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The passing of professional wrestlers is among the worst tragedies in the world of WWE. However, it’s even worse when a wrestler passes away at a very young age. Last year, Brodie Lee’s tragic passing shook the entire wrestling world. AEW held a tribute show in his honor, but the tragedy hit hard in the middle of the pandemic.
Over the years, there have been many such tragedies, unfortunately plaguing wrestling in general.
While many wrestlers have left the world too soon, here we will talk about five such WWE Superstars, in no particular order.
WWE Superstar Brian Pillman
Another wrestler who passed away too soon, was none other than Brian Pillman. Pillman was one of the most beloved members of the wrestling community. He was seen as a genius and his loose cannon character allowed him to play around with the concept of kayfabe long before the likes of CM Punk.
He appeared to open up about what was happening backstage to the fans, many of whom appreciated him. He remained a gift on the mic and every time he got in front of the camera fans were unsure what was going to happen next.
He is mostly remembered for his run in ECW, but his feud with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in WWE made him a household name. Unfortunately, Pillman had demons of his own. A car accident led to a horrible ankle injury just as he was signing with WWE, and he was never able to wrestle as he once had.
He wrestled with his own personal demons on a regular basis. In 1997, Pillman was found dead in his hotel room at the young age of 35. He was supposed to wrestle Mick Foley at WWE’s Badd Blood: In Your House event, but didn’t show up, which led to WWE officials searching for him before they found him in his hotel room.
The cause of his death was an undetected heart condition called arteriosclerotic heart disease. His passing left the wrestling world bereft of one of the finest talents to ever step inside a ring.
Former WWE Champion Yokozuna
Most fans who watch WWE programming will be familiar with Yokozuna. He was one of the most important names in the world of wrestling in the early 90s. Unfortunately, fans would never be able to see the wrestler reach his full potential.
As a member of the prestigious Anoa’i family, he found a lot of success in WWE. He took on the persona of a sumo wrestler and won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship twice. During his time in the company, he also won the 1993 Royal Rumble and two WWF Tag Team Championships.
Some of his greatest feuds were against Bret Hart. Unfortunately, in 2000 at the young age of 34, Yokozuna passed away after a pulmonary edema.
Former Intercontinental Champion Umaga
Another member of the Anoa’i wrestling family, Umaga was one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE in the mid-2000s. When he came into WWE under this gimmick, he was seen as an invincible destructive monster, who could destroy almost everyone that he faced.
He had other gimmicks, and had been part of the 3-Minute Warning before he became Umaga. Umaga wrestled with top WWE stars, including Triple H and John Cena. The Samoan Spike saw everyone fall to him at one time or the other.
He won the Intercontinental Championship twice during his career in WWE. The company released him from his contract in 2009 due to a violation of the WWE Wellness Policy. It was his second failure, and although he would have had another chance, he refused to enter rehabilitation.
Umaga would continue to wrestle in the independent circuit in 2009, but unfortunately, six months after his release from WWE, he was found unresponsive by his wife in their home in Houston.
He was taken to the hospital where it was found he had suffered a heart attack. He suffered a second heart attack while in the hospital and was declared dead at 36 years of age. He had a heart and liver disease. He was one of the most prominent wrestlers in the mid-2000s in WWE, and had all the potential in the world, but fans never saw it fulfilled.
While Umaga was not a WWE Superstar at the time of his passing, his legacy as an indestructible heel still lives on.
Former Intercontinental Champion Owen Hart
Owen Hart’s passing was one of the most tragic deaths in WWE and the wrestling world as a whole. The superstar was beloved by the fans and as the younger Hart brother, it appeared that he had a full career ahead of him.
Even after the Montreal Screwjob, Owen stayed in WWE. He took on the persona of the Blue Blazer in the company, a superhero character, who was lowered from the ceiling. Unfortunately at the Over The Edge pay-per-view, his harness released too soon and Hart fell to his death from a great height in front of a live audience.
He landed chest first on the ring ropes, before falling in the ring. The arena lights were dimmed as a video promo was airing at the time, but fans could tell something had gone wrong.
Medical personnel attended to Owen and he was then taken to the hospital. Unfortunately, he had already passed away. He was only 34 years old at the time. Jim Ross informed the fans at home what had happened, but WWE made the controversial decision to continue with the rest of the pay-per-view.
Former WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero was one of the most well-loved wrestlers of all time. He wrestled all over the world and his love for wrestling translated to his in-ring work. There were very few who could do what he did in the ring.
In 2004, after years of wrestling in WWE, he won his first WWE Championship, defeating Brock Lesnar. Unfortunately, a year later, he would pass away. In November 2005, he passed away in his hotel room after collapsing while getting ready to go to the gym. His passing hit everyone hard and the autopsy showed that he had died of heart failure.
While his ill-health was attributed to illegal substances and alcohol he had consumed throughout his life, at the time of his passing, Eddie had fought his demons and turned his life around.
Guerrero’s passing hit the entire wrestling world badly as he was thought to be one of the greatest to have ever entered the ring. At only 38 years of age, he was yet another wrestler who left the world too soon.
