10 Wrestlers Who Died In 2016
From Hall Of Famers to indie pioneers, 2016 was rife with tragic passings.
2016 has been a pretty depressing year. From widespread social and cultural upheaval to the catastrophic Toblerone redesign, barely a week has passed without a horrendous news story breaking. Few people will mourn 2016's passing when the clock finally strikes midnight on January 1, and for many, the year will be defined by disappointment.
As much as anything else, 2016 will be remembered for the passing of an unprecedented number of pop culture icons. From Muhammad Ali, the consensus greatest boxer of all-time, to musical icons like David Bowie and George Michael, the year has seen a number of beloved public figures slip from their mortal coil, and the trend is reflected in wrestling.
No year passes without a spate of high-profile deaths in the wrestling industry, and while 2016 hasn't brought any in-ring tragedies like Perry Aguayo Jr.'s in 2015, it did contain a number of major passings. Last year saw Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, and countless others fade away, and this year sees them joined by a slew of Hall of Famers, hardcore brawlers, and those who never quite got their due as performers.
Some of the names within lived into their 70s and 80s, but others were taken long before their time. Regardless of the circumstances, each of these wrestlers made a major contribution to the industry in their own unique way, and their memories shall live on.
Here are 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'.