Hello everyone. Today, I am bringing you the first half of an extensive list in commemoration of the wrestlers and personalities who passed away in 2020. It was a terrible year for many reasons, but most of all, the pandemic will always ensure those who experienced it will never forget it.
I believe it is important to mention as many names as possible, because it is only fair to the worldwide wrestling community. We have seen how the business comes together in time of need, and how sad it is when we lose someone dear. I may share some of the descriptions accompanying the pictures from elsewhere, so in those instances I shall link to the source they came from. Condolences to all the families and friends of those we lost in 2020*.
The second part can be found here: Remembering Wrestlers & Personalities Who Passed Away in 2020 (2/2)
Ralphus was known for his time as Chris Jericho’s personal security in WCW. His passing in 2019 was not common knowledge til September 2020 when Chris Jericho posted the following tweet: “I just found out he passed away like last year. God bless John Riker, that was his real name.”
From their Facebook page: “The British Wrestlers Reunion are saddened to receive news that Vivacious Viv Martell passed away in the early hours (of) Saturday morning. Vivs good friend and former colleague Leather Lena visited Viv on Friday afternoon and shared some great stories about the good old days they had together.”
He competed in Southeastern regional promotions such as Mid-South Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Florida Championship Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1970s and 1980s. His biggest win was over Dory Funk Jr for the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship.
He was known as the long-time ring announcer for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. From Socal Uncensored: Ian had battled health issues through the years, having taken a lengthy absence from wrestling in 2006, then suffering two heart failures in 2015 that left him in a coma for three-and-a-half weeks. No cause of death was given.
After news of Ian’s death came out, people throughout the wrestling community, from every major promotion offered condolences and paid tribute to him. Kevin Owens tweeted “I am so saddened to hear about the passing of former PWG ring announcer Jon Ian. A great guy taken way too soon. The wrestling world was a better place with him in it.”
Peter Avalon, who worked with Ian at Mach-1, PWG, and Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, wrote “Jon Ian was a patient and generous man who helped me immensely in my early days as a wrestler. He helped me understand a lot of what it means to be a professional in an industry I had no idea about. His weekly Friday night Mach-1 shows helped mold so many of us as wrestlers and performers in Southern California. Those shows were an escape for so many of us young wrestlers to come and make ourselves better in a warm, welcoming learning environment. It’s where we learned how to be on TV before CWFH. It’s where I had an opportunity to be ‘Pretty.’”
He was an Argentinian who gained American Citizenship in 1965. Along with winning many NWA titles, Firpo was an early pioneer of hardcore wrestling. One of his biggest influences on the business is that he introduced the catchphrase “Ohhh Yeah!”, which would be later used by ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. In a career spanning almost three decades, Firpo worked 8,882 matches.
From ProWrestlingWiki: He was best known, under various monikers, for his work in Stampede Wrestling, National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling. Sakurada was also highly regarded by Bret Hart as one of his most significant trainers alongside Katsui Adachi (a.k.a. Mr. Hito), who he taught with extensively in Stu Hart’s “Dungeon.”
The original Peter Thornley character inspired the “Kendo Nagasaki” gimmick made famous in the British wrestling scene, but the similarities between them end with the name. Sakurada did not adopt a mask or anything else from Peter Thornley, instead choosing to use the “Mist” and Kendo Sticks as weapons.
From Wikipedia: During a Kaoz show on October 21, 2019, La Parka dove out of the ring to the floor, missed his opponent Rush, and hit the steel barrier and concrete floor head first. The impact paralyzed La Parka, and he was immediately taken to Monterrey’s OCA hospital. While in the hospital, he started to regain feeling to his extremities.
Early the next morning, he underwent surgery for his neck and cervical fractures, as well as to relieve pressure to parts of his upper body. It was reported that not only did the injury threaten La Parka’s career, but could have been fatal. The following day a fake press release was circulated stating that La Parka had died, which was identified as false by AAA hours later. However, Huerta died on January 11, 2020, as a result of the injuries he suffered during the match.
