Who is the Greatest Tragedy in the History of Professional Wrestling?

[Post]

The Biggest Tragedy in Wrestling

I’ve read a lot of wrestler’s biographies and autobiographies, and am often shocked and saddened when I am enlightened to what there lives are really like. I’ve thought about this topic for a long time, and I am very curious to what you all think

There are so many things that wrestlers deal with that many of us cannot imagine. Yes, they want the spotlight, the fame, the money, and the applause, but as time has shown, many have been unable to handle it all. These men (and women) put there bodies through absolute hell and torture, they have a crazy travel schedule, they sometimes have substance abuse problem, and often suffer marital and other family problems.

I was recently reading Bret Hart’s book, and the stories about The Dynamite Kid (Tom Billington) were heartbreaking. Dynamite was a guy with all of the talent in the world. His tragedy stands out for me because it is a combination of all of the factors I listed above. He dealt with substance abuse (including alcohol and steroids), terrible marital problems, and devastating injuries. He is presently confined to a wheel chair. Dynamite may have even been his own worst enemy. He was unable to control all of his impulses, and he burned many, many bridges.

There have been so many sad stories in pro wrestling. So, my question is, “Who is the biggest personal tragedy in the history of professional wrestling?” I will list some names below that you can feel free to write about. Really feel free to mention anyone you want, just back it up. I really want to know what everyone thinks.  Your choice does can be living or deceased.

Example:

Chris Benoit: Chris is probably the most famous tragedy to ever strike pro wrestling. He incurred many concussions, dealt with substance abuse including HGH, steroids, Xanax, and painkillers. Chris’ true tragedy is best shown in how his life ended. As, great of a ring performer as he was, the majority of the people will remember him as the man that murdered his wife, son, and himself. The guy had the world in the palm of his hand, and he let it slip away…

Possibilities:

Kerry Von Erich
Chris Benoit
Eddie Guerrero
Art Barr
Andre the Giant
Chris Kanyon
Chris Candido
Owen Hart
Davey Boy Smith
Adrian Adonis
Crash Holly
Test
Eddie Gilbert
Umaga
Brian Pillman
Yokozuna
John Kronus
Rick Rude
Miss Elizabeth
John Tenta (Earthquake)
Big Bossman
Mike Awesome
Bam Bam Bigelow
Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig
Nancy Benoit
Dino Bravo
Bryan Adams (Crush)
Road Warrior Hawk

 

[Nate DaMac]

I f I had to pick one, It would be Eddie Guerrero. Like so many others, he had to deal with a lot of personal demons during his rise. From a car accident, substance abuse, etc. But the one thing that I think removes him for the group is that he was able to overcome most of his demons and clean up his act. He reached the pinnacle of success in his profession until the past abuse caught up to his heart and he died. It's just sad that we will never know what would have come had he'd still be with us today, and that's a true tragedy.

 

[Барбоса]

The Murder of Bruiser Brody must be up there in the echelons of not just wrestling tragedies but of miscarriages of justice.

How José Huertas González could get away with his murder on a claim of self-defence is almost unbelievable. Why did he have the knife in the first place if not to intimidate or do harm to Brody?

 

[Ferbian]

It's hard to choose, and to choose fairly, because all in all, they're all great tragedies, some that it would be unfair, and harsh to choose between if you ask me, and I feel I can't really justify choosing one over the other, and because I can't justify it, I will say that they're all the greatest.

But the one that impacted me the most (while I wasn't a fan around that time, I'm still saddened that I never got to experience Eddie Guerrero on a weekly basis without having to watch him on Youtube) who was (as you noticed in the ()) Eddie Guerrero, he dealt with a lot of things through his life, things that, while they were certainly self inflicted (drugs, alcohols etc.) they were still saddening to know he had to go through his life with that.

All great talents (some more than others) who gave their life to this business, R.I.P

 

[harrythem]

For me it'd have to be Mike Von Erich. The guy didn't want to be a wrestler but he was forced into it by his father as it was the "family business". This led to his drug abuse (like his brothers) and his dad took the rather stupid view of ignoring or firing anyone who brought to his attention that his son's needed help.

So sad

BTW, great topic!

 

[Post]

I feel a bit ashamed I forgot Brody on my list of possibilities.

From everything I read, he was murdered by Jose' Huertas Gonzalez because he was a huge draw, he stood up for himself, and he had invested in the Puerto Rican wrestling Co.

Brody was seen as a huge threat, so Huertas (Gonzalez) murdered him...very sad.

As disgusting as the murder was, I am more disgusted by the actions of other wrestlers that could have helped Brody or testified against Huertas.

