15 Professional Wrestlers Who Passed Away In 2020
2020 has been a very challenging year and its impact has been felt greatly in the professional wrestling business. It has also been quite a tragic year, as the industry has had to say goodbye to some beloved stars. Although the wrestling fanbase often gets divided due to differences of opinion, the death of a wrestler usually brings the community together irrespective of promotion or talent.
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Even after their passing, fans still remember wrestlers for their contributions in the ring, their legendary careers forever cherished by fans from all over the globe. After all, they put their bodies on the line regularly to entertain the fans, so when they're no longer here to do so, we can still keep them alive in our memories.
Updated July 7, 2021, by Shawn S. Lealos: The deaths from 2020 rocked the world of professional wrestling, from the fans to the men and women working in the business. From the wrestlers and superstars in the ring to those who worked in the industry, fans mourned the loss of several major stars. These deaths continued until the end of the year, with some still young and others icons from a generation fone by. For these lost superstars, it is important to remember and honor all the heroes and villains who died in 2020 and celebrate the joy they brought to fans around the world.
15 Brodie Lee
Just when wrestling fans had thought that the horrors of 2020 were behind them, the world lost beloved AEW & former WWE wrestler Brodie Lee. Passing away at age 41 from a non-COVID-related lung issue, Lee's death has sent shockwaves through the industry.
Numerous stories poured out from WWE & AEW performers alike about how kind and gentle of a human being he was. Lee's passing has left a void in the hearts of every person he's interacted with in his life.
14 Xavier
Xavier held a place in Ring of Honor history as the second wrestler to hold its world title. Xavier beat Low Ki for the belt by cheating and became a man most fans grew to hate in ROH before he lost the title to Samoa Joe, who went on to a record-setting title reign. Xavier also made several appearances in WWE as an extra and as enhancement talent before returning to Ring of Honor for another short run.
Xavier passed away on August 16 at the age of 43. His last known match came in 2016. He was scheduled to return to ROH for a match against Jay Lethal in 2020, but the show ended up canceled because of the pandemic.
13 Danny Hodge
Danny Hodge was a wrestling icon, widely considered one of the best pure wrestlers to compete in the ring. The Oklahoma native held national titles in wrestling and boxing and was a three-time NCAA Champion while also winning a silver medal in the Olympics. In professional wrestling, he held several NWA titles, including the World Junior Heavyweight Championship seven times.
He was also known for his immense strength, with the ability to crush an apple in one hand. Hodge died on December 24 at the age of 88. He started to make fewer appearances in 2018 as he developed dementia.
12 Howard Finkel
One of the most recognizable voices in professional wrestling belonged to Howard Finkel. Known by the nickname "Fink," he worked as the lead announcer for WWE from 1979 until 2000, when he took a lesser schedule to allow new ring announcers to make their mark in WWE. Hired in 1975, he was the longest-reigning employee in WWE history, at over 40 years of service.
Howard Finkel died on April 16 at the age of 69. He had suffered a stroke in 2019 and Bruce Prichard remarked on his podcast that Finkel was living in an assisted living facility for a time before his death.
11 Zeus
Tiny Lister was an actor who signed on to play the villain in a Hulk Hogan wrestling movie called No Hold's Barred. WWE wanted to capitalize on the movie, so they took his character from that movie of Zeus and brought him into WWE to feud with Hogan. The two battled at SummerSlam 1989 and again at Survivor Series that year. He also appeared in WCW in 1996, once again battling Hulk Hogan.
In August 2020, Lister contracted COVID-19 and fell ill. He recovered but developed similar symptoms in December. On December 10, police checked in on him and found he had died in his home in California at the age of 62.
10 Tracy Smothers
Tracy Smothers wrestled in the top wrestling companies during his career, namely WWE, WCW, ECW, and Smoky Mountain Wrestling. He competed in WWE as Freddy Joe Floyd, but he didn't enjoy the same success that he did in other promotions.
