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According to a 2014 study by Eastern Michigan University examining professional wrestlers who were active between 1985 and 2011, mortality rates for professional wrestlers are up to 2.9 times greater than the rate for men in the wider United States population.[1] A 2014 report by John Moriarty of the University of Manchester and Benjamin Morris of FiveThirtyEight also found that the mortality rate for professional wrestlers was significantly higher than that of athletes in other sports.[2][3][4] Experts suggest that a combination of the physical nature of the business, no off-season, and potentially high work load (with some wrestlers fighting more than 100 and even 200 matches per year), along with the drug culture in wrestling during the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s contributes to high mortality rates among wrestlers.[5][6][7][8][9] Another study ascribes the higher death rate largely to higher rates of cardiovascular disease compared to the general population with morbidly obese wrestlers being especially at risk.[10][11]
Many promotions employ performers as "independent contractors" and do not offer company-sponsored group health insurance coverage in most instances. This is said to have a causal connection to their longevity, morbidity and mortality. WWE performers' status as independent contractors was spotlighted by John Oliver on an episode of his show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in March 2019,[12][13][14] with Oliver calling on WWE fans to protest at WrestleMania 35.[12][13][14] WWE denied Oliver's critique.[15]
The concept of the untimely deaths of professional wrestlers was a frequent topic of discussion on the Opie & Anthony show.[16] After Scott Hall's death in 2022, Bret Hart and Kevin Nash talked about the premature death of several wrestlers, mentioning the mental and body damage as possible causes.[17][18]
List
Under 20
| Age | Ring name (Birth name) |
Promotion(s) worked for | Date of birth | Date of death | Cause of death |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Janet Wolfe (Janet Boyer Wolfe) |
NWA | June 13, 1933 | July 27, 1951 | Brain hemorrhage |
Under 30
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| Age | Ring name (Birth name) |
Promotion(s) worked for | Date of birth | Date of death | Cause of death |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Oro (Jesús Javier Hernández) |
CMLL, UWA | December 24, 1971 | October 26, 1993 | Head injury during match[19] |
| 21 | Jeff Peterson | Independent circuit, ECWA, MCW, IPW | August 13, 1981 | November 29, 2002 | Leukemia |
| 21 | Chris Von Erich (Chris Adkisson) |
WCCW, USWA | September 30, 1969 | September 12, 1991 | Suicide by gunshot[20] |
| 21 | Asahi (Name unknown) |
Ice Ribbon, Actwres girl'Z | October 19, 2002 | February 1, 2024 | Car accident |
| 22 | Rey Celestial (Oscar Leonardo Torres Parra) | AAA, CLL, DTU | August 29, 1995 | September 17, 2017 | Struck in a hit and run |
| 22 | Hana Kimura |
World Wonder Ring Stardom, ROH, Wrestle-1, various Japanese Promotions | September 3, 1997 | May 23, 2020 | Suicide by hydrogen sulfide ingestion |
| 22 | Mass Transit (Erich Kulas) | ECW, independent circuit | October 17, 1979 | May 12, 2002 | Complications from gastric bypass surgery[21] |
