Sports

Five famous wrestlers who died in the ring

by
Abraham Odhiambo
June 15, 2022

Wrestling excites so many people worldwide
However, several wrestlers have died in the ring
Heart attack has caused the majority of the deaths in the ring

Wrestling is one of the most exciting sports in the world. The sport, which involves exchanging kicks in a ring, is one of the oldest sports in the world. It is nowadays public knowledge that wrestling is a scripted affair.

Wrestling is with no doubt one of the most dangerous games in the world. A lot of things happen during a wrestling match. A wrestler can die in the ring, as several wrestlers have died in the ring. According to reports, more than 20 wrestlers have died in the ring.

This article will look at five famous wrestlers who died in the ring.

1. Owen Heart

Owen Heart. Photo/ Wrestling Inc.

Owen Heart is not a strange name to wrestling fans. He was Bret Hart’s brother, also a WWE superstar. Owen was one of the most loved wrestlers in WWE. He made a name for himself by fighting some of the best wrestlers in WWE, such as Stone Cold Steve Austin.

WWE fans praised Owen Hart’s work with The Rock. However, Owen’s death remains one of the most heart-wrenching tragic events in wrestling history. He met his death in 1999in the ring.

Owen was to be lowered onto the ring by a harness during the Edge pay-per-view event in 1999. He was to turn the dramatic entrance into a comedic one by falling on his face. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as expected by Owen Heart and the organizers.

Owen was released too soon after the cable that was to hold him snapped halfway. He was whiplashed on the top rope as he crashed into the ring from 80 feet above.

He was immediately rushed to a nearby health facility but was pronounced dead on arrival. Owen suffered internal bleeding, which caused his death.

2. Javier Hernandez

Many wrestling fans knew Javier Hernandez as Oro. He didn’t have much time as a wrestler before meeting his tragic death.

Oro began his wrestling career in 1990. He quickly made a name for himself by fighting against the best WWE wrestlers in the ring. He, unfortunately, met his death on October 26, 1993, in a tag team match.

Oro was supposed to take a bump to the head in the tag team match. The bump was supposed to make it look like he had broken his neck. Oro surprisingly collapsed immediately after taking the bump. He reportedly died before being loaded into an ambulance.

3. Perro Aguayo Jr

Perro Aguayo Jr gained fame while fighting as a skilled wrestler in Lucha libre promotions. Many believed he was a talented superstar to climb the ladder of success in the WWE ring. However, he never had the chance to fulfil his potential.

Perro’s death is one of the modern wrestling tragedies. He met his death on March 25, 2015, during a tag team match. Perro and Manik fought against Rey Mysterio Jr and Extreme Tiger in Mexico.

Rey Mysterio performed a dropkick on Perro, which sent his neck to the ropes. Mysterio was to perform his legendary 6-1-9 move on Perro when the latter’s body suddenly went limp. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

4. Gary Albright

Gary Albright is one of the names on our list of wrestlers who died in the ring. He was a colossal man who weighed more than 300 pounds. Albright was trained to fight by wrestling masters Billy Robinson and Lou Thesz.

Albright fought in Japan and North America before meeting his death. He died on January 7, 2000, while fighting at the WXV show in Pennsylvania. Albright was fighting against Lucifer Grimm when he died. Lucifer hit Albright with an ace cutter which saw him collapse immediately.

Lucifer realized that something was wrong and quickly called the medics. Albright was quickly rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Reports revealed that Albright died due to a heart attack and undiagnosed diabetes.

5. Malcolm Kirk

Malcolm Kirk was popular to wrestling fans as King Kong Kirk during the 1970s and 1980s. The big man weighed more than 300 pounds. He is among wrestlers who died in the ring.

King Kong was fighting against Big Daddy in the ring when he passed away. He received a punch from Big Daddy, which sent him to the ground. King Kong remained on the ground after the pinfall was done on him. He started turning blue, presumably due to a lack of oxygen.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.