His WWE run was fairly short, but he wrestled for other promotions while he was still a part of the company. On the 28th of October, Tracy Smothers passed away from Lymphoma at the age of 58. Many fans and wrestler paid their respects to him on social media.
9 Steve Gillespie
Steven Gillespie, mostly known as Dr. Hannibal, began his wrestling career in 1987, and he hung up his boots in 2013. He competed in WWE as an enhancement talent throughout 1992, losing to superstars such as Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, and Kamala.
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In 1997, nearly five years later, Steve Gillespie successfully won a match on an episode of WWF Shotgun Saturday Night. At the age of 56, he was found dead in his truck in Canada on the 18th of January. The cause of death was a heart attack.
8 La Parka II
Jesús Alfonso Huerta Escoboza was a masked AAA wrestler who competed under the ring name La Parka II, in order to distinguish himself from the original La Parka. Escobaza passed away from complications caused by injuries that he suffered from a botched move in a match.
In late 2019, La Parka II hit the steel barrier and concrete flair after he missed his opponent while delivering a dive. Although he underwent surgery for the injuries, he passed away on January 11 because of injuries sustained during the match. The AAA Hall of Fame posthumously inducted Escoboza that same month.
7 Pat Patterson
WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson will forever be remembered by fans as not only the father/creator of the Royal Rumble but also for being the first person to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship and for his membership in The Three Stooges with Gerald Brisco and Mr. McMahon.
Pat Patterson, 78, became the oldest person to ever win a championship in WWE history after he won the 24/7 Title at RAW Reunion. Pat Patterson died from cancer on December 2 at the age of 78.
6 Bob Armstrong
Before pursuing a career in pro wrestling, Bob Armstrong served in the military and he also worked as a firefighter. He had a very successful wrestling career, as he held many championships from different promotions. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.
Bob Armstrong is the father of WWE producers and former professional wrestlers Scott Armstrong and Road Dogg. He wrestled his last match in 2019 and passed away at the age of 80 due to bone cancer on August 27.
5 Road Warrior Animal
Road Warrior Animal was popularly known as a member of the tag team Road Warriors in WCW and Legion of Doom in WWE along with his partner Hawk. The team captured a tag team title in both promotions and they were very popular with the fans, even as heels.
Animal made his last WWE appearance on RAW 1000 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Hawk and their manager Paul Ellering in 2011. He also made a surprise appearance at All In in 2018. Animal passed away on September 22, 2020, at the age of 60.
4 Kamala
James "Kamala" Harris had a notable career in WWE as The Ugandan Giant. He wrestled many renowned stars such as Hulk Hogan, André the Giant, The Ultimate Warrior, and most notably The Undertaker in the first-ever televised casket match at Survivor Series in 1992.
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Prior to his death, Kamala suffered from multiple health issues which caused him to be hospitalized. After testing positive for the coronavirus, he experienced complications from his diabetes. Kamala died on August 9 at the age of 70. His death was acknowledged by WWE and many wrestlers paid their tributes to the departed wrestler.
3 Hana Kimura
Hana Kimura was a young Stardom wrestler who died by suicide at the age of 22. This followed online harassment from viewers of a reality show that she was in. The news of her death drew a lot of attention and many top promotions paid respects to her.
The reality show she featured in, Terrace House, canceled the season. Before her death, Hana Kimura shared a photo on her Instagram account of her and her cat with the message "Goodbye." Kimura died on May 23 after ingesting hydrogen sulfide.
2 Rocky Johnson
WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson, father of former WWE Champion Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, made history in 1983 along with his former tag team partner Tony Atlas by becoming the first Black champions in WWE history after defeating The Wild Samoans to capture the WWF Tag Team Championship.
Rocky was also the first Black Georgia Heavyweight Champion. He retired in 1991 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame with his father-in-law Peter Maivia by The Rock in 2008. He died on January 15 at the age of 75. The Rock and many other legends paid their tributes to him.
1 Shad Gaspard
A real-life hero, