40 Wrestlers Who Died Before Age 40

The same mass that rocketed Rodney Anoa’i to the top of the WWF also led to his early demise. After debuting as Japanese monster heel Yokozuna in 1992, Anoa’i steamrolled his way to the WWF Championship, winning the 1993 Royal Rumble and going on to defeat Bret Hart at WrestleMania IX. Although Yoko was billed as Japanese, he was a member of the famous Anoa’i Samoan wrestling family and held the WWF Championship two times and the WWF Tag Team Championship two times as well. Over time, Yokozuna’s weight ballooned to levels so high that the WWF sent him off for weight reduction. Ultimately, Yokozuna’s weight increased to where he couldn’t pass a physical and the WWF was forced to release him. Although Yokozuna continued wrestling, his weight issues were painfully obvious as seen at the Heroes of Wrestling pay-per-view. In 2000, Anoa’i died from pulmonary edema while on tour for an indie promotion in England.