| 22 | Mirai (Chiemi Kitagami) |
AJW, K-DOJO, Atoz | November 17, 1982 | September 14, 2005 | Drowned in bathtub; possibly suicide |
| 22 | Spider (Daniel Quirk) |
NWA New England, independent circuit, WXW, ACW | July 19, 1982 | May 28, 2005 | Head injury in match |
| 23 | Edouard Beaupre (Joseph Édouard Beaupré Piché) |
N/A | January 9, 1881 | July 3, 1904 | Tuberculosis |
| 23 | Chri$ Ca$h (Christopher Bauman Jr.) |
CZW | July 13, 1982 | August 18, 2005 | Motorcycle accident |
| 23 | Emiko Kado | JWP, ARSION | January 28, 1976 | April 9, 1999 | Intercerebral bleeding in match |
| 23 | Shane Shamrock (Brian Howser) |
MCW, MEWF, IPWA | February 8, 1975 | August 18, 1998 | Shot by police |
| 23 | Mike Von Erich (Michael Adkisson) |
WCCW, NWA, NJPW | March 2, 1964 | April 12, 1987 | Suicide by drug overdose[20] |
| 25 | Reid Flair (Reid Fliehr) |
AJPW, WCW, NWA, SSW, Lucha Libre USA | February 26, 1988 | March 29, 2013 | Drug overdose[22] |
| 25 | David Von Erich (David Adkisson) |
WCCW, NWA St. Louis, NWA, AJPW | July 22, 1958 | February 10, 1984 | Acute enteritis[20] |
| 26 | Kasavubu (Jimmy Banks) |
Stampede Wrestling, WWWF, NWA, IWE | May 14, 1956 | July 27, 1982 | Heart attack during operation |
| 26 | Kurtis Chapman | Revolution Pro Wrestling, Progress Wrestling, GCW, various British promotions | December 19, 1997 | December 29, 2023 | Unknown |
| 27 | J.C. Bailey | CZW, IWA Mid-South, IWA East-Coast | August 23, 1983 | August 30, 2010 | Intracranial aneurysm |
| 27 | Masakazu Fukuda | WAR, NJPW | May 17, 1972 | April 19, 2000 | Head injury in match |
| 27 | Russ Haas (Thomas Russell Haas) |
ECWA, CZW, MCW, HWA, WWF, JAPW | March 11, 1974 | December 15, 2001 | Heart failure |
| 27 | Louie Spicolli (Louis Mucciolo Jr.) |
WWF, ECW, WCW, UWF, AAA, FMW | February 10, 1971 | February 15, 1998 | Drug overdose[23] |
| 28 | Art Barr | PNW, WCW, AAA, EMLL | October 8, 1966 | November 23, 1994 | Heart attack caused by a drug overdose[24] |
| 28 | Gino Hernandez (Charles Wolfe Jr.) |
WCCW, SCW, Houston Wrestling, NWA, UWF Mid-South | August 14, 1957 | February 2, 1986 | Possible drug overdose or murder[25] |
| 28 | Ricky Lawless (Medardo Leon Jr.) |
ICW, NWF, independent circuit | December 3, 1959 | November 30, 1988 | Murder |
| 29 | Trent Acid (Michael Verdi) |
ROH, CZW, BJPW, JCW | November 12, 1980 | June 18, 2010 | Drug overdose |
| 29 | Lance Cade (Lance McNaught) |
WWE, HWA, OVW, MCW, FCW, AJPW | March 2, 1981 | August 13, 2010 | Heart attack caused by drug overdose[26] |
| 29 | Plum Mariko (Mariko Umeda) |
JWP, AJW, Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling | November 1, 1967 | August 16, 1997 | Head injury in match[19] |
| 29 | Bobby Shane (Robert Schoenberger) |
NWA, CWF, CCW, CSW, GCW, WCW Australia | August 25, 1945 | February 20, 1975 | Drowning from plane crash |
| 29 | Chris Taylor | AWA, AJPW, NWA | June 13, 1950 | June 30, 1979 | Cardiomyopathy |
| 29 | Clarence Whistler | N/A | February 24, 1856 | November 6, 1885 | Pneumonia |
Under 40
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| Age | Ring name (Birth name) |
Promotion(s) worked for | Date of birth | Date of death | Cause of death |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Zubair Jhara (Muhammad Zubair Aslam) |