La Parka was regarded as one of Lucha Libre’s biggest stars, with Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter describing him as being “a key part of the AAA presentation.” On January 29, 2020, La Parka (Escoboza) was posthumously inducted into the AAA Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class. Following Parka’s death, numerous wrestlers and wrestling promotions sent their condolences, including Parka’s long-time storyline enemy L.A. Park and AAA’s rival promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. On January 19, 2020, Deportivo Toluca F.C. paid tribute to Parka during their first Clausura 2020 home game.
Bobby Kay was the youngest brother of the famous Cormier wrestling family of Canada. Together, they helped to build the business in the country by wrestling, promoting and training. He was the third of the brothers to pass away, leaving Leo Burke (left) as the remaining member; who is known to have trained wrestlers Ken Shamrock, Mark Henry, Edge, Christian and Test.
Rudy Kay (middle) helped to launch Rick Martel’s career with his ESA promotion. Yvon Cormier (top), known as ‘The Beast’ was the strongest and most travelled. They were to New Brunswick what the Hart family was to Calgary. Most of Bobby’s accolades were tag team titles, teaming with Leo or The Beast.
See here for a detailed tribute to Rocky Johnson’s groundbreaking life & career: BREAKING NEWS: Rocky Johnson Passes Away
Aside from working as a jobber on WWF television, he worked for FMW, Stampede Wrestling, Canadian Rocky Mountain Wrestling and Can-Am Wrestling Federation promotions. He was found in his truck in Calgary, but no cause of death has been given.
The site lastwordonsports.com shared a fitting tribute to the man here: Puerto Rican Legend Hercules Ayala Passes Away at 69
An early star in the Puerto Rican wrestling scene who gained national attention wrestling in various National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territories, from his native Puerto Rico to Canada to Japan, Hercules Ayala was a rough and tumble journeyman. But on January 22, the wrestling world lost another good brother, as Ayala passed away at the age of 69.
We are truly saddened to learn of the loss of our friend, brother, and NYWC Hall Of Famer John “Crusher Doogan” Mair.
His knowledge and wisdom will live in the NYWC locker room forever. We thank you for the times and the memories.
Rest peacefully Crusher.
pic.twitter.com/7D91ANgDFk— NYWC (@NYWCWRESTLING) January 23, 2020
The NYWC helped to train and develop future WWE Superstars and AEW Wrestlers like Zack Ryder, Tony Nese, Curt Hawkins, Trent Beretta, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and more.
He was the brother of Nick Gage and staple of Combat Zone Wrestling. He won everything there was to win, making him the first-ever CZW Triple Crown Champion. The company wrote the following on Twitter:“We here at CZW are heartbroken to learn of the untimely passing of Chris Wilson, AKA Justice Pain. Chris was a Combat Zone original, multiple champion, and a true CZW legend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and loved ones. RIP.”
He was a veteran of the Canadian NWA territories, picking up the World Championship in International Wrestling, along with working for Maple Leaf Wrestling and Stampede Wrestling. His biggest claim to fame was a program with ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham in the WWWF (WWE) in the late 70’s.
Pictured here with LA Park and Konnan, Martin Landeros was the promoter of Generación XXI. He was the target of a coordinated shooting while he sat for lunch in a restaurant. It was assumed to be a targeted execution as no one else was hurt.
The promotion continued without him and paid tribute by having a match for the Martin Landeros Cup, with their last event happening in March before the pandemic hit. A recent Facebook post teases a return for Generación XXI.
He was a veteran of the New England scene for near 30 years, working with Top Rope Promotions, Beyond Wrestling, Power League Wrestling and Eastern Pro Wrestling.
Slam Wrestling shared a detailed breakdown of his life career at the following: Pacific Northwest star Rip Oliver dies
Rip “The Crippler” Oliver passed away on March 5th. He leaves behind a legacy as one of the most decorated wrestlers in Pacific Northwest history. He held the Northwest heavyweight title 12 times and the tag titles 16 times — both are records.
Way back in 2016, some of you may remember my ten-part series called the “Best Of British”. In these articles contained some of the greatest British wrestlers of all time, and Wayne Bridges featured in the first; along with Johnny Saint, Paul Burchill, Tony St. Clair and Pat Roach.
Much like then, I found myself reading an old article from the Wrestling Heritage website on his career. The British Wrestlers Reunion paid a big tribute to him because he was the host of their events for the past 25 years, along with being one of the UK’s biggest names from its Golden Era.
As a former promoter and host of wrestling reunions, Dean Silverstone did so much for the business throughout his life. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter detailed much of it here: Former Washington promoter Dean Silverstone passes away at 75
During his time in wrestling. Kasat shaved his head and grew a Dr. Fu Manchu moustache to appear more Asian despite being Caucasian. This was so he could be billed from countries like Mongalia and Singapore, giving the audience the feeling he was something different to what they’d usually see.
Yet, his career didn’t flourish and his only known title victory came in Pro Wrestling America. However, he may be remembered for one of the most hilarious debuts of all time. In the below video package, his manager/handler Mark Gullen introduces him with as much hype as one can possibly imagine. Despite the hilarity, he landed roles in a couple of movies as a wrestler.
During his time with Jim Crockett Promotions and American Wrestling Association, he teamed up with heels like The Barbarian, The Warlord, Abdullah the Butcher, Superstar Billy Graham, Shaska Whatley, Baron von Raschke, Manny Fernandez, Rick Rude, Ivan Koloff and Vladimir Petrov.
No one can come close to meaning as much to the MWO and IWE independent promotions than “Pure Fury” Jeff Clouse. For over twenty years he did everything he could to keep them alive, and despite a repeated shifting of talent and staff, Jeff remained their one constant. The MWO website has a detailed tribute to everything he accomplished: In Memory Of Jeff Clouse
He served as one of the main hosts of wrestling in the late 80’s and early 90’s for various promotions alongside legendary commentator Gordon Solie. Also, Joe was heavily in to his radio work before and after his time in the wrestling business. After moving on, he bought a country music station in 2007 and expanded it beyond its original city location.
Over the years, he hyped up the programming for so many promotions, including the Continental Wrestling Association, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-South, World Class Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Council out of Puerto Rico, various Japanese groups, and the World Wrestling Federation.
Roberto worked in several Mexican independent promotions and was an 11-year veteran. His passing is significant because as far as we know, he was the first to do so due to complications from the coronavirus. As seen above, he had just won the third annual Pendragon Rojo Cup two months before, the biggest win of his career to date.
One of the most known tragedies of the year was the passing of Howard Finkel. With his trademark announcing skills, he added so much to the product for decades as the WWF(E)’s first and longest serving employee. I could say more, but his peers reaction to the news is enough to show how beloved he was: The Wrestling World Reacts to Howard Finkel’s Passing
Kevin Clark was one of at least twelve Zebra Kids in the history of wrestling. Slam Wrestling’s Greg Oliver shared a detailed rundown of his career here: Remembering ‘Zebra Kid’
Dick Steinborn passes away at the age of 86. Also known as “Ricardo”, was one of the main villains in our territory from 1974 to 1982 He was 4 times Caribbean Champion, 3 times World Jr Champion, North America Tag Team Champ and Trinidad Heavyweight and Tag Team Champion. RIP pic.twitter.com/MirOFyCsth
— Historia de La Lucha Libre Puertorriqueña (@historia_libre) April 18, 2020
Just heard the passing of Dick Steinborn one of the most gifted wrestling performers of all time. Tremendously talented and a good guy. If I had to compare, Dickie was an earlier version of @AJStylesOrg and even had time for this rookie in my first year. RIP Mr. Steinborn.
— 𝔻𝕣. 𝔻𝕦𝕥𝕔𝕙 (@DirtyDMantell) April 18, 2020
He is most famously known as the wrestling referee in several high-profile matches, including:
- Bob Backlund’s WWF title win over ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham
- Hulk Hogan’s WWF title win over The Iron Sheik
- Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper in a Boxing match at WrestleMania II
- Spider Lady vs. Wendi Richter Screwjob
And many, many more! He was like the Earl Hebner of the early WWF days.
He was the founder and owner of T-N-T Championship Pro Wrestling, and also ran a wrestling school.