In Bret's book he said that Brody lay bleeding to death for several hours before receiving help. On wikipedia, it said that Tony Atlas refused to testify against Huertas. Terrible tragedy.

 

[maar130]

For me it was Chris Benoit's case, not because of Chris, but because it tok away an entire family from this world, it shook the Wrestling Industry to its core and it destroyed the image of a wrestler that was admired by all his peers and fans, it turned him into a murderer and someone that none wanted to be related to.

Most wrestlers try to take away those three days and that the man that was the murderer was not the Chris they knew, me too I would like to wash it all away because I really admired Chris Benoit and even met him once, he was a nice guy, unexplicable that the man did those things.

But that brings me to the point of the tragedy it was, it is a tragedy because that man that was so admired and loved by everyone, lost faith on himself, in mankind and everything that was good and did what he did and by doing so not only took his loved ones with him, but the happiness of his own family, his fans, his industry, he took away his legacy and everything he fought for in the blink of an eye.

He put a shock to which the wrestling industry has not recover from, that for me is the greates tragedy of them all.

 

[D-Man]

Do I even need to say it?

I watched Over the Edge '99 when Owen Hart fell to his death. It was during a time when the curtain wasn't pulled back that far in the business. Therefore, I was shocked out of my mind when the camera pulled away and JR and Lawler were left with the unfortunately responsibility of filling time and breaking the news to all of us.

I know many don't agree with me, but I really feel that an incredible career was cut short too early. He was primed during a time when the majority of the roster was full of main event caliber superstars, so it wasn't his time to hold a world championship... but as we all noticed, if he was able to live a few years longer, there was a good chance that he would've captured the world title.

So, in my opinion, while stars like Eddie Guerrero, Curt Henning, and Chris Benoit already go to reach the pinnacle and world championship of a major promotion, Owen never got a taste. That's why I feel he's wrestling's greatest tragedy.

 

[Blade]

There's tragedies, where the wrestler simply dies early due to their own mistakes and then there's tragedies, where wrestlers with all the potential in the world get struck down before they even hit their prime. The deaths of guys like Eddie Guerrero, Yokozuna, Andre the Giant etc were sad, but in my mind they weren't real tragedies. They had fantastic careers and just had health issues that took their lives.

Wrestlers that should truly be labelled as tragedies are the likes of Owen Hart, Dynamite Kid and Magnum TA.

Owen Hart was a great wrestler, always entertaining. He was only a few years away from retirement, and a few weeks away from him and his family moving into their dream house. There were also rumours of Owen Hart being given The Game gimmick that Triple H was later given, so who knows what he could've accomplished under that gimmick.

The Dynamite Kid was an extremely talented wrestler, having fantastic matches in Japan. In the mid 90's, with the likes of Bret Hart and HBK getting world titles, there's a strong possibility that he could've used his in ring talent to become a main eventer around that time too. But the steroids made him an angry, angry person and he lost his family. Then a back injury made him lose his career. He's still alive, but he lives in a shitty apartment in England with a shitty job, which is so sad for one of the most talented workers of the 80's.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

For me its gotta be Owen Hart.

I mean here was a guy who only wrestled to support his family, sure, he was great at it, but its not what he really wanted to do (or at least according to any wrestler interview I've ever heard about Owen Hart). Owen was more of a family man and he wanted to do something that would keep him closer to home (I heard he wanted to be a fireman or a teacher).

Now from what I heard Owen was getting ready to retire from the wrestling business within the next 6 months, so he finally puts enough money away for himself and his family so he could live the rest of his days with the ones he loved and he dies just so Vince Russo could take a shot at Sting. Owen didn't do anything to deserve what happened to him and it was all done to take a jab at the competition, basically Owen died so Russo could stick it to WCW.

Of course Eddie and Benoit tragic, but in a lot of ways they did it to themselves. Eddies was really unfortunate because he finally beat his addiction only for it to kill him after he defeated it (but that still shouldn't discredit that Eddie was the one who did that to himself in the first place). Benoit was also very tragic especially in the way it ended for him and his family, but once again that had alot to do with substance abuse and the fact that Benoit never protected his head (he was one of the few wrestlers that would take a chair shot to the back of his head unprotected, it doesn't take science to see how this tragedy could have been averted).

Brody's death was probably number 2 on my list (and maybe he deserves to be #1), but I grew up after Brody died, and I grew up in Calgary so Brody's death didn't hit me nearly as hard as the other 3 mentioned, but Owen's death just had BS written all over it, it never should have happened (I guess I can say that for all the deaths though), and the fact that the show kept going was sickening, for the tragedy itself and all the incidences surrounding it I have to give this one to Owen.

