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Every Wrestler Who Died In 2021
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Every Wrestler Who Died In 2021
What's your favourite memory from someone who passed away this year? Let us know in the comments.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Every year sees another class inducted into that big hall of fame in the sky, taking their
00:05place in wrestling history as a contributor to this great business come art form.
00:10Older names who forged their legends in the territory days of the 70s, promoters who changed
00:15the industry behind the scenes, and, tragically, younger stars who went far too soon.
00:21It's time to celebrate and remember the lives of all the wrestlers and wrestling personalities
00:27we lost in the year 2021.
00:31Butch Reed
00:32Butch Reed, real name Bruce Reed, might have made his debut for the WWF at WrestleMania
00:373, but he had been wrestling for almost a decade before.
00:41Wrestling for various territories, most famously in Mid-South wrestling as the babyface tag
00:45partner of the Junkyard Dog.
00:47Reed took on many of the promotion's top stars, facing the likes of Jim Duggan, Magnum
00:53and even wrestling a one-hour draw with NWA Champion Ric Flair.
00:57They got their first Hangman Page and Bryan Danielson.
01:01Reed went to the WWF in 1986 as the natural Butch Reed, where he wasn't exactly a pushed
01:07star, but definitely a featured one, competing in the main event of the first Survivor Series.
01:13Perhaps Reed's most successful period came after WWE, as he ventured to Jim Crockett
01:17promotions, where he teamed with Ron Simmons and Teddy Long as Doom.
01:22Reed left WCW in 1992, and wrestled sporadically until his final match in 2013.
01:29Reed also made a cameo on a September 2000 episode of SmackDown, because how could you
01:33not love Teddy Long?
01:35Rusty Brooks
01:36Kurt Koski was better known to the wrestling world as Rusty Brooks.
01:40Trained by Jim Isler and Dean Malenko's father, Boris Malenko, in 1982, Rusty Brooks
01:45signed on with WWE just two years into his career, and while he never reached further
01:49levels of stardom, he did have a number of highly promoted matches.
01:53He wrestled WWF Champion Hulk Hogan in 1985, and later took on tag champions the US Express
01:59and the British Bulldogs.
02:01He worked as a heel jobber, before eventually opening the Rusty Brooks Pro Wrestling Academy,
02:06where he trained big name stars Connor O'Brien, Luna Vachon, MVP, Gangrel, Diamante and Norman
02:13Smiley.
02:14Josephus
02:17Joseph Hudson, better known as Josephus, and the question mark in the National Wrestling
02:21Alliance passed away early this year.
02:24He was best known for his work in the NWA following the promotion's relaunch in 2017,
02:29having a major rivalry with then NWA Champion Tim Storm, and later forming a team with Aaron
02:34Stevens aka Damian Sandow.
02:37Josephus was also known for his distinct look, earning him the role as Bruiser Brody's
02:41body double in the first season of Dark Side of the Ring.
02:45Jim Crockett Jr.
02:47Jim Crockett Jr. will have one of the most interesting legacies of a wrestling promoter.
02:51On one hand, he was the last territory to give Vince McMahon and WWE a run for their
02:56money, putting on arguably the best wrestling in America during the 80s.
03:01But on the other, his business choices ultimately led to the sale of Jim Crockett Promotions,
03:05the company that would ultimately become WCW.
03:09Crockett was a second-generation promoter, taking after his father Jim Sr.
03:13What is it with wrestling promoters and naming their sons after themselves?
03:16Oh yeah, the industry's massive narcissism.
03:19Jim Jr. would be president of the NWA for three terms, which was a very significant
03:24title at the time.
03:25He eventually bought out several territories in the late 80s, including Championship Wrestling
03:30from Florida, which brought the future icon Sting to stardom.
03:34Crockett left wrestling after 1991, and despite a few short-lived attempts to return in the
03:40mid-90s, he left the business for good in 1995.
03:43Crockett was one of the most successful promoters of all time, giving us talent like Ric Flair,
03:49Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, The Road Warriors and so many more.
03:54Barry Orton
03:55Most people probably know Randy Orton is the son of cowboy Bob Orton Jr., but not as many
04:00know that his uncle was also a wrestler.
04:02And even more shockingly, his real name was Randall Orton.
04:06Randall Barry Orton, or Barry-O, wrestled from 1976 when he was trained by his father
04:11and brother.
