13 Wrestlers Who Died In The Ring

It's happened more times than you might think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhnOkDV3LpU Note: This article has been revived because of the sad death of Perro Aguayo in the ring this Friday night. You can see our news story on the tragic incident HERE. This article remembers those wrestlers we tragically lost in the ring... Outsiders will often label professional wrestling as 'fake'. While it's true that the punches and kicks don't normally connect, it is still an incredibly high risk profession. It takes a tremendous toll on a person's body, and unfortunately, nobody has yet discovered a method of faking gravity. Every bump on the canvas that you see, and every thud on the canvas that you hear, is real. It has been estimated by doctors that each 'regular' bump that a wrestler takes (that is to say, from a standing position to the floor, as opposed to a manoeuvre executed from the top rope) is the equivalent of being involved in a car accident at 20mph. As well as impacting the body itself, a lot of these bumps can impact the brain as well. The head was not designed to be snapped back and forth suddenly: it causes the brain to rattle inside the skull and can cause all manner of problems, as this article will show. While a boxer may be more at risk of this, a boxer fights maybe two or three times a year. A professional wrestler will compete anywhere between 100-300 times a year, depending on their situation. Of course, things have changed these days, and with far greater awareness of health & safety and medical emergency handling, such deaths are, hopefully, less common. Jerry Lawler's brush with death live on Raw in 2012 is proof of this. If Lawler had been at home, or wrestling on a smaller, independent show, then it is likely that he would have passed away on that day. The following 13 people from around the world, listed alphabetically, were not so lucky. They all died in the ring, testament to the dangers of wrestling and the fact that every time a wrestler steps into the ring, they are putting their lives on the line in the name of entertaining the fans who have paid to watch them.

 
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Dean Ayass is a well known name to British wrestling fans. A commentator, manager, booker and ring announcer who has been involved in the business since 1993, Dean's insight into the business is second to none.