WWE News: The 15 Biggest Tragedies in Wrestling History

This is not a ranking.

I don't have the heart to rank tragedies.

This is a list. Actually it's three lists.

First I'm going to talk about some of the most common problems in wrestling, such as steroids or prescription drugs.

Then I'll list some of the best known particular cases.

And the slideshow will finish with a tribute slide listing wrestlers who have died since 1985 before the age of 65.

Steroids

This is not as a big topic now as it was in the 90's, but steroid abuse is still an issue in professional wrestling.

In the mid 1990's the WWE had to defend itself against allegations of steroid use.

True or not, this caused a lot of damage to its image.

The allegations harmed them in the Monday Night Wars.

Nowadays we hear less of it, but some current WWE wrestlers have had problems because of steroids.

Prescription Drugs

Believe it or not, this is one of the most dangerous vices in wrestling.

Prescription drugs are easy to get, easier to abuse and highly addictive.

To top all of, the addiction is hard to detect.

Dealing with pain and injuries, the most commonly used by wrestlers are pain killers, but probably not the only ones.

Alcohol

A lot of wrestlers have been arrested; many of those detentions have had something to do with alcohol.

A DUI, an altercation in a bar or a hotel, public intoxication, disorderly conduct, the list goes on; but the link between all of them is alcohol abuse.

Accidents

I'm mainly referring to accidents that don't have to do with the in ring performances.

It could happen to any of us, but in the case of a wrestler it could also end his career.

Career Ending Injuries

This  one is about the in ring accidents/injuries.

The guys in the video were able to continue wrestling, but other guys weren't that lucky.

Edge is the latest case in the list of wrestlers who were suffered career ending injuries.

Magnum T.A.

He had the ability, the looks, everything needed to be a World Champion. But a car accident ended his career and nearly his life.

On October 14, 1986 he lost control of his vehicle in the rain was involved in an accident which exploded his C-4 and C-5 vertebrae. Doctors doubted he would ever be able to walk again, saying that his physical conditioning saved his life.

After his accident, he continue working in the wrestling industry, but only as an announcer.

Droz

On October 5, 1999 in a match against D-Lo Brown, Darren Drozdov broke his neck.

His career ended in that moment as he was paralyzed from the neck down.

He has since regained control of his arms and upper body.

Brian Pillman

On October 5, 1997 he was found dead in an hotel room in Bloomington, Minnesota. 

His autopsy revealed that the cause of death was a previously undetected heart condition known as arteriosclerotic heart disease.

That was also his father's cause of death, but in Brian's case his use of drugs and alcohol likely contributed to his early death.

He was 35 years old.

Eddie Guerrero

On November 13, 2005, he was found unconscious  in his Minnesota hotel room by his nephew Chavo. 

Chavo attempted CPR, but to no avail. Eddie was pronounced dead as the paramedics arrived.

Before that he had had several personal problems which he was able to overcome and became a born-again Christian.

Owen Hart

On May 23, 1999, in Kansas, Missouri, during the Over the Edge PPV, Owen Hart fell 78 feet into the ring and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Truman Medical Center.

Part of a great wrestling family, this one was a tragedy in itself and also for the way the WWE handled the situation, not informing the audience and continuing the PPV.

André the Giant

A larger than life persona, a gentle giant, a lot can be said about André and all of it good.

André suffered from gigantism and died in Paris on January 27, 1993 at the age of 46.

Another WWE wrestler, The Big Show has the same disease, but decided to undergo surgery so that he wasn't in constant pain.

When the WWE decided to start their Hall of Fame he was the first man ever inducted into it and the class of 1993 consisted solely of The Eight Wonder of the World, André The Giant.

Bruiser Brody

On July 16, 1988 in Puerto Rico, Brody went into the showers to discuss something with José Huertas Gonzalez, a fellow wrestler and booker.

Nobody know what exactly happened in there, but when Tony Atlas went over there after hearing two loud groans, he found Brody bent over holding his stomach and a knife in José's hand.

Atlas himself carried Brody into the waiting ambulance as the paramedics arrived.

González, who always maintained his innocence, was initially charged with first-degree murder but was later reduced and tried for involuntary homicide.

In January 1989, González was acquitted on all counts, citing self-defense.

The Benoit Family

On June 25, 2007 the police, asked by the WWE to see what was going on with Chris Benoit, discovered three bodies in the Benoit household in Fayetteville, Georgia.

The case was ruled a double murder suicide.

The Von Erich Family

"I AM NOT GOING TO BURY MY SON! MY SON IS GOING TO BURY ME!"

That is a quote from the 2002 movie "John Q".

The exact opposite happened with the Von Erich family.

Fritz Von Erich was only survived by one of his six sons, Kevin.

Out of the six brothers, Kevin was also the only one to live past the age of 35.

As Kevin himself once said:

"Ten years ago I had four brothers. Now I'm not even a brother."

Wrestlers Who Died

Here's a list of known wrestlers that have died since 1985 before they reached the age of 65. 

This list is without a doubt incomplete, since the lesser known wrestlers and other wrestlers in this article are not included in it. 

27

Louie Spiccoli

28
Art Barr

29
Gino Hernandez 
Lance Cade 

30
Jay Youngblood
Rick McGraw 
Joey Marella 

31
Ed Gatner 

32
Buzz Sawyer
Crash Holly 

33
D.J. Peterson
Eddie Gilbert 
The Renegade 
Chris Candido 
Test

34
Adrian Adonis 
Gary Albright 
Bobby Duncum Jr.
Yokozuna 
Big Dick Dudley 

35
Marianna Komlos

36
Umaga
Pitbull #2 
The Wall/Malice 
Emory Hale

38
Leroy Brown 
Mark Curtis 
John Kronus 

39
Davey Boy Smith
Johnny Grunge 

40
Chris Kanyon
Vivian Vachon 
Jeep Swenson 
Brady Boone 
Terry Gordy 
Bertha Faye 
Billy Joe Travis 

41
Larry Cameron 
Rick Rude 
Randy Anderson

42
Miss Elizabeth 
Big Boss Man 
Earthquake 
Mike Awesome
Biff Wellington 

43
Brian Adams (Crush)
Ray Candy

44
Dino Bravo 
Curt Hennig 
El Gigante/Giant Gonzalez

45
Bam Bam Bigelow
Jerry Blackwell 
Junkyard Dog 
Hercules 
Toni Adams

46
Big John Studd
Chris Adams 
Mike Davis 
Hawk
Mitsuharu Misawa

47
Ludvig Borga

48
Luna Vachon
Steve Dunn 
Cousin Junior

49
Dick Murdoch 
Jumbo Tsuruta
Rocco Rock
Sherri Martel
Steve Williams

51
Moondog Spot 

53
Bastion Booger/Norman the Lunatic
Ken Timbs

54
Uncle Elmer
Pez Whatley
The Angel of Death

55
Eddie Graham 
Tarzan Tyler 
Haystacks Calhoun
Giant Haystacks 

56
Buddy Rose 
Kurt Von Hess
Moondog King 

58
Gene Anderson 
Dr. Jerry Graham
Bulldog Brown 
Tony Parisi 

60
Rufus R. Jones
Ray Stevens 
Stan Stasiak 
Terry Garvin  

61
Boris Malenko 
Little Beaver
Sapphire 
Shohei Baba

62
Sir Oliver Himperdink
Dick the Bruiser 
Wilbur Snyder 
George Cannon 
Karl Krupp
Dale Lewis 
Gorilla Monsoon
Hiro Matsuda 

63
Bad News Brown
Bulldog Brower
SD Jones
Wahoo McDaniel