Signed by the WWE at the ripe age of 20, Lance Cade had tremendous success in the developmental territories but that did not translate to the main roster despite his natural abilities. Cade was predominantly a tag team specialist as part of the WWE system, teaming with various partners like Mike Sanders, Steve Bradley, and Mark Jindrak. He was moved to the main roster alongside Jindrak once the Brand Extension occurred and were featured in a four-way tag match at Wrestlemania XX. Cade seemed to be on the fast track to success, having performed at a Wrestlemania at only 23 years old. After an injury, Cade began teaming with Trevor Murdoch and were the main heels of the tag division on Raw. They won the WWE tag titles on three occasions and Cade was clearly positioned as the potential breakout star of the team. Cade broke away from Murdoch and aligned himself with Chris Jericho in a clear attempt to elevate Cade to the upper midcard scene. Unfortunately, this push was derailed permanently when, in 2008, Cade overdosed on medication while on a plane, causing him to have a seizure and necessitating his release from WWE. He was resigned to a developmental deal in September 2009 but never made the main roster again. Cade had blown his chance at being a star in WWE. In August 2010, Cade died of apparent heart failure at the age of 29. Doctors said that his use of various drugs combined with a heart problem led to his death. Cade's death was a stunning blow to the wrestling community, as watching one of its talented young stars drop dead at 29 was not something that could be easily understood.
