10 Wrestlers Who Died In 2016

10. 'Iron' Mike Sharpe

Once billed as “Canada’s greatest athlete,” “Iron” Mike Sharpe passed away following a long battle with ill health on 17 January 2016. He was 64 years old, and while regularly used as a jobber to the stars, Sharpe featured prominently for WWE in the 1980s.

Sharpe was born into a wrestling family, and his father and uncle tagged together in the 1950s. Mike made the decision to follow them into the wrestling business in his mid 20s, and after training under Dewey Robertson, Sharpe started working for Gene Kiniski’s NWA All-Star in the ‘70s. WWE picked him up in 1983, and it was there that Sharpe enjoyed the biggest push of his career.

Flanked by legendary manager Captain Lou Albano, Sharpe went on a long winning streak in WWE’s midcard. It culminated in April, when he received a title shot against then World Champion Bob Backlund, but he was defeated. Sharpe’s career never quite recovered from there, and he was primarily used in an enhancement role going forward.

Sharpe made his last televised in-ring appearance wrestling The Smoking Gunns in 1995, and opened a training school in his retirement. Simon Dean and Charlie Haas are among his most famous trainees, and away from the ring, Sharpe was known as a borderline OCD clean freak, earning himself the nickname 'Mr. Clean'.