* Dory Funk, Sr.: June 3, 1973--Died in his home.
* Bobby Shane (Bob Schoenberger)--February 20, 1975--Died when the private airplane he was piloting crashed near Tampa, FL; he was 40. Injured in the crash were wrestlers Buddy Colt, Austin Idol and Playboy Gary Hart.
* Chris Taylor--June 30, 1979--Died of heart failure after a long period of declining health.
* Edward "Bearcat" Wright--August 28, 1982--Died from sickle cell anemia
* David Von Erich--February 2, 1984--Died of enteritis (acute inflammation of the intestine)
* Vince McMahon, Sr.: May 27, 1984--Died from Cancer.
* Adrian Adonis: July 4, 1988--Died when a mini van drove off a cliff into a lake.
* Bruiser Brody--July 17, 1988--Stabbed to death in a locker room fight with another wrestler.
* Haystacks Calhoun: December 7, 1989--Complications from diabetes.
* Dick the Bruiser--November 10, 1991--Died of internal bleeding after rupturing a blood vessel while weight lifting.
* Buzz Sawyer--February 7, 1992--Died of a drug overdose.
* Andre The Giant: January 27, 1993--Died of a heart attack.
* Texas Tornado Kerry Von Erich: February 18, 1993--Committed suicide.
* Dino Bravo: March 11, 1993--Died of gunshot wounds in his living room.
* Joey Marella (WWF Referee/Gorilla Monsoon's Son): July 4, 1994--Died in motorcycle accident.
* Jerry "Crusher" Blackwell--January 22, 1995--Died of complications from injuries sustained in a road accident.
* Big John Studd: March 20, 1995--Died of liver cancer.
* Ray Stevens--May 3, 1996--Died of heart failure.
* Dick Murdoch--June 14, 1996--Died of heart failure.
* Sapphire: September 10, 1996--Died from a heart attack.
* Dr. Bill Miller--March 24, 1997--Died of heart failure.
* Stan Stasiak: June 12, 1997--Died from heart failure.
* Dick "Bulldog" Brower--September 15, 1997--Died of heart failure.
* Brian Pillman: October 5, 1997--Died from arteriosclerotic heart disease.
* Bobo Brazil: January 20, 1998--Died from complications from a stroke.
* Louie Spicolli: February 15, 1998--Died from arteriosclerotic heart disease caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy syndrome.
* Junk Yard Dog: June 2, 1998--Died in a car accident after falling asleep at the wheel.
* Sky Low Low [famous midget wrestler]: November 9, 1998--heart failure.
* January 31, 1999--Died of colon cancer.
* Rick Williams [Renegade in WCW]: February 23, 1999--Died from suicide.
* Ravishing Rick Rude: April 20, 1999--Died from heart attack.
* Owen Hart: May 23, 1999--Died from 50 foot fall from ceiling to ring.
* Brian Hildebrand (WCW Referee Mark Curtis): September 8, 1999--Died after a two year battle with stomach cancer.
* Gorilla Monsoon: October 5, 1999--Died from a heart attack.
* Bobby Duncum, Jr: January 24, 2000--Drug overdose.
* Gordon Solie: July 27, 2000--Died from cancer.
* Toru Tanaka: August 22, 2000--Died from a heart attack.
* Yokozuna: October 22, 2000--Died from a heart attack.
* Johnny Valentine: April 24, 2001--Natural Causes.
* Tex McKenzie--May 31, 2001--Died of an aortic aneurysm.
* Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy: July 16, 2001--Blood clot in the heart.
* Rhonda Singh: August 2, 2001--Drug Overdose which caused a Heart Attack
* Blaise Alexander (WCW race car driver): October 4, 2001--Complications from a head injury received in a car race.
* "Gentleman" Chris Adams: October 7, 2001--Shot to death.
* Helen Hart: November 4, 2001--Complications from a seizure.
* Russ Haas: December 15, 2001--Heart Attack.
* Wahoo McDaniels: April 18, 2002--Died from complications from renal failure and diabetes.
* Lou Thesz: April 28, 2002--Died from natural causes after heart surgery earlier in the year.
* Big Dick Dudley: May 16, 2002--Kidney failure
* "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith: May 18, 2002--Died from a heart attack.
* Rocco Rock of Public Enemy: September 21, 2002--Heart Attack.
* "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig: February 10, 2003--acute cocaine intoxication.
* Miss Elizabeth: May 1, 2003--Died from a combination of alcohol and painkillers.
* "Classy" Freddie Blassie: June 2, 2003--Unknown
* Stu Hart: October 16, 2003--Natural Causes
* Hawk [Michael Hegstrand]-- October 19, 2003--Heart Attack
* Crash Holly--November 6, 2003--Drug overdose
* Larry "Moondog Spot" Booker--November 29, 2003--Collapsed in the ring
* Malice/The Wall [Jerry Tuite]--December 6, 2003--acute heart attack
* Jack Tunney--January 24, 2004--Heart attack
* Hercules--March 6, 2004--Died in his sleep.
* James Dudley--Early June 1, 2004--Died of natural causes.
* Ray "Big Bossman" Traylor--September 22, 2004--Heart failure.
* Chris Candido--April 28, 2005--Blood clot and complications due to surgery.
* Lord Alfred Hayes--July 21, 2005--Complications from a series of strokes.
* Moondog King [Ed "Sailor" White]--August 26, 2005--Unknown
* Eddie Guerrero--November 13, 2005--Enlarged Heart due to years of drug use.
* Johnny Grunge of Public Enemy--February 16, 2006--Unknown at this time.
* John Tenta [Earthquake]--June 7, 2006--bladder cancer.
* Bam Bam Bigelow [Scott Bigelow]--January 19, 2007--Drugs.
* Mike Awesome--February 17, 2007--Apparent Suicide.
* Bad News Brown--March 6, 2007--Heart Attack
* "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd--March 10, 2007--Cancer
* "Sensational" Sherri (Martel)--June 15, 2007--Unknown at this time
* Nancy "Women" (Sullivan) Benoit--June 25, 2007--Strangulation. Died at home with Chris Benoit and their son Daniel (Suffocation).
* Chris Benoit--June 25, 2007--Suicide by Hanging