04:12He had multiple stints in the WWF in the 80s and early 90s, while also wrestling in several
04:17territories across North America.
04:19Barry retired from wrestling in 1991, but later came back for one last match, a Battle
04:24Royal for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla of All Promotions, which was won by Roddy Piper.
04:28In a 2005 interview with Slam, Barry said he never saw himself as a wrestler, instead
04:34wanting to be a musician growing up.
04:36He also dipped his toe in the acting pool in the 90s, appearing in a number of minor
04:40roles in movies and shows.
04:42New Jack
04:43You will not find a more controversial wrestler on this list than Jerome Young, better known
04:48to the wrestling world as New Jack.
04:51The biggest outlaw in a generation of outlaws, New Jack debuted in the USWA in 1992 under
04:57his iconic ring name.
04:59After a few years bouncing around what was left of the 90s territory scene, New Jack
05:04and Mustafa Saeed began working for Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling, squaring off against
05:08the Rock and Roll Express.
05:10But New Jack is, of course, best known for his insane work in ECW.
05:15His proficiency for taking crazy bumps and inflicting insane amounts of punishment earned
05:19him a reputation, a reputation that varies from positive to very negative depending on
05:25who you talk to.
05:26Whether it was the mass transit incident, the Vic Grimes scaffold match, beating Gypsy
05:31Joe, New Jack's controversies were plentiful, but he remains one of the pioneers of the
05:36hardcore wrestling style.
05:38Don Canoodle
05:39Charles Donald Canoodle Jr. may have one of the best wrestling names ever, and he was
05:43also part of one of the most underrated tag teams in wrestling history alongside Sgt.
05:49Slaughter.
05:50A two-time national arm wrestling champion, Canoodle impressed Ole and Gene Anderson in
05:541973 by holding his own in a shoot wrestling match with amateur wrestling champion Bob
05:59Roop.
06:01Canoodle and Slaughter formed the Cobra Corps in mid-Atlantic wrestling, having an incredible
06:05steel cage match with Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood, another highly underrated
06:09team, in 1983.
06:11Canoodle went on to wrestle for the WWF sporadically throughout the early 80s, appearing for the
06:16NWA from 1984 to 1986, and wrestling the occasional indie match from 2002 to 2006.
06:23Melissa Coates
06:25Melissa Coates was a Canadian bodybuilder who began training to wrestle under Killer
06:29Kowalski and the Ultimate Pro Wrestling School in the early 2000s.
06:33She was eventually signed by WWE to a developmental deal, being sent down to work with Ohio Valley
06:38Wrestling.
06:39Coates made a bizarre appearance at Backlash 2005, where she unsuccessfully took part in
06:44Chris Masters' Master Lock Challenge.
06:46Coates left WWE soon after, but would return to OVW even though she was no longer under
06:51a WWE contract.
06:53She also made a number of TV and film appearances during her life, including the first two seasons
06:58of Extreme Dodgeball, as she is likely best known in wrestling for serving as Sabu's
07:02manager from 2014.
07:04We actually interviewed Sabu and Melissa for WrestleTalk years ago, and I will never forget
07:08the story how our poor camera guy had to find somewhere on her top to attach the radio mic
07:13to, while Sabu death stared him down.
07:16The Patriot Del Wilks
07:18Del Wilks, better known as the Patriot to Attitude Era fans, debuted for the AWA in
07:231988 after being trained by Greg Gognia.
07:26Originally using a cop gimmick called the Trooper, Wilks stayed with the AWA until 1991.
07:31He had a series of stints in WWE in the 90s, the most high profile coming in 1997, where
07:37he even challenged Bret Hart for the WWE Championship.
07:41Wilks was described as having no political friends in WWE at the time, as he wasn't
07:45part of Shawn Michaels' inner circle, and the Hart Foundation also weren't fans.
07:50It's a shame, as going by his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling, he could really go.
07:54His entrance music would later be reused in WWE for one Kurt Angle.
08:00Paul Orndorff
08:01One of the most iconic names of the 80s left us this year, as Mr Wonderful Paul Orndorff
08:06passed away.
08:08Debuting in Mid-South in 1976, Orndorff feuded with a young Jerry Lawler, so you know he
08:13had a strong start.
08:14From there, Orndorff's career speaks for itself, working throughout the Southern Territories,
08:19having major feuds with the likes of Ted DiBiase, Dusty Rhodes and Junkyard Dog, before
08:23making his way to the WWF in 1983, where he was given the nickname Mr Wonderful by Roddy
08:29Piper.