Wrestled in Pakistan, NJPW | November 24, 1960 | September 10, 1991 | Heart failure |
| 30 | Sara Lee | WWE | June 7, 1992 | October 5, 2022 | Suicide by combined drug intoxication[27] |
| 30 | Pierre Lefebvre | GCW, WWF, Lutte Internationale, ESA, NWA, UWF | February 24, 1955 | December 24, 1985 | Car wreck[28] |
| 30 | Rick McGraw | WWF, NWA, Lutte Internationale, MACW, GCW, SCW, WWA | March 19, 1955 | November 1, 1985 | Heart attack[29] |
| 30 | Giant Ochiai (Takayuki Okada) |
Battlarts, WJ | May 8, 1973 | August 8, 2003 | Subdural hematoma |
| 30 | Johnny Perry | Unknown | October 24, 1972 | November 21, 2002 | Heart failure |
| 30 | Larry Sweeney (Alexander Whybrow) |
Chikara, IWC, ROH, CZW, IWA Mid-South, PLW | February 18, 1981 | April 11, 2011 | Suicide by hanging |
| 30 | Jay Youngblood (Steven Romero) |
AWA, NWA, MACW, MLW, CWF, AJPW | June 21, 1955 | September 2, 1985 | Heart attack[30] |
| 31 | Christin Able (Josh Burgess) |
ROH, AAW Wrestling, independent circuit | January 11, 1985 | April 14, 2016 | Unknown |
| 31 | Ed Gantner | CWF, MACW | February 4, 1959 | December 31, 1990 | Suicide by gunshot[31] |
| 31 | Gene Lipscomb | NWA, NWA San Francisco | August 9, 1931 | May 10, 1963 | Drug overdose |
| 31 | Scott Peterson | PNW, NWA | June 10, 1963 | July 25, 1994 | Motorcycle accident |
| 31 | Kazuharu Sonoda | AJPW, NWA, WSS, WCCW, CWF, MACW | September 16, 1956 | November 28, 1987 | Plane crash (South African Airways Flight 295) |
| 31 | Frank Speer | Unknown | May 27, 1907 | June 10, 1938 | Bronchial pneumonia |
| 31-32 | Sorakichi Matsuda (Koujiro Matsuda) |
N/A | 1859 | August 16, 1891 | Tuberculosis |
| 32 | Steve Bradley (Steve Bisson) |
WWF/E, PPW, OVW, NECW, HWA, WWA | December 10, 1975 | December 1, 2008 | Unknown |
| 32 | Jaime Cardriche | Pacific Wrestling Alliance | March 28, 1968 | July 28, 2000 | Complications during gallbladder surgery |
| 32 | Adam Firestorm (Adam Dykes) |
ECCW, Stampede Wrestling, various promotions in Western Canada and Pacific Northwest | November 25, 1976 | November 5, 2009 | Suicide |
| 32 | Crash Holly (Mike Lockwood) |
WWF/E, ECW, FC !Bang!, APW, TNA | August 25, 1971 | November 6, 2003 | Suicide by drug overdose and alcohol poisoning[32] |
| 32 | Billy McCrary | NWA, NJPW | December 7, 1946 | July 14, 1979 | Motorcycle accident[33][34] |
| 32 | Buzz Sawyer (Bruce Woyan) |
NWA, WWF, UWF, WCCW, MACW, WCW | June 14, 1959 | February 7, 1992 | Cocaine-induced heart attack[19][35] |
| 32 | Frank Townsend | NWA, MLW, CWC, ASW, JWA, Joint Promotions | March 20, 1933 | May 15, 1965 | Drowning in boating accident; considered a missing person |
| 32 | Kris Travis | TNA, RPW, PCW, ICW, PROGRESS | December 16, 1983 | March 31, 2016 | Stomach cancer |
| 33 | Karsten Beck (Karsten Pitann) |
WXW, BJPW, CZW, various European promotions | November 25, 1986 | October 15, 2020 | Brain cancer |
| 33 | Jim Browning | N/A | March 31, 1903 | June 25, 1936 | Pulmonary embolism |
| 33 | Chris Candido | WCW, WWF, ECW, SMW, NJPW, TNA | March 21, 1972 | April 28, 2005 | Acute pneumonia[36] |
| 33 | Eddie Gilbert (Thomas Edward Gilbert Jr.) |
NWA, WCW, UWF, WWF, USWA, ECW | August 14, 1961 | February 18, 1995 | Heart attack[37] |
| 33 | Paul E. Normous (Paul Fauchs) |
OVW, ECWA, independent circuit | April 15, 1975 | January 16, 2009 | Drug overdose |