Darren Drozdov, Former WWE Star and Broncos DL, Dies at Age 54

Former WWE Superstar Darren "Droz" Drozdov, who suffered an in-ring injury in 1999 that left him paralyzed from the neck down, died Friday at the age of 54.

WWE announced Drozdov's passing and included a statement from Drozdov's family, which read in part: "We are sad to share our beloved Darren passed away this morning of natural causes. There are no words to convey the deep sense of loss and sadness we are feeling right now."

WWE legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who shared the locker room with Drozdov during WWE's famed Attitude Era, was among those to honor Droz on Friday:

Drozdov's athletic career began in football, as he played collegiately at the University of Maryland as a defensive lineman.

After going undrafted in the 1993 NFL draft, Drozdov signed with the Denver Broncos and appeared in six games during the 1993 regular season. His NFL career is best remembered for an incident that saw him vomit on the football during a Monday Night Football game, earning him the nickname "Puke."

Drozdov last played football professionally for the CFL's Montreal Alouettes in 1996 before signing with WWE and making his debut for the company in 1998.

During his brief WWE career, Droz was perhaps best known for joining the legendary Legion of Doom tag team and replacing Hawk as Animal's partner for a period of time.

Droz later competed in the infamous Brawl For All tournament, which was essentially a boxing tournament with legitimate fights and results.

In October 1999, just about a year and a half after his WWE debut, Droz was seriously injured during a match against D'Lo Brown at a SmackDown taping on Long Island, New York.

Droz landed on his head during an attempted powerbomb and broke his neck, rendering him a quadriplegic.

He spent the final 24 years of his life in a wheelchair and unable to walk, but Droz showed remarkable character, as he placed no blame on Brown for the life-altering injury, saying he harbored "no hard feelings" for the accident.

As part of its statement, Drozdov's family thanked WWE for "treating him like family, and for all of their love, support and stepping up to make sure that Darren always had the proper care and treatment needed to live in his condition over the past 24 years."