08:30Orndorff took part in the main event of the first WrestleMania, and continued to work
08:35as a main event talent until his departure in 1988.
08:38He dealt with a badly injured arm as a result of a weightlifting accident though, an injury
08:42that would keep him from the ring for a good chunk of the 90s, and then suffered a terrifying
08:47neck injury during a match at WCW Full Brawl 2000, ending his wrestling career.
08:53Paul Orndorff continues to be celebrated as one of the 80s' biggest stars, being inducted
08:58into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame and NWA Hall of Fame
09:04in 2009.
09:05In 2017, Orndorff wrestled his final match in a six-man tag at an indie show in Canada.
09:12Super Porky Brazo De Plata Jose Luis Alvarado Nieves was part of the
09:17Alvarado Lucha Libre family, wrestling in Mexico as Brazo De Plata, which translates
09:22as Silver Arm.
09:23But he's more known in popular culture by his WWE gimmick Super Porky, a name he actually
09:29had before he joined the company, despite it being one of the most WWE names ever.
09:33Brazo's work in the world of Lucha Libre should not be undersold though, as he and
09:37his brother Brazo De Oro, Golden Arm, even crossed over into working for the NWA in Hollywood
09:44Wrestling.
09:45Brazo De Plata's most famous match came in the culmination of a major rivalry between
09:48the Alvarado family and fellow Lucha Libre family Los Villanos.
09:53The Brazos lost and were forced to unmask in the biggest moment of their careers.
09:57Super Porky would sign with WWE in 2005 as part of the short-lived Juniors division on
10:02SmackDown.
10:03All of his appearances were comedy spots and never saw him step in the ring.
10:07Porky would continue to wrestle in Mexico until 2016.
10:11The Assassin, Jody Hamilton Joseph Jody Hamilton is likely one of the
10:16lesser known names in this video, but he contributed substantially to the wrestling business.
10:21Brother of fellow wrestler Larry Hamilton, Jody began working in Kansas City in the 1950s.
10:26He was best known for his work as the Assassin No. 1, and then, later on, just the Assassin,
10:32wrestling all over the world, and in many territories in the United States, and also
10:36working as a member of the WCW creative team.
10:39Jody was forced to retire due to a back injury in 1988, but it was later that he made his
10:44biggest contribution to the business.
10:46He opened the WCW Power Plant, which led to the creation of stars like Kevin Nash, Goldberg,
10:53Diamond Dallas Page and Paul Wight.
10:56And he wasn't done there.
10:57In 2005, Jody and WWE relaunched Deep South Wrestling as a developmental territory, where
11:03it lasted for two years.
11:05If he didn't do that, we wouldn't have that one weird match of Kenny Omega on the
11:09WWE Network.
11:11Jody Hamilton's impact on the business continues to be felt today, and when you made your debut
11:15in the 50s, that means you've done something right.
11:19Beautiful Bobby Eaton What is there to say about Beautiful Bobby
11:22Eaton?
11:23He is your favourite wrestler's favourite wrestler.
11:25Or perhaps your favourite wrestler's favourite wrestler's favourite wrestler, depending
11:28on how old you are.
11:30He debuted in 1976 at the age of 17 as a last-minute replacement on the card in NWA Mid-America.
11:37Eaton would work the territories for a few years, honing his craft, and becoming one
11:41of the smoothest and most polished wrestlers in the business by the time he formed the
11:45Midnight Express with Dennis Condroy and Jim Cornette.
11:49They, and later Stan Lane, are considered by many to be perhaps the best tag team of
11:54all time, and that is in no small part to Eaton's work.
11:58Their feud with the Rock and Roll Express is legendary, as well as their matches with
12:01the Fantastics.
12:03Eaton is definitely best known for his work in the team, but he is also considered one
12:07of the most underrated wrestlers of all time.
12:10He also has the reputation of one of the nicest people ever in the business.
12:14A much harder feat, but one that arguably means much more.
12:18Dominic DiNucci Dominic DiNucci will likely be best remembered
12:22for who he introduced into the wrestling world later in his career, but that doesn't mean
12:25his career wasn't noteworthy as well.
12:28He made his debut in Montreal in 1958, before working throughout the Maritimes, Toronto
12:33and Winnipeg.
