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"Mean" Mike Masters, a former WWE Superstar, has reportedly passed away.
Masters, also known as Mike "Rocky" Jones, was a performer in WWE (then WWF) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling in the 1970s and 80s. Over the course of his career, he worked in multiple wrestling territories, both making a name for himself and passing his knowledge on to the next generation of wrestlers.
Mike Masters passed away after a long battle with throat cancer. He was 68 years old at the time of his passing. According to the report, he had beaten cancer previously, but it returned. After the recurrence, he spent a period of time in hospice battling it.
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Former WWE Superstar Mike Masters had a legendary wrestling career
Initially performing under the name Mike Jones, he would take on the moniker Mike Masters later in his career.
Under the name Mike Masters, he competed in WWF and faced top stars like Hulk Hogan, Larry Zbyszko, and even The Wild Samoans. He also challenged Ken Patera for the Intercontinental Championship on TV in October 1979 but was unable to get the win.
Outside the company, he also wrestled in the territories where he lost to Mil Mascaras in a legendary Mask vs. Hair match. He also wrestled stars like Stan Stasiak, Tom Prichard, and The Rock's father, Rocky Johnson.
In NJPW, he competed against some of the bigger names again, like Hulk Hogan and Riki Choshu, and teamed up with heels like Stan Hansen, Tiger Jeet Singh, and Sgt. Slaughter.
Masters would also wrestle for Killer Kowalski's International Wrestling Federation under the name Rocky Jones. Eventually, he opened a wrestling school and trained multiple top names. Former WWE and ECW star James "Little Guido" Maritato was taught by him.
We at Sportskeeda would like to send our condolences to Mike Masters and his loved ones.