I think the heart issues are a definite reason to avoid em. I've found that looking up more details on those deaths, often you find drug and/or alcohol abuse mentioned.

Some of those though, aren't related. I think Sapphire and Yokozuna were due to their weight, both were quite obese as I recall.

Something else to consider. The OD's. Usually involved painkillers. These guys go through alot of punishment, in some cases 300+ days a year.

Boxers get time to heal. Football players get a week between games. Some of these guys, work, get on a plane, get off, nap, work, and get right back out heading to the next stop. I think Edge recently did 3 matches in 2 days, right after a major PPV that put him through hell.

The pain gets to you.. How many of us have had a headache, taken the recommended 2 pills, then an hour later said "They need help" and taken 2 more? I suffer from migraines. Ibuprophen is a staple of my diet some days it seems. Sometimes, you just forget, was it 2 hours ago or 4. So you take more.

And like Brian Pillman, you don't wake up. http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif

We ask these guys to fly for us. We ask them to fall from ladders, and scaffolding, to crash through tables, and land on glass and thumbtacks and barbed wire. And we applaud them, we cheer for them, but we rarely see them afterword, in pain, barely able to walk, with destroyed knees and shoulders, and necks, with broken backs, and torn flesh, and all the pain and agony that goes with it.

I think Wade Keller says it best: "WK: In the end, Benoit acted out in a way it is inexcusable. Nobody is looking to "excuse" Benoit's actions. But understanding them can help everyone cope with this tragedy, and also perhaps learn enough that action can be taken or warning signs can be noticed so that anything resembling this might be avoided in the future. Nancy and Daniel were victims in the truest sense of the word, there is no doubt about that, and whatever attempts are made to understand Chris's actions should never be confused with equating him as a victim in the same sense as Daniel and Nancy."
http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/article_20676.shtml

Wow I can not believe how many people I used to watch have died. I did not realize that some of them had died. I remember when Miss Elizabeth and sensational sherri were around.

I'm with you, thea, I can't believe that list! There are so many names I recognize. :(

This is what really struck me, though:
3 from 1970 to 1979
7 from 1980 to 1989
25 from 1990 and 1999
42 from 2000 to 2007!!!

