There have been all manner of online reports with different versions of what happened to him, some of which are wide of the mark and merely speculation. All I can tell you are the facts that I have managed to ascertain from talking with his family, his closest friends, and the authorities. On Wednesday, Brian called his buddy Chris and asked him if he could come by and talk. Chris was a close friend who had known him for decades and had been there for him countless times over the years. Chris was going to his sons wrestling practice and invited Brian to come along with him. Brian did and they BSed a little, but Brian complained at least two-dozen times that he was not feeling too good. However, according to Chris, he was clean at that moment. I have seen Axl f****d up and I have seen him straight, I could tell the difference. I knew when he was f****d up and on that day, he wasnt. Brian was invited to talk to the wrestling team and turned down the request because he was not feeling well, but he grabbed a picture out of his car and signed it to the team, telling them to train hard. The day that he died, Brian was planning on going to Australia for a couple of weeks to stay with a girl he had met online who had paid for him to fly over and hang out. He had trepidations because, in his words, he didn't want a, Kathy Bates in Misery type situation, but he decided to go anyway to relax and get a much-needed break. That morning he called Chris and asked if he wanted to get lunch before his flight because he was considering not going on the trip. Chris was busy and told him to call back in two hours so they could arrange to meet up. The call never came. At 1:36 PM Eastern time Brian posted the following message on Twitter: The way I do things may not be the way you do things but you will find out there is only 1 way. My away! #AxlsTruth
The author of the highly acclaimed 'Titan' book series, James Dixon has been involved in the wrestling business for 25 years as a fan, wrestler, promoter, agent, and writer. James spent several years wrestling on the British independent circuit, but now prefers to write about the bumps and bruises rather than take any of them. His past in-ring experience does however give a uniquely more "insider" perspective on things, though he readily admits to still being a "mark" at heart.
James is the Chief Editor and writer at historyofwrestling.co.uk and is responsible for the best-selling titles Titan Sinking, Titan Shattered, and Titan Screwed, as well as the Complete WWF Video Guide series, and the Raw Files series.