Trained by Larry Lane, he promised bookings in South Texas for anyone who could complete their training. You can find his obituary and tribute video at the following link: Florencio Anguiano
Bowden began his wrestling career as a referee, but when the USWA formed from the merger of WCCW and the CWA in a bid to rival the WWF, he transitioned in to being a wrestling manager. Among his clients were Jerry Lawler, Tommy Rich and Doug Gilbert.
He was also one of the first guys to get in to a back-and-forth verbal exchange with Flex Kavana, who we all came to know as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. After stepping away from television, he became one of the leading historians for Memphis Wrestling til his unexpected passing.
He joins other referees on this heart-rending list. Billy Caputo did such a good job refereeing that Gorilla Monsoon personally asked him to keep coming back. He worked for the WWF, WCW and NWA throughout the 80’s and 90’s. Caputo is also known to referee the series of matches between Bruiser Brody & Abdullah The Butcher.
He gave up his referee career in 2003 due to heart issues, so he joined the New York Athletic Commission to make sure wrestlers kept safe by ensuring physicals and keeping to the rules and regulations. Caputo passed away a year after being diagnosed with aggressive lymphoma of the bone marrow.
Sad to report the passing of Ed “Haystacks” Ross; a staple in the Illinois scene since 1992 https://t.co/kW4w8XkmKc
— CauliflowerAlleyClub (@CACReunion) April 25, 2020
Godspeed, Ed “Haystacks” Ross. Thank you for being a gentle soul and for always taking care of me. I learned a TON from you and I’m grateful. ❤️
— Adam Pearce (@ScrapDaddyAP) April 25, 2020
The Cauliflower Alley Club posted the following: “Just received word that Cosmos, a luchador, 62 years of age, based out of the Los Angeles area throughout the 80’s to 2000’s, passed away tonight. Real name was Rafael de la Torre, from Cuidad Guzman, Jalisco. Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Cosmos”
From POST Wrestling: In 1999, Jackson was part of a tag team dark match prior to a taping of Monday Nitro in Cleveland, Ohio that also featured Custom Made Man, Stunning Sean, and L’Artiste. The Hollywood Hunks did meet once with Carl DeMarco, the president of WWF Canada but never resulted in a deal.
Jackson wrestled throughout the province mainly in London for the HWF and Toronto including the Apocalypse Wrestling Federation, who ran shows at the infamous Cactus Pete’s bar that held the lowest ceiling in the history of professional wrestling shows.
He also appeared as an extra in the ‘The Jesse Ventura Story’ made-for-TV movie that aired on NBC in May 1999 and the music video for Bif Naked’s remix of ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ from the Ready to Rumble soundtrack in 2000. It was through Chris Kanyon that he was able to be part of these projects.
Missouri Wrestling Revival posted the following on their site:
It is with great sadness that we are to report today that our longtime friend Tony Casta has passed away. Fans of today know Tony as the man that you first saw along with his wife Wanda as you entered the historic South Broadway Athletic Club each and every month in St. Louis.
Tony Casta was always welcoming to all his fans and took time to tell stories of matches and shows that he had promoted in days gone past. His promotion MMWA to this day can lay claim to being one of the most successful long term promotions in the country packing sell out crowds year after year. Casta would team up with fellow promoter Herb Simmons to do joint shows under the MMWA-SICW umbrella.
The two often teamed up to support various fundraisers to give back to the community. His life would not only touch the fans but many wrestlers you and old that he worked with. Chances are if you have seen a wrestler in the Midwest during the past 40 years they have worked with Tony Casta at one point or another. We would like to send our deepest condolences to his lovely wife Wanda, as well as his extended family and friends during this trying time. We will miss his smile and handshake as we enter the doors at the SBAC.
Supreme was known as a deathmatch wrestler for the promotion Xtreme Pro Wrestling. He was one of the wrestlers given a front row ticket to ECW Heatwave 2000, where it was claimed that one of them inappropriately touched Francine.
