9 Wrestlers Who Vanished Off The Face Of The Earth

5. Blitzkrieg

Blitzkrieg WCW
WWE.com

Moving on from those littering the outlaw chud show fringe...

Blitzkrieg was a phenomenon for a brief spell in 1999. The last truly striking WCW cruiserweight, his look and futuristic ring style embodied the last embers of the promotion's soul. WCW at its peak was a league bold enough to debut and push unknowns with the express purpose of blowing the minds of its audience. It was a surreally stupid company by the end, but it was also, for a time, surreal in the best possible way. WCW showed you a vision of the future in the present, and Blitzkrieg embodied that.

His agility was unreal; able to springboard off the ropes and move his body at a 180 degree angle at the exact same time, his dives were impactful, too. Ahead of his time, he was also ahead of himself - his matches while electrifying weren't perfect by half - but he was one of the most promising talents of the proto-super indie circuit.

He never fulfilled that promise because he simply didn't enjoy the life of a travelling semi-famous TV star, and willingly retired to become a nurse.

A shame and a nice, wholesome story all at once.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!