10 Weirdest Mind-Blowing Wrestling Facts (According To Reddit)

10. Steve Blackman Nearly Died Of Malaria Before His WWE Run

Steve Blackman was and is hard as f*ck, but he was given one of the toughest battles of his life long before he broke through in WWE in late 1997.

Ironically, it was during his first attempt at Titan Superstardom that a health concern outside of the ring almost took away his livelihood. After working for Stampede Wrestling in the mid-1980s, he was on the verge of scoring a full-time contract following some brief television appearances until he contracted near-fatal malaria during a tour of South Africa in 1989. It left him confined to a bed for almost two years, with the damage done to his health, size and mobility enough to put paid to his hopes and dreams of ever making it in such a physically demanding trade.

Until he did, because he's hard as f*ck and wasn't going to take no for an answer. In some sweet circular synergy, it was Stampede cornerstones Owen Hart and Brian Pillman that helped him back through the door.