This apparently sparked a real fight in the parking lot between ECW Wrestlers and the XPW ring crew, but the XPW Wrestlers weren’t involved and Francine has since denied being touched. After XPW folded, Supreme continued to make rare appearances in deathmatches for other promotions. He passed away after suffering a heart attack.
Littleheart was one of The Fabulous Moolah’s students and eventual trainers at her school. She played a part in training Wendi Richter, along with other girls in Moolah’s stable.
Her two title victories include the NWA United States Women’s Championship, and after leaving Moolah, she teamed up with Luna Vachon to claim the Women’s Championship Wrestling tag team titles. It’s unknown when she retired, but it was likely the late 80’s/early 90’s. No cause of death was reported.
He sadly passed away after a battle with cancer. As a veteran of Lucha Libre AAA, he was monumental in training many wrestlers, including current WWE Superstars Kalisto and Mustafa Ali.
Discovery taught me to keep on fighting, don’t look back. He was one of my best lucha coaches in chicago.. I’m glad he was able to listen to my voice, and tell him thank you and i love him. I will dearly miss him….
Fuiste un padre maestro y persona. #QEPD #Discovery #Chicago pic.twitter.com/j003dSC0EX— KALISTO the GLOAT (@KalistoWWE) May 15, 2020
Rest In Peace, Discovery. pic.twitter.com/wUSBukspGm
— Mustafa Ali / Adeel Alam (@AliWWE) May 15, 2020
What makes this tough is the way it happened. The situation is ongoing, as Shad Gaspard’s wife sues Los Angeles with a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming there was a lack of warning of dangerous conditions, along with poorly trained lifeguards at the scene.
The site will keep you updated as we find out more: Family Of Shad Gaspard Files For Negligence In Drowning Death
‘Mexican Spitfire’ Olga Martinez (May 17th)On The Fabulous Moolah & The Ladies Of Camp Moolah Facebook Page, Olga Martinez is described as having wrestled professionally for five years. Her first wrestling match was at 18 in Columbia, SC against Ann Laverne. She married fellow wrestler Don Serrano, together they had two sons Hector and Surans, Surans would follow his parents into wrestling. Olga became a Professional Hair Stylist upon retirement from the ring and lived in Houston Texas. Hector Serrano reported his mother’s passing via a Facebook posting.
It really surprised me to hear about Larry Csonka’s passing. Years ago, I remember writing up my WrestleMania series articles and referring to his reviews to see how our views line up. They usually matched up pretty well, but I always found more that I could take away from his work. I liked how he called things how they are in a fair way, without being overly cynical or ‘shocking’, and that helped me more than anyone will know.
When I saw the outpouring of tributes, it told me how much he helped to pave the way for other wrestling writers. But the most important thing was that he was known as a family man, and a leader who inspired everyone around him. Writers may not be crucial to the business, but it’s nice that they can provide fan service in their own way. What would wrestling be like without a Larry Csonka sharing their thoughts for you all to read? It wouldn’t be the same. We never exchanged messages, and he probably never knew I existed, but I still want to extend my thanks for everything Larry did.
Known as Mohawk and El Bandido, Pina worked much of his career in Mexico for AAA. Mohawk is on a shortlist of wrestlers to lose his mask in a 1993 match with Rey Mysterio Jr. He also lost his trademark Mohawk hair in a 2014 match before retiring not long after. A cardiac arrest was the cause of death.
In his day, Rosario enjoyed a healthy career during the 70’s working for the International Wrestling Enterprise and All Japan Pro Wrestling. His standout match from this time period was teaming with Carlos Carlon in a losing effort to the Hollywood Blondes (Jack Evans & Larry Sharpe) for the WWC North American Tag Team titles.
In the 80’s he worked primarily for the WWC against guys like Bruiser Brody. In his latter years after retiring, he served as a trainer of wrestlers like Carlito, along with refereeing matches for the promotion. He was one of the most loyal workers for the World Wrestling Council.
This one still hurts. The youngest on this part of the list was tragically taken too soon after she was pushed in to committing suicide as a result of being cyber bullied by a man in his mid-twenties. Why is it so difficult to be respectful online? From Wiki:
On the day of Kimura’s death, several professional wrestling companies such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling, National Wrestling Alliance, Ring of Honor, All Elite Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, among other companies sent their condolences. During the Double or Nothing pay-per-view event, AEW paid tribute to Kimura and Shad Gaspard (who also died that same week).
