - 56
Kurt Von Hess - 56
Moondog King - 56
Gene Anderson - 58
Dr. Jerry Graham - 58
Bulldog Brown - 58
Tony Parisi - 58
Rufus R. Jones - 60
Ray Stevens - 60
Stan Stasiak - 60
Terry Garvin - 60
Boris Malenko - 61
Little Beaver - 61
Sapphire - 61
Shohei Baba - 61
Dick the Bruiser - 62
Wilbur Snyder - 62
George Cannon - 62
Karl Krupp - 62
Dale Lewis - 62
Gorilla Monsoon - 62
Hiro Matsuda - 62
Bad News Brown - 63
Bulldog Brower - 63
Wahoo McDaniel - 63

Pro Wrestler's Deaths

as it states on the site, this is all deaths ..... some have nothing to do with steroids or anything like that, but many do

also as it states, what if this list was from MLB or any other sport ?

[simple simon]

i know i just posted this, but i cant get over how long this list is ..... it just blows my mind

[EmpireWF]

Bear in mind, that list (I assume you got it from a site like Wiki/Yahoo/about/whatever else) contains names who died of natural causes, accidental death, old age, etc. That list is not entirely made up of people whose death can be attributed to the pro wrestling industry.

With that said, the amount of deaths in the wrestling business over the past 10 years (that can be attributed at least in some part to drugs, steroids, etc.) trumps that of the NFL/MLB and I think the number is something like 50-55 men/women.

[simple simon]

i just counted the names ..... there are 99 of them ....... let's say only 30% of them were steroid deaths or something similar ....... thats 33 deaths in 22 years ........ something is seriously wrong with that

[EmpireWF]

Just to take a closer look some of their deaths...

Chris Von Erich - 21 (suicide)
Mike Von Erich - 23 (suicide)
Louie Spiccoli - 27 (pill overdose)
Art Barr - 28 (drugs, perhaps HGH too)
Gino Hernandez - 29 (cocaine overdose)
Jay Youngblood - 30 (ruptured spleen/heart attack)
Rick McGraw - 30 (heart attack)
Joey Marella - 30 (car accident, was a referee, son of Gorilla Monsoon)
Ed Gatner - 31 (suicide)
Crash Holly - 32 (suicide)
Kerry Von Erich - 33 (suicide)
Eddie Gilbert - 33 (heart attack)
The Renegade - 33 (suicide)
Owen Hart - 33 (accidental death)
Chris Candido - 33 (complications from blood clot from broken leg)
Adrian Adonis - 34 (car accident)
Gary Albright - 34 (heart attack)
Bobby Duncum Jr. - 34 (drug overdose)
Yokozuna - 34 (heart attack, morbidly obese)
Big Dick Dudley - 34 (kidney failure)
Brian Pillman - 35 (heart disease, history of steroid/drug abuse)
Marianna Komlos - 35 (breast cancer)
Pitbull #2 - 36 (drug overdose)
The Wall/Malice - 36 (heart attack)
Leroy Brown - 38 (heart attack)
Mark Curtis - 38 (stomach cancer, a referee)
Eddie Guerrero - 38 (heart failure, steroid/HGH abuse)
John Kronus - 38 (unknown...family history of heart disease)
Davey Boy Smith - 39 (heart attack, steroid abuser)
Johnny Grunge - 39 (heart attack, morbidly obese, drug abuser)
Vivian Vachon - 40 (car accident)
Jeep Swenson - 40 (heart attack)
Brady Boone - 40 (car accident)
Terry Gordy - 40 (heart attack, no steroids, drug abuser)
Bertha Faye - 40 (heart attack, likely drug overdose)
Billy Joe Travis - 40 (heart attack)
Chris Benoit - 40 (suicide)
Larry Cameron - 41 (heart attack)
Rick Rude - 41 (heart attack, history of steroid abuse)
Randy Anderson - 41 (cancer, a referee)
Bruiser Brody - 42 (murder)
Miss Elizabeth - 42 (drug/alcohol poisoining)
Big Boss Man - 42 (heart attack)
Earthquake - 42 (cancer)
Mike Awesome - 42 (steroid abuser, suicide, rumor of marital problems)
Biff Wellington - 42 (unknown)
Brian Adams (Crush) - 43 (unknown, history of steroid abuse)
Ray Candy - 43 (heart attack)
Nancy Benoit (Woman) - 43 (murder)
Dino Bravo - 44 (murdered...assumed by organized crime)
Curt Hennig - 44 (cocaine overdose)
Bam Bam Bigelow - 45 (toxic levels of cocaine found in system, heart problems)
Jerry Blackwell - 45 (pneumonia)
Junkyard Dog - 45 (car accident, fell asleep while driving back from daughters graduation)
Hercules - 45 (died in sleep, heart disease)
Andre the Giant - 46 (natural causes, he had the giants disease)
Big John Studd - 46 (hodgkins disease)
Chris Adams - 46 (history of drug abuse, shot/killed by friend)
Mike Davis - 46 (heart attack)
Hawk - 46 (heart attack, years of steroid abuse)
Dick Murdoch - 49 (heart attack)
Jumbo Tsuruta - 49 (internal bleeding)
Rocco Rock - 49 (heart attack)
Sherri Martel - 49 (unknown, history of drug abuse)


Just looking at the people who passed away from 50-years and younger. A majority of the people listed in their 60s died of natural causes, cancer and whatnot.