Watch wrestling from those era's and you'll see a huge difference in what they do. Guys today burn out in 10 years, where old timers could go 40 years. You rarely saw chair shots, gimmick matches and the like. It was mostly a ground game based off modified judo techniques. Today, it's high flying aerobatics and acrobatics, combined with a high impact style. injuries are up, and so is the pain and the risk.

The problem is that not only are the wrestlers taking painkillers, a great of them are taking steriods at the same time, which puts even more of a stress on the heart. The steriods aren't just to help them get bigger and lift more in the gym, it is also to help them recouperate quicker as well. The steroids help their muscles heal much more quickly as well, which when combined with the painkillers is a no win situation.
It would be nice for the WWE and TNA to have mandatory steroid and drug testing, but then there would be very few wrestlers wrestling each week. All you have to do is look at the wrestlers now and you can tell who is using roids. I had a relative who was into competitive body-building in the sixties, and he said if you can see the veins popping in their arms and chest they are taking something. Look at the wrestlers now and that would apply to probably 80% at least. But they have no choice really if they want to stay wrestling because if they take time off, there will be someone to replace them. They are in a no win situation. Combine the roids and painkillers with the wear and tear on the body from being on the road so much each year and these deaths are bound to be more abundant each year. I have pretty much been turned off of wrestling lately from all the deaths, i don't want to be a part of it in any way,especially by being a fan of it. I wish these wrestlers all the best, but i fear we will see numerous deaths in the upcoming days and months ahead.

I can tell you that the "press" is not being very kind to Chris Benoit here in Toronto right now (I wish they would focus a little more on his wife and child as well as being sensitive to his other 2 kids still living in Canada ).

The basic "gist" of the stories is "there is no excuse for what he did" and he is bad, bad, bad!!

The WWE is getting "roasted" for airing that 3 hour show dedicating it to Benoit on Monday and right now WWE Canada President DiMarco is making no comments about that.

In today's Toronto Sun (Front Cover no less) here is the latest story.

http://www.torontosun.com/News/Canada/2007/06/29/4299824-sun.html

Bryan, the one thing i will agree on is the WWE should get roasted for their procedures. Maybe, just maybe,this incident will cause them to re-evaluate everything. Maybe they shouldn't have so many shows each and every week. Allow the wrestlers to have some time off during the year. Because the way they are going now, this tragic situation is going to happen more and more, maybe not to this extreme, but there will be more deaths. It sure is suspicious that the WWE has cancelled shows in Alberta and Saskatchewan next month. Guess Vince doesn't like any bad press at all. All i can say for sure is that i wouldn't pay any money to see a show right now, the way things are. I wouldn't give dollar one to see one of these shows now, the way things are. I do hope that Mr McMahon does change things, but im afraid he cares more about the bottom line more than anything. That is the only way he will change things is if revenue starts to drop, or the value of the company's shares does as well.

LOOKING AT RECENT FOX NEWS COVERAGE OF BENOIT TRAGEDY, ILL-ADVISED COMMENTS, POOR RESEARCH AND MORE
by Mike Johnson @ 12:47:00 AM on 6/29/2007
http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=25208&p=1



Benoit Story: Chris Jericho speaks HN's Nancy Grace show, which spent 40 minutes on Benoit
By Wade Keller, Torch editor
Jun 28, 2007, 23:16
http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/article_20717.shtml



My Thoughts:
Ya know....the media is just plain ****ing clueless. They are ignoring facts, timelines, hell, even the words of the damn DA on the case, and pushing their own agendas here. Makes you wonder, if they are this screwed up on this....how accurate is the rest of their reporting?


The WWE owes NO ONE! any apology for airing the tribute they did on Monday. Arm chair quarterbacks are damning them for what they did, when they simply put, didn't know.

As to Bruce Hart..... who? Oh right....he's one of those guys who hasn't succeeded in the business like his brothers Bret and the late Owen Hart did.

Bret on the other hand had kinder words for Chris....and Bret knew him better. You're going to see alot of attention seeking whores coming out of the wood work, like Debra (Austins ex wife) and China. F-em both, but not with my tackle.

It seems all these ass wipes keep missing that "alleged" part. The case isn't closed. What ever happened to "Innocent until proven guilty" thing? If Chris Benoit was this evil monster waiting to pounce like these dirt balls are making him out, why are so many people who worked with him over the last 20-30 years shocked? I could believe it if it was someone like Randy Orton. He's a jerk, period. But Chris's peers who have spent recent time with him.....they are in shock as this was just not like the person they knew and spent huge amounts of time with.

