Every Wrestling Rookie Of The Year: Where Are They Now?
35. 1988: Gary Albright
An incredibly accomplished amateur wrestler, he was a natural fit for the UWF-i, in which he starred throughout the promotion's early boom.
A top-tier suplex thrower, Albright starred in what was a '90s puro scene boasting incredible, unprecedented range. So much state-of-the-art brilliance unfolded everywhere, and Albright brought a dangerous-feeling legitimacy to what might be the greatest ever era in the history of the medium.
He worked some dates in All Japan Pro Wrestling, and while the novelty did fade, his match with Toshiaki Kawada was a thrilling and totally believable war. Refreshing for its urgent brevity - it went 15:36, where almost every famous King's Road match went far longer - there was nothing like the derby atmosphere of a mid-'90s inter-promotional match, even if content-wise they were never as great as the very best puro matches of the day.
Tragically, Albright died in the ring, in January 2000, in a freak accident. He took a cutter and was pronounced dead moments later.
He was 36.