12:34He worked for Stampede Wrestling, as well as the Australian WCW, where he wrestled greats
12:39like Killer Kowalski and Ray Stevens.
12:41DiNucci actually continued wrestling into his 70s, wrestling Ivan Koloff in 2005 in
12:46a Russian Chain match.
12:48But he'll also be remembered for being the man to train Mick Foley and Shane Douglas.
12:53Daphne Shannon Claire Spuriel, better known to fans
12:56as Daphne, tragically died in September 2021.
13:00Daphne joined the wrestling business as anyone does, winning a contest put on by WCW in 1999.
13:06The company was looking for new talent, and she was hired, making her name as the deranged
13:10girlfriend of David Flair.
13:12She even became co-WCW Cruiserweight Champion after a bit of complicated WCW nonsense in
13:172000.
13:19She went on to work extensively for TNA Wrestling in the mid-2000s, impersonating Sarah Palin
13:24with the Beautiful People, before returning to her gimmick as Daphne.
13:27She and TNA did not have an amicable split though, as a bad injury cut her run in the
13:32company short, who let her go while she was still claiming workers' compensation, an
13:37issue that would be settled out of court over two years later.
13:41She made sporadic appearances on the indies before her passing on September 1st, a reminder
13:45to everyone who is struggling, asking for help is always possible, and remember to support
13:50each other.
13:51There are links to resources in the video description below.
13:55Ryan Sakoda
13:56Ryan Sakoda debuted in his native Japan in 1998, and was able to work with top stars
14:01such as Masato Tanaka and Shinjiro Itani as part of the faction Team Emblem.
14:06His big break came in 2003, when he appeared for WWE during Triple H and Scott Steiner's
14:11pose down.
14:12What an honour.
14:13He was signed by WWE later that year, and immediately made his debut on SmackDown beating
14:18Jamie Noble and Rey Mysterio, which is much better.
14:21He was released the following year, however, but continued working as an indie wrestler
14:25until his passing.
14:26Angelo Mosca
14:28Angelo Mosca was a big-time pro wrestler, but he was an even bigger Canadian Football
14:32League player, winning an incredible five Grey Cup Championships and being inducted
14:38into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
14:40In wrestling, he debuted in Montreal after being brought in by the promoter Eddie Quinn
14:44in 1960.
14:45He had a main event career, working as the top heel of the WWF in 1981, and challenging
14:51Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship.
14:53Mosca continued to work as a promoter and commentator in Canada after leaving WWE, and
14:58Tempest would like to let you know that this man is a legend there, and he raises his glass
15:03of Molson to him tonight.
15:05Blackjack Lanza
15:06The world's meanest wrestler debuted in 1961, being trained by Vern Gognia and wrestled
15:12across the United States for over two decades.
15:15He and Blackjack Mulligan were a top tag team, formed in 1971 with Bobby Heenan as their
15:20manager.
15:21Their best work came in the WWF, where they won the tag team championships, and they teamed
15:25off and on until 1985 when Lanza retired from the ring.
15:29The Blackjacks were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Professional
15:34Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.
15:37Jimmy Rave
15:38James Michael Guffey was better known to the world as wrestler Jimmy Rave, a star of the
15:43independent wrestling scene of the 2000s.
15:46Debuting in 1999 under the name Mr. XTC, he soon adopted the name Jimmy Rave and wrestled
15:52for many of the top promotions in the world at one point or another.
15:55He was best known for his work in Ring of Honor during the promotion's early years.
15:59Wrestling as such a hated heel, the crowds threw toilet paper at him rather than streamers.
16:04I first saw him in TNA, where he tagged with Lance Hoyt, aka Lance Archer, as the Rock
16:09and Rave Infection, using Guitar Hero controllers as their gimmicks.
16:13Yay, the noughties.
16:15Rave would continue to wrestle on the independent scene until he was tragically forced to retire
16:19in November 2020.
16:21An infection resulted in his left arm being amputated, which was followed by an MRSA infection
16:27in his legs, which also had to be amputated.
16:30While this is absolutely not the end that anyone would have wanted for Rave's story,
16:34we hope that this look at what we lost in 2021 can be a celebration of what each of
16:39these wrestlers did in their lives, sacrificing so much just to entertain us all.
16:44Let us know your favourite memories of those we lost in the comments down below.
16:48I've been Oli Davis.