 

[RVDgurl]

I just finished reading Bret Hart's book about a month ago, and up until then my answer to this question would have been Brian Pillman. However, Bret Hart gave alot of insight into the life and career of The Dynamite Kid and I have to say that he has to be wrestling greatest tragedy.

The Dynamite Kid is often times named as one of the greatest technical wrestlers in the history of the business. He is given alot of credit for his in ring work, especially on this forum in particular, which is unusual because he was basically king of the independents- He only worked in the WWE for about 4 years and only won 1 championship during that time.

He was amazing to watch and he earned all kinds of awards from the Wrestling Observer in the early 80's. This is a guy that possessed an unbelievable amount of skill and intensity. He could have had an amazing career if he wouldn't been able to conquer his demons. He was plagued with mental health issues that were never really addressed and the mass amounts of steroids, cocaine and pills left him a shell of a man, who will likely be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of life. Such a shame.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

While the Dynamite Kid is definitely up there. I have to say Scott Hall would have to be another wrestling tragedy. This guy is someone who just ooooozed charisma, and shouldve been a bigger superstar than he was. We all know his personal problems with substance abuse, and alcohol abuse. It's such a shame because no one held Scott Hall back as much as Scott Hall. A man, like Tom Billington who only have themselves to blame for their problems. Now THAT is a tragedy.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

Owen. Nobody in the world saw that coming. When you deal with drugs and abuse, you know, there's a lot of health-related problems to be expected. With Owen, I'm not sure he dipped in to any of that shit. He died doing what he loved doing, which is bittersweet, but a tragedy nonetheless.

 

[Tully]

I'd vote for the Owen Hart tragedy. Here was a (by all accounts) good guy with a great career cut short by a tragic accident at a live event.

The Bruiser Brody murder would be a close 2nd...but the fact that Hart's death was seen by fans puts it as Most Tragic IMO.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Overall, I'd probably have to go with Chris Benoit. It was something that just took everyone by complete surprise. We've heard of wrestlers dying due to abuse of drugs or alcohol, we've heard of wrestlers passing away early due to long term effects of injuries sustained over the course of their careers. However, nothing is quite the same as hearing about Chris Benoit killing his wife and son before hanging himself using one of his weight machines.

There's so much tragedy wrapped up in this particular story that you just can't single out one or two specific points. I'm not trying to lay all the blame on the WWE, but I think one of the greatest tragedies of the entire situation is that there's a chance it could have all been avoided. If the WWE had paid more attention to what was going on with their wrestlers at the time as they do now, then perhaps the entire incident could have had a different ending and a better one for all involved. I'm not saying that it's the WWE's fault, as Benoit is someone that chose to use steroids. However, I find it difficult to believe that someone backstage was unable to notice a change in Benoit's behavior when you take into account the amount of damage that'd been done to his brain.

Who knows what was going through Chris Benoit's mind when he killed his family. Was it intentional? Was he possibly experiencing some sort of hallucination when he did it? There's still just so many questions left that probably won't ever be answered to the satisfaction of many.

I do have to say, however, that I'm glad to see that the WWE certainly takes more of an interest in what its wrestlers are doing and putting into their bodies. The Wellness Policy has been a very good thing as has the banning of chairshots to the head. It's just unfortunate that it took something like this in order to get WWE Management to open their eyes and actually look at what could happen.

 

[zman21]

for def owen hart. poor guys wasent on any drugs and he dident take his own life. just a tragic accident and he left a lovley family behind. thats what always gets me to hear the love he had for his wife and kids

 

[Kenny Powers]

I would go with Owen Hart since the man was such a saint to people and a great family man that never even touched drugs or alcohol. He was the first wrestler to fall to his death in the ring on live television. That is tragedy in itself even if Owen wasn't a good guy.

Overall though I think I would have to pick the Benoit tragedy since a wife and child were murdered. Benoit killing himself wouldn't be a big enough tragedy to speak of since so many wrestlers have killed themselves over the years. It was the biggest tragedy for a family man who was so respected to kill his wife and child.

I know people will still defend the man to this day because of what a great technical wrestler he was, but what great man kills his wife and son? No matter what the man accomplished in the past no one can defend this man's actions.

The wrestling world also took a huge hit because of it. Wrestlers come and go and got some media attention, but after the Benoit murders wrestling was really put under the microscope. I don't think there will ever be another tragedy in wrestling as great as the Benoit murders.

