What’s the story?
Former WWE (then-WWF) Superstar Buddy Wayne has passed away at the age of 50 after suffering a heart attack. His death was confirmed by several professional wrestlers and pro wrestling personalities on Twitter, including Mauro Ranallo whose Tweet can be seen below:
Professional wrestler Davey Boy Smith Jr. also posted a tribute to Buddy Wayne on his own Twitter account.
In case you didn’t know...
Buddy Wayne was a professional wrestler and wrestling trainer who wrestled extensively throughout North America during his career.
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After making his debut in 1985, Wayne had wrestled for both the WWE and WCW and had matches with the likes of Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon (Scott Hall), Bam Bam Bigelow, and Edge during his tenure with the WWE.
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Wayne subsequently started his own wrestling school called Buddy Wayne Wrestling Academy in Everett, Washington, USA and once claimed that he loved training a lot more than wrestling.
Wayne was 50 at the time of his passing on 17th June 2017 and the cause of his death has been attributed to a heart attack.
The heart of the matter
Buddy Wayne had a history of heart problems and made his return to in-ring wrestling in 2013 after two open heart surgeries. Wayne never officially retired from professional wrestling and frequently wrestled alongside/against his students on various independent wrestling promotions.
Wayne was known for being one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the Pacific Northwest region and was a staple on the PNW (Pacific Northwest Wrestling) promotion.
The impact
The death of Buddy Wayne is certainly a blow to the wrestling community as he was one of the most well-known promoters of his area and operated one of the best wrestling schools in the state of Washington.
Wayne leaves behind his wife and a son.
Our tribute
Buddy Wayne was an enhancement talent, or a “jobber” as one might put it. Standing at 5’6” and 180 pounds, Wayne was the epitome of determination. A small man with a big heart that made it all happen for himself despite being physically smaller than almost all his peers.
For those who never knew him, here’s a video of Wayne wrestling Shawn Michaels in the then-WWF:
Wayne was an icon of the Pacific Northwest wrestling community. His wrestling school has time and again supplied talent for several independent wrestling promotions in the area and his students had often testified of his superior training methods.
Wayne’s loss is a big one to the wrestling community as a whole. May he rest in peace and may his memory continue to live on through his school and his students.
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