La Parka Death – Lung / Kidney Failure 1966-2020 (Age 55) La Parka, real name Jesús Alfonso Escoboza Huerta, has died. He was 55. La Parka’s death is the unfortunate result of a wrestling spot gone wrong. The luchador was partaking in a four-way match against Rush, LA Park, and Murder Clown in Monterrey, Mexico for the promotion KAOZ. During the match, La Parka attempted a “suicide dive” on his opponent Rush. A suicide dive is a fairly common wrestling move that involves diving to the outside of the ring toward your opponent. La Parka had done the move many times before, but on October 21, 2019, it did not go according to plan. La Parka missed his opponent, hitting his head on the steel barrier and landing on the concrete floor. Video footage of the incident went viral on social media, albeit prior to the public knowing just how
Read More →Giant Baba Death – Cancer 1938-1999 (Age 61) Japanese wrestling has had its share of icons, with names like Rikidozan, Antonio Inoki, Jumbo Tsuruta, and Mitsuharu Misawa immediately coming to mind. However, no list of Japanese greats is complete without mentioning Shohei “Giant” Baba. Baba would find acclaim in Japan as both a wrestler, and the co-founder of All-Japan Pro Wrestling. Baba’s accomplishments were many, up until his death from cancer at age 61. From Pro Baseball to Pro Wrestling Shohei Baba was born on January 23, 1938 in Japan’s Sanjo City. Baba was a stand-out baseball pitcher in high school, earning a spot on the much-revered Tokyo Giants pro team after dropping out of high school in his junior year. However, Baba’s pitching record led to him being sent to the minors, then traded to another team. Whatever Baba’s future might have held in baseball ended when he slipped
Read More →Uncle Elmer Death – Kidney Failure 1937-1992 (Age 54) Best known for his work as “Uncle Elmer” during his run alongside Hillbilly Jim, Cousin Luke, and Cousin Junior, big man Stanley Frazier wrestled in the south, including a run in Memphis wrestling where he worked under a variety of aliases. Plagued by diabetes, Frazier died at the age of 54, but he left a lasting impression on fans who grew up watching the WWF during the height of the Rock-n-Wrestling Era. Southern Stardom Stan Frazier’s wrestling career dates back to the 1960’s when he enraged fans with his brutal beatdowns of babyfaces as the masked man known as “The Convict.” While Frazier was never considered a gifted worker, his size and weight (6’10” and 400 or more lbs.) made him an imposing presence in the ring. One memorable program was his feud with Bobo Brazil, with Frazier having the distinction of
Read More →George “The Animal” Steele Death – Kidney Failure 1937-2017 (age 79) Jim Myers, better known to wrestling fans as George “The Animal” Steele, has died at age 79. George was a WWE Hall of Famer with a storied career – not only in the wrestling ring, but also as a coach, teacher, and even an appearance alongside Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s 1994 classic, Ed Wood. But Myers’ accomplishments never came easy. He battled health issues his entire life. A Wrestling Legend Best known as a charismatic figure in the 80s, George “The Animal” Steele will forever be remembered for his wild antics in the ring – and that signature green tongue, which Steele admitted was a simple matter of eating green breath mints prior to entering the ring. In a 2008 interview, he joked “I had the best breath in wrestling.” 1983: Heel 101. George “The Animal” Steele makes short
Read More →Wahoo McDaniel Death – Kidney Failure 1938-2002 (age 63) Edward McDaniel, best known by his nickname, “Wahoo” McDaniel, enjoyed a long career in both professional wrestling, as well as professional football. Most notably, Wahoo played for the Jets in the 60s. Wahoo began splitting his time between football and wrestling, eventually transitioning to wrestling full time by the late 60s. Wahoo’s Wrestling Career McDaniel spent time with various territories including the WWWF, NWA, Mid-Atlantic, AWA, WWC, and CWF. Throughout his career, Wahoo had notable feuds with Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, Sgt. Slaughter, Gino Hernandez, and Greg Valentine, to name a few. Wahoo McDaniel Death By 1996, McDaniel was retired. Sadly, he wouldn’t live much longer. Wahoo McDaniel died on April 18, 2002 at the age of 63. According to the NY times, he had suffered from kidney failure. McDaniels was on a waiting list to receive a kidney transplant. Edward McDaniel was cremated.
Read More →Big Dick Dudley Death – Kidney Failure 1968-2002 (age 34) Alex Rizzo, known to wrestling fans as Big Dick Dudley, will best be remembered for his run with ECW throughout the 90s. Big Dick was the original Dudley, which eventually transitioned into a faction. D-Von and Bubby Ray may be the most well known Dudley’s after successfully moving over and enjoying long careers with the WWE; but Big Dick will always remain the original Dudley. Big Dick Dudley died on May 16, 2002 from kidney failure. According to Irv Munchnick’s book Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal – Big Dick’s kidney failure was brought on from the use of painkillers. He was 34 years old at the time of his death.
Read More →Freddie Blassie Death – Heart and Kidney Failure 1918-2003 (age 85) Few wrestling personalities can boast so long of a career as Frederick Blassman who was known to the world as “Classy” Freddie Blassie. An active wrestler from 1935 to 1986, Freddie Blassie had the distinction of working under the McMahon family through four generations and remaining on the WWE’s roster up until the Freddie Blassie death news was released to the world. Today, the former NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion and NWA Georgia Heavyweight Champion is still well remembered by fans and beloved by the wrestling community. Failed Attempts on Freddie Blassie’s Life In a time when it was not publicly known that professional wrestling was scripted, Blassie took a lot of heat from fans. In fact, if some fans had their way, Freddie Blassie’s death may have occurred decades earlier. The wrestler’s outspoken words and antics in the ring made him a perfect
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