9. Trent Acid – Age 29
In today’s digital age, fans can see a wrestler rise from the indies to the top, or in Michael Verdi’s case, watch his career rise only for it to plummet as he battled drug addiction. Michael Verdi worked in Combat Zone Wrestling, in singles action, then teamed with Johnny Kashmere to form the indie circuit sensation, the Backseat Boyz. A feud with Ring of Honor wrestlers led to the Boyz joining ROH. Acid remained on the indie scene including a tour of Juggalo Championship Wrestling, only for a heroin addiction to lead to legal entanglements. Acid died from an accidental drug overdose. Acid was part of the film Card Subject to Change. The documentary was dedicated to his memory.
