24 Wrestlers Who Died In 2020

Kevin Greene, an NFL Hall of Famer who made numerous high-profile appearances for WCW throughout the late-'90s, died on 21 December at the age of 58. No cause of death was given.

Amongst sports fans, Greene is best remembered as a legendary linebacker with the Pittsburgh Steelers who, ranking third among NFL career sack leaders, was voted by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

Whilst still active on the gridiron, Greene was drafted into WCW in January 1996 by Eric Bischoff, one of a raft of major league sports stars he hoped would add to the Georgia promotion's growing national exposure. At Clash of the Champions XXXII, the footballer supported Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage from ringside as they faced up to Ric Flair and The Giant. Six months later, he entered the ring himself, teaming with fellow NFL Hall of Famer Steve McMichael in a peculiar mismatched contest versus Flair and Arn Anderson. A turn to the Four Horseman from McMichael - then a WCW commentator - saw Greene's debut end in defeat.

Greene would continue to make sporadic appearances for the company across the next few years, until his wrestling career came to a close with defeat to The Giant at 1998's Bash at the Beach. Perhaps his longest-lasting impact on the industry was encouraging a friend and former teammate by the name of Bill Goldberg to swap pigskins for ring trunks.