On the May 27 episode of NXT, NXT superstar Io Shirai and Mauro Ranallo paid tribute to Hana with the following phrase: “Hana was one of the most talented female wrestlers in the world, and I was looking forward to watching her grow to see how far she could go,” Io began. “I will always remember her smile that would brighten up any room she walked into. It is so important that we all love and treat each other with respect.”
On May 29, Sasha Banks was wearing new ring gear when she got to the ring, but when she removed her jacket she was wearing a black armband that said “HANA” in white letters. At NXT TakeOver: In Your House, Dakota Kai sported pink hair that she confirmed was dyed as a tribute to Kimura.
On June 21, Stardom had its first event during the COVID-19 pandemic, paying tribute to Kimura before its event and all the wrestlers went out to the area surrounding the ring and kept a minute of silence, while ringing a bell 10 times.
PWInsider.com reported his passing at the same time as two others. Steven Perry was a long time referee in the Florida and Georgia areas.
He had health issues since 2011, when he needed to have his left leg amputated due to complications with high blood pressure and diabetes. Harris was likely not inducted in to the WWE Hall of Fame because he was involved in a lawsuit against WWE, along with several other former superstars. He spent the last few years of his life struggling with health scares, needing regular intensive care to keep on top of his condition.
Kamala will always be remembered for his portrayal of “The Ugandan Giant”. His biggest programs in the WWF were against Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker, which included the first-ever casket match. While he never won any titles in the World Wrestling Federation, he claimed several in other promotions. As a four-time USWA Unified World Champion, he was the most successful African-American to work there. After retiring from the ring, he wrote over 100 songs and released an album.
He may be the biggest wrestling name to pass away due to complications from COVID-19. Contracting the virus affected his diabetes, leading to a cardiac arrest. RIP Kamala.
This cuts too deep. Grant "Danny Havoc" Berkland. He was an inspiration to so many and a friend to all and our hearts go out to his family and loved ones.
We can take a small comfort in knowing the entire wrestling community are sharing the same grief right now.#RIPDannyHavoc pic.twitter.com/2AbDxYRb6I— CZW Combat Zone Wrestling (@combatzone) June 1, 2020
Danny Havoc always extended kindness to me and welcomed me into the CZW family. My heart hurts for his friends and loved ones.
Rest easy, friend. 😔
— The Bunny 🐇 (@AllieWrestling) June 1, 2020
Absolutely heartbroken.
I wouldn’t be who I am today without Danny Havoc.
Absolute genius who never got the credit he deserved.
Im beyond privileged to been able to travel the world with him.
Reach out to your loved one. Life is so short.
Love you Grant.
RIP pic.twitter.com/wXg6zYLbnV
— ₮ⱧɆ ĐⱤ₳₩ (@TheSamiCallihan) June 1, 2020
So many paid tribute to him, including promotions he worked for, Kevin Owens, Tegan Nox, Mustafa Ali and more. No cause of death was given.
Like so many others, the Cauliflower Alley Club made a statement on his passing: “Sad news to pass along tonight. Michael Blade (real name Michael Runco) passed away today. He’s been part of the Pittsburgh indie scene for 30 years. Very gracious guy and absolutely great to be around. Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Michael at this time.”
Chun Gyu-Deok was known for his work in the 60s & 70s. He led the Korean pro wrestling Golden Time with Kim Il and Jang Young-chul, nicknamed the “Master of the Chop”. Famous for his unique tricks, he apparently worked an event where he fought a bull barehanded. He was the Father of actor Chun Ho-jin
Another loss for the Mexican wrestling community came with the passing of Dragon Chino II. He contracted COVID-19, which led to complications with his health. The Chinese Dragon wrestled primarily for the UWA in the early 90’s. He had great runs in Japan with the UWF of Great Hamada and Hisatsune Shinmawith.
