9 Wrestling Personalities Killed Off In Mainstream Wrestling Storylines

Sometimes real-life tragedy has a way of overshadowing whatever fictional BS storyline the writers were hoping to accomplish. Such was the case when Vince McMahon inserted himself into a death/suicide/whodunnit storyline just one week before Chris Benoit committed a double-murder suicide in real life.

In the context of the angle, McMahon was super depressed. The chairman appeared to have lost his swagger after losing the ECW Championship -- yes, he actually held that title -- to Bobby Lashley. Then, to cap off an episode of Raw that was basically a roast of Vince McMahon's public persona, the guy was basically booed out of the building by his own roster.

The actual "death scene" is quite ridiculous. A teary-eyed McMahon gets into his limo, shuts the door, and then BOOM. A huge explosion engulfs the limo and the chairman inside it. WWE went all-in on the angle, actually reporting that McMahon was presumed dead.

In a sadly ironic and cruel twist of fate, the following week's Raw was set to be a faux-tribute to Mr. McMahon. However, Chris Benoit and his family were found dead that very day, and Vince quickly scrapped his own fake death storyline and turned the episode into a legitimate memorial for Benoit.

And maybe that's why they don't kill so many characters off in this business.