 

[AjStyles]

I'd have to say, Chris Benoit, here is a guy who's said and done it all that there was to do in pro wrestling, a great family, admired by fans,friends,family, respected by his fellow superstars, and is was all taken away from; his family,his career, his livelyhood, and his life, all because of steriods, experts like to call it "Roid Rage", I think that's bullshit, this happened only a few years ago, yet it is still talked about, brought up, criticized, hated on, and what has that given us, self-respect,dignity, admiration, how about none of the above, people always like to hate on people who make mistakes, yet they don't like it when people point out their own mistakes, so they keep bringing up painful and negative memories just to have somthing to talk about, people need to let go of the past, but forget it, for thos who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it

 

[Caitiff]

My vote goes to the Benoit Family. None of us will ever know, for a certainty, what happened that weekend. But, if Chris Benoit killed his family, I believe we can all agree that he killed the wrong person first. And, had he killed himself first, his legacy would still be more or less intact.

But, to be completely honest, I still have my doubts about the "official" version of that story. Say what you want, but with an impartial jury, a competent defense council could get Chris Benoit acquitted. The reason for that is, the only evidence ever released in this case was entirely speculation.

 

[El Rev sXe]

Ive got 3 choices

First of all, Benoit. His dead was and still is sooo controversial, so polemic. You got one of the best technical wrestlers in the world who is going to be always overshadowed by his death and its circonstances. The rest everybody said it, unfortunely he will be remembered as a killer.

2 choice: Eddie. As I said many times in the past, I was amazed how he did conquer all his demons. Yeah sure, the guy made to the top ONCE for what 2 to 4 months? At this point I think we are all sure that Eddie was about to became THE babyface of WWE. He shown how good can be a Latin wrestler in an american company; but he couldnt show it all the way... he just give us a little taste of what couldve been.

Last but not least, Jeff Hardy. Thats right! He still has a future on TNA but it wont be as bright and brilliant he COULDVE HAD on WWE. I mean his DVD says he overcame all these things: drugs, being a jobber, a house torn down by flames etc. and yes, he did won the WWE championship and the WHC for a month each one. and now he is gone from the biggest company in the world of wrestling. I mean I feel sorry for the guy cause he cant quit drugs! on the other hand I loved the CM Punk/Hardy feud for the back side story: an straight edge life vs "live the moment" life. for me it was hard to see such a favorite go to the 2nd company cause he is the E reject, but I know it is the right choice. Finally I guess from what history has tought us, Jeff unfortunely wont made it in the fight against drugs. maybe Im wrong (hope so)!!!! But I dont think so and he will always be that guy who had a drug addiction that didnt let him go anywhere... and just like Eddie he just give us a little taste of what couldve been.

 

[FCA]

Chris Benoit, the most tragic, spontaneous, emotional tragedy to hit the wrestling world. Regardless of your opinion, the loss of Chris Benoit was the worst. Tragedies like Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero and others were shocking and impacting, but I believe none were as impacting as the Benoit tragedy. I also believe WWE to be in the wrong to come out publicly and apologize for airing a tribute show to a man how gave his life to the wrestling business. In a weird, twisted way, Benoit was a martyr, lying down his life in a controversial manner, for the one thing that meant so much to him, the wrestling business.

 

[fenfool]

Such a difficult question to answer, I really can't argue any of them. My initial thought was Pillman, then the first response I saw was Owen, then Benoit...just wow, way too many people have passed before their time under the auspices of pro wrestling. Make me choose, I'll probably say the Benoit family, since it cost them a young child and a wife as well...but then again, look at all the Von Erich family members that have been lost. I think the biggest tragedy may be that so many of them know the road they are heading down, yet they take it anyway.

 

[luxferre]

My initiall reaction to this was Owen. But then i got to thinking about Jake Roberts. Now he is a REAL tragedy. All the talent in the world and to just throw it away like he has.Shame. Hope Jeff Hardy takes note.!!

Most people on the list died beause they couldnt let go. Steriod's, Coke, e.t.c

 

[plagiuss]

For me it has to be the Von Erichs. A whole family with so much to live for and loved by a whole state and one by one they killed themselves. You would think after one died, the rest of the family would somehow get help. Truly sad and loss of tons of talent.

Brusier would be second. For people that didn't get to see him wrestle, really missed out. He was a truly a beast and really made you believe he would hurt you when you were a little tike growing up. sort of like how abdulla use to scare me.

Good Subject!

 

[Megadeth]

Personally, I think that either Owen Hart or Chris Candido who died directly from a wrestling related incident that was out of their control should be considered the greatest tragedy. They had almost no control over the causes of their deaths, other than doing their jobs. Owen, of course died due to a harness releasing early, and Candido died more or less as a result of breaking his leg in the course of a match. Accidents happen during the course of a match, but no one would expect what happened to Candido. You could make a case that it was the fault of the doctors that treated him that led to his death, but he still would not have been in that position had he not injured himself in the ring. These 2 men died directly as a result of pro wrestling, and thus I would consider them to be the biggest tragedy.