WWE: 11 Wrestlers Who Almost Died In The Ring

10. Roddy Piper Beats Rick McGraw To Death?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1rq01_piper-s-pit-w-rick-mcgraw_sport Rick McGraw was one of the first wrestlers to ever die young from drug usage. He was just 30 years old when he died of a heart attack in 1985. What's interesting about this story is that just days before he died, McGraw was on the receiving end of one of the most vicious beatdowns of the era from Rowdy Roddy Piper. Fans instantly linked the death to Piper's savagery, claiming that McGraw nearly died in the ring and then finally passed a few days afterward. This is likely to be wrestling fan naivety, although there could be something in it that the physicality did put further strain on McGraw's failing heart. To say that Piper contributed is wrong though, and he in fact went on to headline a benefit show for McGraw. What can't be denied is how vicious that final match was for McGraw. He died just days after the nationally televised bout, a contest so brutal that the referee had to stop it after Piper delivered numerous DDT's. Did McGraw nearly die in the ring that night? Perhaps not, but could his strained heart take the pace, maybe it did have some detriment toward his passing.
WWE Writer

Grahame Herbert hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.