Former WWE, ROH Wrestler John 'Xavier' Bedoya Dies at 43

Richard Drew/Associated Press

Former Ring of Honor champion John "Xavier" Bedoya, who also made appearances in WWE, died Sunday.

He was 43.

Ring of Honor released a statement saying the organization is "saddened" by Bedoya's death. No cause of death has been made public.

Wrestling under the name Xavier, Bedoya became the second Ring of Honor champion in 2002 by defeating Low Ki. He held the belt for 182 days before dropping it to Samoa Joe.

Despite his early success in the ring, Bedoya did not have an extended career. He was out of ROH for good by 2007 and made occasional appearances on WWE television between 2003 and 2007, mostly as midcard talent on secondary shows like Heat and Velocity.

His last known match came in 2016 for ICW, which was preceded by a four-year absence from wrestling. Bedoya was scheduled to make an appearance at Past vs. Present show in a match against Jay Lethal, but that event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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