Mixing all of the above together isn't exactly correct when talking about the wrestling business. Some died from cancer, some from car accidents, etc. Of course many of them died from heart attacks/heart failure and some (or most) probably from years of steroid abuse.

[EmpireWF]

The actual number according to one wrestling journalist is 62 "major league" (not indy guys or people who wrestle on weekends, but people who actually make a career out of it) wrestlers have died over the past 10 years. About half can be attributed somewhat to steroid abuse.


No doubt that's horrible and hopefully ten years from now, we won't be seeing a new generation of wrestlers dropping like flies.

[EmpireWF]

I don't know if you have read it but this is a USA Today article from 2004 about the alarming death rate in pro wrestling. It's an article that Congress is citing in letters when requesting info from pro wrestling organizations this month.

USATODAY.com - High death rate lingers behind fun facade of pro wrestling

It's a very good article.

[simple simon]

Empire, if you follow pro wrestling, just how many of them would you say are on something ?

certainly, i would guess it is everyone that looks like this

[EmpireWF]

That picture of HHH is from the early 2000s IRC...he was definitely on steroids (if nothing else, from the simple and effective method of looking at the guy from five years earlier when he was very thin).

It depends when you talk about it now. Do you mean at this very moment? The amount of guys on something is less than it was three months ago. Reports say after the Benoit Tragedy, Vince McMahon told his roster to get off whatever they were on. Since then, some guys' physique's have changed. Then again, there are some who still look big and roided up.

Vince McMahon has had a nack for pushing the bigger guys on his TV. There are certain guys who you can see have never touched the stuff, others are blatantly obvious.

Before Eddie Guerrero's death (and the implementation of the WWE Wellness Policy), I think it's safe to say that the minority of guys weren't on something.

[azrael492]

This is a little off the subject, but if you want to read an interesting story check out the Von Erichs. That was a very tragic family.

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

Bear in mind, that list (I assume you got it from a site like Wiki/Yahoo/about/whatever else) contains names who died of natural causes, accidental death, old age, etc. That list is not entirely made up of people whose death can be attributed to the pro wrestling industry.

Just the point I was going to make, Empire. Owen Hart was an accident. Randy "Pee Wee" Anderson was a referree who had cancer... oh, I see you already went through the list. Not much left for me to say, then, other then to point out that whoever's put this list together is trying to make a bad situation appear worse than it really is.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Just the point I was going to make, Empire. Owen Hart was an accident. Randy "Pee Wee" Anderson was a referree who had cancer... oh, I see you already went through the list. Not much left for me to say, then, other then to point out that whoever's put this list together is trying to make a bad situation appear worse than it really is.

that's all fine and well, but as i said and Empire seemed to agree there have been at least 33 or so suspicious pro wrestler deaths in the last 22 years ........ to me that's alarming

what if it were 22 MLB players ...... the country would be outraged

[EmpireWF]

Exactly...there is some problem about young guys dying young. Congress is interested and may hold hearings next month (they've sent letters to WWE, TNA and the NWA requesting documents and info on drug policies) on steroids/drugs in the industry.

Azrael, the Von Erich story is just heart breaking. Amazing what kind of tragedy one single family can go through. On a sidenote, the late Kerry Von Erich's daughter just signed with WWE.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by simple simon

that's all fine and well, but as i said and Empire seemed to agree there have been at least 33 or so suspicious pro wrestler deaths in the last 22 years ........ to me that's alarming

what if it were 22 MLB players ...... the country would be outraged

I don't mean to sound cynical but I'm not sure we'd be real outraged no matter which sport. Performance enhancing drugs are not uncommon anymore. Granted they are not totally accepted but as a society we look beyond the sin of using them. 50 years ago it was different. Now we don't like it but just avoid meeting it head on. Look at the Vick situation. If he's guilty and does do jail time there is still a good chance he may play ball again. Forgive and forget.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

I don't mean to sound cynical but I'm not sure we'd be real outraged no matter which sport. Performance enhancing drugs are not uncommon anymore. Granted they are not totally accepted but as a society we look beyond the sin of using them. 50 years ago it was different. Now we don't like it but just avoid meeting it head on. Look at the Vick situation. If he's guilty and does do jail time there is still a good chance he may play ball again. Forgive and forget.

if 33 still active Cup drivers died in the last 22 years you wouldnt demand something be done ? ......... im sure you would, as most fans likely would

thats all im saying