40 Wrestlers Who Died Before Age 40

Foreshadowing the wild success of the Rock-and-Roll Express, Jay Youngblood shot to fame in Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) alongside future NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ricky Steamboat, where the duo won JCP’s version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship an incredible five times. Youngblood and Steamboat were a big part of the first ever Starrcade, and Youngblood, like Steamboat, seemed to have a bright future ahead of himself. Tragically, he died in 1985 from a series of heart attacks. Some have speculated he suffered a ruptured spleen during a match, which triggered the attacks.