WCW-Related Deaths

[psz]

Stolen blatently from ewrestlingnews.com:

In light of Chris Kanyon's passing over the weekend, it's interesting to note that a total of twenty-two talents who performed for World Championship Wrestling in 1998 have since passed away - nearly equal to a 25-man MLB roster. Likewise, a total of six wrestlers who performed for the World Wrestling Federation the very same year have since passed on (Big Boss Man, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Golga, Owen Hart, Road Warrior Hawk and Test). However, only two WWF performer deaths have been attributed to drug use while the WCW list is significantly greater.

In its entirety, here is the list of deceased talents who performed for WCW in 1998. With the exception of one performer, all deaths listed occurred before the age of 50.

» Bam Bam Bigelow - 2007 / 01 / 19 (45)
» Bobby Duncum, Jr. - 2000 / 01 / 24 (34)
» Brady Boone (referee) - 1998 / 12 / 16 (40)
» Brian Adams - 2007 / 08 / 13 (44)
» Chase Tatum - 2008 / 03 / 23 (34)
» Chris Adams - 2001 / 10 / 07 (46)
» Chris Benoit - 2007 / 06 / 24 (40)
» Curt Hennig - 2003 / 02 / 10 (44)
» Davey Boy Smith - 2002 / 05 / 17 (39)
» Eddie Guerrero - 2005 / 11 / 13 (38)
» Elizabeth - 2003 / 05 / 01 (42)
» Emory Hale - 2006 / 01 / 28 (36)
» Johnny Grunge - 2006 / 02 / 16 (40)
» Joey Maggs - 2006 / 10 / 15 (37)
» Kanyon - 2010 / 04 / 02 (40)
» Louie Spicolli - 1998 / 02 / 15 (27)
» Mark Curtis (referee) - 1999 / 09 / 08 (37)
» Randy Anderson (referee) - 2002 / 05 / 05 (42)
» Ray Traylor - 2004 / 09 / 22 (41)
» Rick Rude - 1999 / 04 / 20 (40)
» Renegade - 1999 / 02 / 23 (33)
» Rocco Rock - 2002 / 09 / 21 (50)

Additionally, six more talents who joined WCW after 1998 have since passed on - Chris Candido, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, Mike Awesome, Rhonda Singh, Sherri Martel and The Wall. All six deaths listed occurred before the age of 50.

On a final note, Kanyon's passing marks the fifteenth consecutive year in which at least one talent who performed for WCW between 1991 and 2001 has died.

I bolded that last section due to WTF-ness.

[LillaThrilla]

I guess WCW's wellness policy was even more of a joke than WWE's?

[pulsar]

More a coincidence then anything else, as there are a few suicides and natural causes on that list, pointing the blame at WCW would be completely unfair.

[psz]

Not to mention that most of them worked for WWE (and/or NWA and ECW) at some point before or after.

Obviously, you can't blame WCW for Benoit or Randy Anderson.... Well, I guess you COULD argue the point for Benoit, but....

[Rick Garrard]

Or Brian Hildebrand aka Mark Curtis. Both he and PeeWee Randy Anderson had bouts with cancer.

[tommybrownell]

Wait...Sherri wasn't in WCW post-98, was she? She had already been written out by then, right?

[JoshiQ]

I'm pretty sure her last year with the company was in 1997. I'm not definite on that, but I think that was the year with her "romance" with Colonel Parker.

[tommybrownell]

Yeah, I think she got phased out not real long after the nWo began.

[LillaThrilla]

Which happened first: the Sherri-Parker romance or Harlem Heat firing her as their manager in late 97?

P.S. Welcome to the boards, Tommy!

[psz]

Wasn't her "romance" the REASON for her being fired?


(God, has it really been THAT long that I honestly don't remember?)

[tommybrownell]

Thanks, Josh!

All I could find while I was looking yesterday was that she left in summer of '97. At that point, the roster was already so bloated, she would be easy to miss.