Chino became the UWF Super Welterweight Champion after defeating Super Dolphin, but he took revenge a couple of months later in 1993. During this fight Alejandro suffered a very severe head injury, which at that time was not given much importance, but began to take its toll on the gladiator. His last recorded match came in 2013.
Cauliflower Alley Club: “Sad news to report the night out of Xalapa, Mexico. The DTU promotion just announced the passing of Luis Dasa, known as “Casanova”, an extreme wrestler who started back around 2011. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of Casanova at this time”
COVID-19 continued to devastate the Mexican wrestling community with the passing of Matematico II. He worked for Mexican promotions AAA and UWA, which includes winning the UWA World Lightweight Championship and UWA World Welterweight Championship; the latter for 791 days.
Aside from his singles success, he would team up with his Father (Matematico I) and Brother (Matematico III) as Los Matemáticos. LWOS has more on his career here: AAA & UWA Luchador Matemático II Passes Away at 50
Yet another victim of COVID-19 is El Impala, the man of many gimmicks. To get an idea of how much he changed character over the course of his career, read up on the following link. There are more Mexican wrestlers I could list here, including Super Bracito. It really was a terrible time.
CAMPAL: The Impala passed away, wrestling again in mourning
The British Wrestlers Reunion shared this statement: “We are deeply saddened to announce that former referee, Master of Ceremonies and historian Ray Plunkett passed away peacefully in hospital earlier today aged 74 with his partner Wendy at his bedside. As we reported recently Ray had been admitted to hospital and sadly he was not able to overcome his illness. Ray will be added to the Dressing Room in the Sky on the Reunion website. Our condolences go to Rays family and friends at this very sad time and may he now RIP”
Being asked to fill in for the original Mr. Wrestling turned out to be the greatest decision he ever made, as he went from running a gas station during semi-retirement, to forging a legacy as Mr. Wrestling II. At his peak as the ten-time Georgia Heavyweight Champion, he was considered among the top 5 most popular wrestlers in the United States. Walker later became known as the coach and mentor of Magnum TA.
In his latter years he joined the WWF, but from 1984 to 1986 was used only sparingly as an enhancement talent. Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter considered him his favorite wrestler. They enjoyed a healthy relationship during his presidency. His wife Olivia was a seamstress who Ric Flair says made many of his robes in his prime.
Known as the lead promoter of the Aztec Budokan and mother of the Moreno Dynasty, she made history with her tag team partner Cynthia Moreno, by becoming the first Mexican wrestlers to win titles in Japan. She was also the second AAA Reina de Reinas Champion, and the first to hold it twice. In a world dominated by men, Esther Moreno showed she could be a supporting Mother figure to those who supported her and the family.
A reliable mainstay in CMLL since he first signed in 1998, Ares El Guerrero never made it to superstardom, but he made his fans happy and will be remembered for his program with Black Tiger.
In this 2016 match, he lost in a mask vs. mask match and revealed his face for the first time. He was still wrestling up til he contracted COVID-19, but sadly was not able to overcome the virus.
Considered one of the longest active wrestlers in the history of the business. The original La Sombra Vengadora wrestled between 1951-2016. He was so popular in his day that a movie was filmed in 1954 called “La Sombra Vengadora” (The Avenging Shadow). But his name did not live on like his rival El Santo. because he was unmasked in 1960 and lost the rights to his character to another wrestler called Rayo de Jalisco.
It became such that some fans assumed Rogelio was a knockoff of Rayo’s La Sombra Vengadora character; but it was in fact the other way around. From the 70s onwards, he wrestled sporadically up til his retirement. He also worked as a promoter, providing many opportunities for upcoming wrestlers.
He once said in an interview (has been edited to read better):
“When I was a child bullfighter, I passed near where the Monclova fighters trained. Back then they learned to fight with American masters who came to the circus tents to fight; because at that time the fight was a circus act. One of those days when I was coming back from the bullfight, I passed by and made fun of them; so they challenged me to get into training …
The truth is that them giving a f**k gave me the fever. At first, just out of pride and courage, I went back to training to learn. They, each in their own way, I was approached to discover wrestling and they taught me some things, I really learned from everyone.”