Bryan, the one thing i will agree on is the WWE should get roasted for their procedures. Maybe, just maybe,this incident will cause them to re-evaluate everything. Maybe they shouldn't have so many shows each and every week. Allow the wrestlers to have some time off during the year. Because the way they are going now, this tragic situation is going to happen more and more, maybe not to this extreme, but there will be more deaths. It sure is suspicious that the WWE has cancelled shows in Alberta and Saskatchewan next month. Guess Vince doesn't like any bad press at all. All i can say for sure is that i wouldn't pay any money to see a show right now, the way things are. I wouldn't give dollar one to see one of these shows now, the way things are. I do hope that Mr McMahon does change things, but im afraid he cares more about the bottom line more than anything. That is the only way he will change things is if revenue starts to drop, or the value of the company's shares does as well.

I agree John, it has been apparent for many years that all Vince McMahon cares about is Vince and the mighty $$'s.

There is no reason that he could not take better care of his "wrestling stable" as they are the "stars" of the show.

I may not be in the majority but I am not all impressed with the wrestlers getting bigger and bigger....give me matches with stars like Edge, Christian, Hardy Boyz, Rey Mysterio, Sting (in his prime), Ric Flair, Brett Hart...these guys knew how to put on matches! I do not need to see "chair shots" or falling onto thumb-tacks to enjoy a match either!

Spotlight Article - KELLER: Benoit Family Murder - What the five main talking points should be

By Wade Keller, Torch editor
Jun 27, 2008, 12:15
http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/article_20673.shtml



This article is what should be important here. Not continuing to crucify Benoit.

Here is another article appearing up here in the Canadian Press (seeing that Benoit is Canadian it is getting a lot of ink up here).

By Steve Simmons (sports reporter)
http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/OtherSports/2007/06/28/4296540-sun.html

Spotlight Article - KELLER: Benoit Family Murder - What the five main talking points should be

By Wade Keller, Torch editor
Jun 27, 2008, 12:15
http://www.pwtorch.com/artman/publish/article_20673.shtml



This article is what should be important here. Not continuing to crucify Benoit.

I agree that "crucifying" Benoit is pointless now but the focus should be on making sure this kind of thing never happens again and also ensuring that his kids that are left are well looked after.

No way I agree with "cannonizing" him though, he ended up murdering his wife and son and there is no justification for that (drugs, concussions, depression, etc those are just reasons and excuses and bottom line is he killed them).

I pity him and grieve for his family.

Now if only Vince McMahon and the WWE "step up" and admit there are problems in Sports Entertainment and what they are going to do to help in this - it would go a long way in credibility for them.

That second article was well-written & brought up a lot of good points. That first article was pretty harsh, though. I am not, for a minute, excusing what Benoit did. But, if people knew he was having problems, then why did no one insist that he get help? Yes, he was a grown man & probably a stubborn one, but if enough of his friends had done something other than say, "I am worried about him," then isn't there a chance that this could have ended very differently?

One of the reasons I don't watch wrestling any more is Vince McMahon, he sickens me. The whole family does, actually. Heck, I wanted to biotch slap his daugher every time she showed up on screen. They should stay off camera & run the company and allow the people who need the money (and deserve the limelight) to play to the cameras.

It is absolutely criminal that the WWE doesn't offer health insurance to their wrestlers! Without them, there would BE no WWE. Unfortunately, the days of employers & employees having mutually beneficial relationshps is over. We live in a disposable culture and that, unfortunately, applies to people as well in a lot of cases. It used to be that people would have one job their whole life and there was a certain amount of loyalty on both sides of the equation.

Ah well, I will hop down off my soapbox now, before I really get going.

Ex-Wrestler Crush Adams Found Dead at 44 (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/08/14/ap4019014.html)

A former pro wrestler is dead and authorities aren't sure what killed him. Brian "Crush" Adams was found unconscious in his home in Tampa, Fla., and rescue workers called by Adams' wife couldn't revive him.

On a related note:
[/url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070827/ap_on_en_tv/hogan_son_crash]Hulk Hogan's son injured in car crash[/url]

The son of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan was seriously injured in a car crash Sunday night, police said.