Anyone who has spent any real time on the internet will know that, alongside all of the listicles and cat GIFs, the web is full of bogus news stories claiming that famous people have died. Sometimes the motive is simply to troll people, but often it's a cynical attempt to divert traffic to a website in an attempt to spread computer viruses or get people to fill in surveys. Either way, it's one of the most irritating things you can encounter online. Celebrities such as Kanye West, Justin Bieber and, bizarrely, Barry Chuckle have all had rumours of their demise spread across Twitter as a result of fake news stories shared online. For some reason, professional wrestlers are frequent targets for these death hoaxes. Whether it's their high profile with the worldwide public or the inherently risky nature of their work, there's something that lures hoaxers towards the stars of World Wrestling Entertainment, past and present. Virtually every top star of the last few decades has been targeted by online pranksters, many of whom have bothered to go into great detail as to the supposed deaths of the superstars. Often the stories are lazy variants on common click bait themes, sometimes they come from a complete failure to understand kayfabe and, just occasionally, they are surprisingly imaginative.
Freelance film journalist and fan of professional wrestling. Usually found in a darkened screening room looking for an aisle seat and telling people to put away their mobile phones. Also known to do a bit of stand-up comedy, so I'm used to the occasional heckle.
