TICKETFINDER.com™’s Blog

Mysterious deaths have been a part of the glamor world forever. Celebrities have died mysteriously, musicians have died mysteriously (and then come back to haunt us) and sports legends, who everyone thought would live a long and healthy life, probably on a privately owned island when they retire, have suddenly been declared dead.

The world of wrestling has always baffled me and I can’t understand why people would fight like crazy, but like many others, I still enjoy the highly dramatized fights and colorful costumes. The most intriguing part of WWE, which by the way is also very real, is the mysterious ways in which umpteen number of wrestlers have died. Here is a list of some WWE superstars who, I feel, have died mysteriously and while the world proclaims that the mysteries have been solved, many continue to question:

1. Andre the Giant

One of the greatest WWE stars ever known was Andre the Giant. Standing tall at over 7 feet, he towered over most of his opponents and ruled the ring for, what seems, an eternity. Andre was at the peak of his career when he mysteriously died in France. On January 27, 1993, in a Paris hotel room, the WWE legend died in his sleep. He was in Paris to attend the funeral of his father. Andre’s body was cremated in accordance with his wishes and his ashes scattered at his ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina.

Possible reasons for sudden death:
# congestive heart failure brought on by his pituitary tumor
# drug or alcohol overdose
# steroids

2. Eddie Guerrero

Inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame and dubbed one of the toughest wrestlers, Eddie Guerrero came from a legendary wrestling family. Son of veteran Gory Guerrero, this superstar was best known for his in-ring gimmick of a crafty, resourceful wrestler who would do anything to win a match. His famous catch phrase became “Cheat to Win”.

On November 13, 2005, Guerrero was found unconscious in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by his nephew, Chavo. Eddie was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived on the scene. On the November 30 edition of WWE Byte This!, Chavo said that Guerrero had been working very hard and was at peak physical fitness as a result, doing cardiovascular and weight training exercises every day. His death was seen as one of the greatest blows to the WWE world.

Possible reasons for sudden death:
# acute heart failure caused by undiagnosed arteosclerosis
# drug or alcohol overdose
# drug abuse
# steroids

3. Curt Henning

Curt Henning was nicknamed Mr. Perfect by fans and had efficiently lived up to this image till his sudden demise. The longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of the 1990s, Henning came to WWE in 1982 and was an instant star. He was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31, 2007 and is considered by insiders and his peers as one of the greatest in ring performers in modern wrestling history.

Things were going exceptionally well for Curt and the WWE world when the news of death surfaced. On February 10, 2003, Henning was found dead in a Florida hotel room. He was 44 years old. This happened the same year Curt was placed #55 in PWI’s list of 500 best singles wrestlers of the PWI Years.

Possible reasons for sudden death:
# acute cocaine intoxication
# lethal combination of steroids and painkillers
# foul-play
# drug or alcohol overdose

4. Chris Benoit

When Chris Benoit made his debut in 1985, the world knew that a WWE superstar had just emerged. In a career of 22 years, he was able to achieve unmatched success and laurels. Dubbed one of the most popular wrestlers of contemporary times, Benoit ascended to the top of his profession, holding the World Heavyweight Championship in both WCW and WWE, becoming one of the most popular and respected competitors in professional wrestling in the process.

Things suddenly went berserk when Benoit, his wife Nancy and their 7-year-old son Daniel found dead in their home. According to police, Chris murdered his wife first, murdered his son the following day, and then killed himself the next day. While this is the general and widely accepted theory, many questions are still unanswered.

Possible reasons for sudden death:
# foul-play
# Chris’ severe brain damage due to drugs and steroids (Brain tissue analysis found that Chris had a brain similar to that of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient)

5. Owen Hart

Owen Hart of the legendary Hart family and the 1994 WWF King of the Ring, was not very fond of the wrestling world and made no secret of it. After unsuccessfully trying to make a profession in an array of other lines, he had to come back to family business. Things were going great for Hart, who had a strong fan base and numerous laurels attached to his name. Despite not liking his profession, Hart did splendidly well in the 13 years he wrestled (1986-1999).

Owen Hart’s wrestling career came to an abrupt end on May 23, 1999 when he fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri during the Over the Edge pay-per-view event. He was in the process of being lowered via harness and rappel line into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a booked Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather, when his safety harness snapped free and he plunged 78 feet and died instantly. Owen Hart’s death is one of the most tragic moments in the history of professional wrestling.

Possible reasons for sudden death:
# it is speculated that Hart was uncomfortable with the ‘lowering into the ring’ act and in an attempt to prevent his cape from getting entangled into the safety ropes, he accidentally unlatched them.
# foul-play

While there are many, many more wrestlers who have died mysteriously, the ones mentioned above have been the most intriguing, at least for me. Imagine hoping to watch Hart come down like an eagle any second and not ever seeing him again or expecting to watch Benoit beat up his opponent and switching on the news only to hear about his sudden disappearance and subsequent death!

Any wrestlers which you feel deserve a place on the list?

Tags: Sport Deaths, Sports, World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE, WWE Deaths

This entry was posted on Monday, June 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 pm and is filed under WWE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.