Who Died in WWE in the Ring?

Who Died in WWE in the Ring?

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the wrestlers who died in the ring while performing. We’ll also explore the circumstances around their deaths and what WWE has done to try and prevent such tragedies from happening in the future.

WWE Basics

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales.

What is WWE?

WWE, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company that deals primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales. WWE also refers to the professional wrestling promotion itself, founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1952 as Capitol Wrestling Corporation. As of 2020, it is the largest wrestling promotion in the world, holding over 500 events a year (with the vast majority of them being broadcast live), and broadcasting to about 36 million viewers in more than 150 countries. The company’s headquarters are located in Stamford, Connecticut.

What is the WWE Universe?

The WWE Universe is the fictional universe in which all WWE programming takes place. It is not to be confused with the real world. It is also separate from shooter games such as Rey Mysterio’s WWE Nemesis and Matt Hardy’s V1 that take place in their own separate universes. The WWE Universe encompasses all places where WWE programming takes place such as the ring, backstage, television studios, and even social media platforms.

WWE Deaths in the Ring

Wrestling is a dangerous sport. Though the WWE does its best to make sure its wrestlers are safe, there have been a few occasions where someone has died in the ring. Here are some of the most tragic WWE deaths that have occurred.

Owen Hart

Owen Hart was a professional wrestler who died in the ring during a WWE pay-per-view event in 1999. Hart, who was 33 years old at the time of his death, fell 78 feet (23.8 meters) to his death when the equipment malfunctioned as he was being lowered into the ring.

The Blue Blazer

Owen Hart, better known by his ring name “The Blue Blazer”, was a Canadian professional wrestler. Hart was born in Calgary, Alberta, into the Hart wrestling family. He was trained by his father Stu Hart and made his wrestling debut in 1985. He wrestled for several promotions in North America and Japan throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1992, he joined WWE and became one of the most popular Superstars of the early to mid-1990s.

Hart performed as The Blue Blazer, a masked wrestler who exhibited characteristics of a heroic babyface despite displaying elements of gimmick infringement on The Comet Kid/Crusherasy’s gimmick. As The Blue Blazer, Hart won the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1994 before losing it to Razor Ramon four days later. He also won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Yokozuna in 1998.

In May 1999, while competing in a tag team match as The Blue Blazer on an edition of SmackDown!, Hart fell from the rafters of Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri while attempting his trademark entrance – a Superman-like rope descent – and landed chest-first on the top rope, throwing him off balance and causing him to flip over backwards and land headfirst on the mat below. Despite showing initial signs of movement, Hart appeared to be knocked unconscious by the fall; referee Jim Korderas threw up the “X” sign used by officials to stop matches due to a performer being injured, and medical personnel rushed to ring side where they tended to Hart while he was still lying in the ring. It is believed that Owen suffered a stroke while falling due to mechanism of injury which cut off oxygen to his brain stem for 4–6 seconds; this ultimately led to his death at 28 years old.

Eddie Guerrero

Latino Heat, as he was known in the ring, died on November 13, 2005, at age 38, from what was later revealed to be heart failure. Guerrero had a history of substance abuse and had been open about his struggles with it throughout his career. After an illustrious career in ECW, WCW, and WWE — where he was a one-time WWE Champion — Guerrero was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.

Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit is one of the most infamous WWE superstars in history. In 2007, he shocked the world when he killed his wife, son, and himself in a horrific murder-suicide. Many believe that the years of head trauma Benoit sustained while wrestling led to his untimely and tragic death.

WWE Deaths Outside the Ring

While the WWE is accused of being fixed, the organization does not control what happens outside of the ring. Wrestlers have died in car accidents, plane crashes, overdoses, and suicides. Most recently, Hana Kimura died by suicide after being harassed online.

“Macho Man” Randy Savage

Macho Man Randy Savage, one of the most popular WWE superstars of all time, died on May 20, 2011, at the age of 58. Savage had a heart attack while driving in Seminole, Florida, and crashed his Jeep Wrangler. He was taken to Largo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior died on April 8, 2014, at the age of 54. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame just two days before his death. The Ultimate Warrior had not been seen on WWE programming since 1996.

The cause of death was not immediately known, but a statement released by the WWE said that he “passed away suddenly.” The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner later confirmed that he died of a heart attack.

The Ultimate Warrior is survived by his wife, Dana, and his two daughters.

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper

Roddy Piper, born Roderick George Toombs, was a professional wrestler who worked for the WWE, WCW, and NWA. He was best known for his work in the 1980s WWF as “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.

In July 2015, Piper died from a heart attack at the age of 61.

WWE Deaths in Other Circumstances

While the WWE has had its share of on-screen deaths, there have been other, more tragic deaths that have occurred outside of the ring. Let’s take a look at some of these wrestlers and how they died.

“Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig

Curt Hennig was an American professional wrestler who performed under his real name for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). In the WWF, he was a one-time Intercontinental Champion and a two-time WWF Tag Team Champion as a part of The Perfect Event. In WCW, he held the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship two times. Hennig is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2007.

In April 2003, Hennig was working on a wrestling miniseries for Spike TV. He collapsed in his hotel room from what appeared to be a heart attack and was rushed to hospital where he died later that day.

Test

While the WWE is a entertainment company at its core, it’s also a company that has seen tragedy.

Just because WWE is “fake” doesn’t mean that its athletes don’t put their bodies on the line every single time they step in the ring. In fact, there have been a number of professional wrestlers who have died as a direct result of injuries sustained in the ring.

In addition to those deaths, there have also been a number of WWE wrestlers who have died due to other circumstances, such as drug overdoses and suicide.

Here is a look at some of the wrestlers who have died while under contract with WWE, as well as some who died after their time with the company.

· Owen Hart: One of the most tragic deaths in WWE history, Owen Hart fell to his death while performing an entrance stunt at WWE’s Over the Edge pay-per-view event in 1999. Hart was just 34 years old.

· Eddie Guerrero: One of the most popular wrestlers in WWE history, Eddie Guerrero passed away in 2005 due to heart failure. He was 38 years old.

· Chris Benoit: In one of the most shocking stories in professional wrestling history, Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son before taking his own life in 2007. He was 40 years old.

· Macho Man Randy Savage: A wrestling legend, Macho Man Randy Savage passed away in 2011 due to a heart attack. He was 58 years old.

“Big” John Studd

John William Minton (October 11, 1948 – March 20, 1995) was an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Big John Studd.

Studd began his wrestling career in the 1970s. He teamed with Gorilla Monsoon as the “Bodyslammers”, and won several tag team titles. He later joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he feuded with André the Giant. The two had several matches, including a “body slam challenge” match at Madison Square Garden. Studd also wrestled in the first-ever steel cage match against André.[5] In 1984, he left the WWF to join the American Wrestling Association (AWA). While in the AWA, he won the AWA World Tag Team Championship with Ken Patera. He returned to the WWF in 1985 and feuded with Hulk Hogan. At WrestleMania I in 1985, he competed in a tag team match against Hogan and André.

On March 20, 1995, Studd died of cancer at age 46.