Ex-WWE Star Darren 'Droz' Drozdov Passes Away Aged 54

Tributes are pouring in following the death of former WWE wrestler Droz.

Droz Injury
www.onlineworldofwrestling.com

Former WWE star Darren 'Droz' Drozdov has sadly died aged just 54.

News filtered in late on Friday afternoon/early evening that the ex-pro wrestler and NFL player had passed away earlier that morning. His family shared the sad news, and WWE posted tributes across all company social streams (including on Instagram).

During their statement, Darren's family said he'd passed away due to "natural causes", and thanked WWE for continuing to support Drozdov for the final 24 years of his life; Droz suffered a career-ending and life-threatening injury that left him paralysed during a match vs. D-Lo Brown in 1999.

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He was consigned to a custom-built wheelchair, but always found time to crack a smile whenever the cameras captured him candidly at home and later regained some feeling in his upper body and arms. The man's spirit never faded despite truly grim circumstances, and that's something family members reminisced about when sharing this depressing news.

They extended "deepest appreciation to everyone" for all the well wishes already pouring in, and said they'd like Drozdov to be remembered positively for his "warmth, love, and laughter".

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WWE opened Friday's episode of SmackDown with a graphic paying tribute to Drozdov.

All here at WhatCulture wish to extend our deepest thoughts and condolences to Darren's family and friends.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.