Legendary WWWF/WWF wrestler and manager John L. 'Johnny Valiant' Sullivan has died after being hit by a truck in the Ross Township suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was 71 years old.
News group Channel 11 broke the news with an official report from local Detective Brian Kohlhepp, who noted that, "The driver of the truck stayed here on the scene. There's no indication that this was anything other than a terrible accident at this point, but we're still investigating."
Sullivan appeared at the first three WrestleManias as the manager of Brutus Beefcake, Greg Valentine and Dino Bravo, and held a prominent role as a rabble-rouser during the company's mid-1980s national expansion. Tributes have poured in from the wrestling community upon reporting of his passing, with past and present stars noting his contributions to the industry and their careers.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
