10 Darkest Real Life Female Wrestler Stories

Top 10 Darkest Real-Life Female Wrestler Stories

Welcome to Watchmojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Darkest Real-Life Female Wrestler Stories.

For this list, we’ll be ranking the darkest and most troubling life stories behind female personalities within the pro wrestling industry. This means we’ll be allowing managers and non-wrestlers alongside in-ring performers.

Did you know all of these, or do you have any memories of seeing these women work their magic in the squared circle? Let us know in the comments.

#10: Rockin’ Robin

There have been multiple documentaries regarding the rise and fall of one Jake “The Snake” Roberts. But it was perhaps the “Dark Side of the Ring” episode that documented Roberts’ career that shined the brightest light upon the career of his half-sister, Rockin’ Robin. This former WWF Women’s Champion was the victim of unspeakable trauma at home. Later on in life, Robin would see her adult home destroyed by Hurricane Katrina before finally finding some sense of normalcy as a real estate agent in Louisiana.

#9: Daffney

The most recent tragedy on this list is unfortunately one that seems to occur all too often, and shines a light upon how important proper care and diagnosis is for our collective mental health. This is because Shannon Spruill, also known as Daffney, died unexpectedly in September of 2021. The former WCW and TNA star had posted a disturbing video to Instagram, which caused her fans to immediately reach out to local law authorities for a wellness check. Unfortunately, it was too late, and the charismatic and hardcore Daffney was taken from the wrestling world and her fans far too soon.

#8: Ashley Massaro

The world of women’s wrestling today is far removed from the Divas that prowled WWE rings during the Attitude era and beyond. Ashley Massaro nevertheless stood out from that crowd, thanks to her immense charisma and ability to connect with her fans. Massaro’s relationship with the WWE was complicated, however, with accusations of sexual impropriety stemming from a military tour in Kuwait. Massaro was also concerned with concussion and neurological protocols within the company, and was involved with various mental health organizations prior to her death. Sadly, Massaro was found unresponsive by paramedics on May 16th 2019, after failing to report to her DJ job the day prior. She was just 39 years old.

#7: Hana Kimura

We realize that the stories covered here…well, aren’t the happiest. But we’d like to try and approach these entries with as positive an approach as possible when we say that it’s of the utmost importance to seek help if you’re feeling attacked, depressed or desperate. Sadly, Hana Kimura took her own life after experiencing emotionally distressing attacks online based upon her involvement with the reality T.V. program “Terrence House: Tokyo 2019-2020.” This takes nothing away from Kimura’s work in the squared circle, of course, as she was a devastatingly talented up and comer with all of the potential in the world. Kimua had competed in Stardom prior to her passing, and by all accounts had a bright future ahead of her in the business.

#6: Miss Elizabeth

For wrestling fans of a certain age, there was just no escaping it: Miss Elizabeth was EVERYWHERE. And why shouldn’t she have been? This former valet and wife to Randy “Macho Man” Savage was seen by many as The First Lady of Professional Wrestling, a kind and sweet soul amidst a sea of aggro and attitude. Of course, this on-screen demure demeanor also hid real life trouble behind the marriage of Savage and Elizabeth. The latter-day relationship between Elizabeth and wrestler Lex Luger was also volatile, and marred by alleged reports of domestic violence between the pair. It was Luger who ultimately found Elizabeth, unresponsive after an accidental mixture of painkillers and vodka resulted in her death at just 42.

#5: The Fabulous Moolah

It’s difficult to reconcile the importance of The Fabulous Moolah’s in ring career with the controversial nature of her personal life. Moolah, at one point, was basically the only entry point for women to enter the male dominated world of professional wrestling. Her training and tutelage would prepare future competitors to enter the squared circle, but behind the scenes, accusations flew that Moolah was also arranging illegal and improper liaisons with the young girls in her care. She was also notoriously protective of her role in the hierarchy in any promotion, even going so far as to screw former WWE Women’s Champion Wendi Richter out of the title (for real) during a match at Madison Square Garden.

#4: Luna Vachon

We mentioned earlier how different the climate was for women’s wrestling in the WWE back in the day, but one early outlier was Luna Vachon. To be fair, most of Vachon’s best in ring work was done outside of Vince McMahon’s company, but there’s no denying the visibility WWE brought to a woman who lived and breathed professional wrestling. Unfortunately, this dedication to the sport she loved meant being an absent parent, battling addiction and struggling with her mental health. Although Vachon by all accounts was an absolute professional working at the highest level of her craft, the demons of substance abuse ultimately took her life back in 2009.

#3: Woman

It’s perhaps easy for wrestling fans today to underestimate the roles of managers and valets in the business. They not only served as a visual focal point, but also could work as mouthpieces for those greener wrestlers who were still unsure on the mic. Nancy Benoit was both of these things, a strikingly beautiful woman who could also appear tough as nails and always in control. She worked with pros like Kevin Sullivan and managed the tag team known as Doom, but is tragically best known for the horrible circumstances involving her death at the hands of her husband, Chris Benoit. Although nothing will bring Nancy back to her fans, her legacy as one of the industry’s finest managers will forever remain secure.

#2: Tammy Lynn Sytch

It’s easy to point to Sunny, a.k.a. Tammy Lynn Sytch, as the link between women’s wrestling and the crossover commercial of the WWE Diva. She was immensely popular during her day as a manager and valet, and possessed a charisma that made her always seem at ease on WWE television. This stands in stark contrast to the personal problems that seemed to have dogged her in more recent years. Substance abuse and arrests for burglary and disorderly conduct are just some of the legal woes that have troubled Sytch in her post-WWE life. Amongst other troubles, a 2020 arrest on multiple charges resulted in a brief incarceration at Monmouth County Correctional Institution.

#1: Chyna

Chyna was known as “The Ninth Wonder of the World” during her time as a part of the WWE’s Women’s Division, a pioneer for female professional wrestlers then, now and forever. Chyna’s in-ring career saw plenty of highlights, including being the first woman to hold the Intercontinental Championship. Despite this, the woman born Joanie Laurer struggled with addiction and personal demons, even appearing on reality T.V. programs to confront these issues head on. A career in adult films was just one strange turn in a life that seemed to orbit so many different kinds of people, all of whom she touched with her warm personality and sweet demeanor. Sadly, Chyna would pass away from an accidental overdose on April 17th, 2016.