He fought against some of the greats, including: Holy, Blue Demon, Rusher Kimura, Hurricane Ramirez, and even Andre the Giant!
Herodes retired in 2010, after wrestling for more than 4 decades. He participated in some movies. And he had 17 children, with 8 different women, because he says that he could have the best and most beautiful women throughout the world. One of his more inspiring quotes however, reads as “Although I am famous for hating children, I advise them never to let themselves be carried away by vices and better follow the path of sport”
He held Tag Team and Middleweight Championships in IWRG. After 21 years in wrestling, he retired the Cyborg character to train wrestlers in the Arena Naucalpan. A year later, he returned to wrestling under a different name.
Continuing the White Star tradition, he is billed as the son of the original Estrella Blanca. He worked mainly for the EMLL (pre-CMLL) and UWA promotions. Blanca III was lucky to never lose the mask during his career.
According to the original Estrella Blanca’s Wiki page, only Estrella Blanca Jr is his legitimate son, while Blanca II and III are unrelated, but gained permission to use the name.
A student of TNA (Impact) Original Shark Boy passed away in the summer of last year after a battle with cancer. He had already fought it once and was determined to see it through for a second time. He was known for his work in the Midwest with IWA-MS. A few days before, he posted this update:
“I just received another update from my cancer doctor. It’s not good. He said my cancer has gotten out of control and there’s nothing anyone can do for me besides keeping me comfortable. Sometime in the next few days I’ll be getting moved to a hospice in Valparaiso. They had me sign a Do Not Recussitate (sic) order because all it would do is prolong my suffering. He said at some point, likely within the next 7 days, I’m going to fall asleep and just not wake up. I’m trying to remain optimistic, but they told me with full certainty that I’m going to die. I’m so sorry everyone. Thank you all for having my back and sticking with me over the years. Unfortunately, it looks like this is it.”
He was a powerhouse in a world filled with lighter wrestlers flipping around everywhere. Along with being a Northern Heavyweight Championship holder, he is probably more known for losing his mask in a match to legendary performer Mil Mascaras.
Anubis Black may have been involved in a double murder a few months before his unexpected passing. An eye witness pointed out his markings to the Police, but it is unconfirmed if he was involved in the killing of a couple, or how Francisco Meza came to his demise. The case is likely still being investigated.
Revista Box y Lucha Facebook Page reported: Magazine Box and Lucha regrets to report the sensitive death of Cash wrestler (Gaspar Herrera Rodriguez), which occurred in the early morning of June 22. He was a student of the Moreno battleship and came to fight at the Budokan Aztec Arena.
More from Revista Box y Lucha: Today, June 23, Box and Lucha Magazine joins the penalty that overwhelms the fight family over the sensitive death of Anubis. A fighter who made her career in Tampico, Tamaulipas. Box and Lucha sends condolences to her husband Messenger of Death and her children Anubis Jr. and Messenger of Death Jr.
With 35 years of experience, Don Basher spent more than half of his life in the squared circle. He was the owner of Indianapolis independent promotion Wild Championship Wrestling Outlaws. Basher was an occasional wrestler and booker for the shows. When he passed away a question mark was left hanging over the company’s future. Keeping it in the family, his son Joey Kidd Owens has since taken over his Father’s duties. No cause of death was given.
When the news broke of his passing, many tributes followed. The former NWA star is known for working as a tag team championship partner with Roddy Piper & Adbullah The Butcher. He also trained Awesome Kong and Keith Lee. He was also a great friend of Brusier Brody, and they wrestled each other several times. Thanks for reading everyone.
AEW joins the wrestling world in mourning the death of “Killer” Tim Brooks. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans. pic.twitter.com/UNej0sSQBN
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 30, 2020
Acutely aware of the pain today brings.
He was my birth, my knowledge, my preparation. Home when I was homeless.
Had I not seen him when I did…I never would again. Thank you Killer Tim Brooks for training me. I love you.#RIPKillerBrooks This next one is dedicated to you. pic.twitter.com/9zR32AmNLk
— Merri-Lee (@RealKeithLee) June 30, 2020
