10 Wrestlers Who Tragically Died In The Ring

Brian Ong

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The death of Brian Ong may not have been televised, or even relegated to a non-canonical house show, but that doesn’t make the circumstances involving this accident any less tragic. Ong was actually in a training session together with WWE’s The Great Khali, a.k.a. Dalip Singh Rana, and was already suffering from a concussion. That alone should’ve stopped the training exercise within California All Pro Wrestling, as the very-green-Ong wasn’t even fitted with proper gear for the work. Then, a flapjack attempt by Khali was botched when Ong forgot his safety protocol for the sequence. The wrestler landed badly on his head and tailbone, and these injuries (combined with APW’s poor response time in seeking medical attention) directly resulted in Ong’s death.

Japan, alongside countries like Mexico and the United States, possesses one of the richest professional wrestling heritages in the world. That said, the Japanese wrestling industry successfully avoided an in-ring death prior to 1997, when the promising career of Plum Mariko was tragically cut short. Mariko was talented, but she was also accident prone, and her injuries directly led to the athlete developing an abscess in her brain. Mariko ignored physicians’ warnings about her concussions, however, and she continued to wrestle. Then, at a wrestling show in Hiroshima, Mariko took a Ligerbomb from her opponent, Mayumi Ozaki. She passed out as a result of the move, with officials claiming that the abscess in her brain opened up, eventually leading to her death.

Janet Boyer Wolfe competed professionally under the alias of “Jeanette Wolfe” during the formative age of women’s professional wrestling. She came from industry royalty as the foster daughter of legend Mildred Burke, and worked matches alongside icon Mae Young. Unfortunately, we’ll never know exactly how exalted Wolfe’s career could’ve been, thanks to a horrible 1951 in-ring occurrence. It took place during the second of two matches Wolfe had that day, the first of which ended with a basic body slam. Wolfe was complaining of headaches after taking this move, but went on with her second match, as scheduled. She collapsed on the ring apron during this match, and never woke up, suffering a fatal brain hemorrhage minutes into the contest. She was 18.

Oro

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We mentioned Mexico earlier on our list, with its Lucha Libre style of professional wrestling serving as one of the country’s cultural legacies. Oro performed as a luchador in this style, as a masked wrestler with an impressive arsenal of aerial maneuvers. As part of the Hernandez family, famed within the Lucha Libre community, we as fans can only wonder what might have been, if not for an unfortunate accident. The fall that Oro took on his head was pre-planned, together with his opponent, but this decision to add drama to the contest directly resulted in Oro’s death. The fall reportedly triggered a brain aneurysm, and Oro never made it into a hospital ambulance. He was only 21 years old.

He was the unsung hero of the legendary Anoa'i wrestling family, the bloodline that’s produced such stars as Roman Reigns, The Usos and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Albright married into the family with his wife Monica, and he enjoyed a distinguished career as the rough ‘n ready “Master of the Suplex” in promotions such as All Japan and Stampede Pro Wrestling. Albright was performing as usual for the company World Xtreme Wrestling on January 7th, 2000, when a bulldog maneuver by his opponent left Albright unconscious in the ring. Gary had suffered a heart attack in the ring, partially as a result of his diabetes and poor coronary history. A tribute show would later be held in his honor.

For wrestling fans of a certain generation, a tag team known as The Moondogs will always be remembered for their wild and unpredictable antics. One of the members of that team, Moondog Spot, also worked as a solo star and booker throughout the 1970s and ‘80s. Fast forward to 2003, however, and Spot, born Larry Booker, had long since left active, regular competition. This didn’t stop The Moondog from working a match for a special birthday celebration for Jerry “The King” Lawler, however…a decision that would ultimately lead to his death. Moondog Spot’s fate was similar to that of Gary Albright’s, with the man suffering a fatal heart attack as a result of the physical exertion, combined with his personal history of diabetes.

The career of Emiko Kado was over almost as quickly as it began. The Japanese pro wrestler was a rookie performer at only 23 years old, working only fifteen matches before the tragic events of March 31st, 1999. A blow to the head during a tag team contest knocked Kado unconscious, and it was later revealed that the injury had resulted in massive, intracerebral bleeding. Although Kado would later die in a hospital on April 9th, it was the events in the ring that directly led to this outcome, only the second time a Japanese professional wrestler would die as a result of her work in the ring.

The life and legacy of Perro Aguayo, Jr., born Pedro Ramirez, may not be as comparatively well-known outside of Mexican wrestling circles, but the circumstances surrounding his death made headline news back in 2015. This was due to the performer standing across the ring from Aguayo, the WWE’s own Rey Mysterio, Jr. The pair were performing in a tag team contest against each other, when Rey went for one his trademarked moves, the 619. It was the setup for this move that caused Aguayo’s death, as Rey’s dropkick reportedly fractured three vertebrae. The trauma from this impact resulted in Aguayo suffering a heart attack, and he died almost instantly.

Mitsuharu Misawa is unequivocally one of professional wrestling’s all-time best, a legend in his own time. He was also one-half of what’s often argued as the best professional wrestling match of all time, a bout against rival Toshiaki Kawada on June 3rd, 1994. Fast forward 25 years later, however, and it would be another June match that would serve as Misawa’s fatal swan song. The 46-year-old was competing in a tag team when he failed to get up from the ring, after receiving a back suplex. Although no official cause of death was released, it was thought that impact from the move resulted in severe cervical damage. This was echoed in a statement by Hiroshima Police in the aftermath of Misawa’s tragic passing.

The memory of the life and career of Owen Hart still burns brightly within the hearts of all his fans. This is despite the horrible events that led to his death on the evening of May 23rd, 1999, at the WWF’s “Over the Edge” pay-per-view. Hart accidentally fell from the Kemper Arena rafters to the ring below, after preparing an entrance that required a quick-release drop. The mechanism holding Owen let go too soon, however leaving the “Over the Edge” viewers at home and in the arena stunned. A wrongful death lawsuit from Owen’s widow Martha followed, and the WWF/WWE eventually settled the case for eighteen million dollars, but it was little comfort for the void Owen’s loss left behind.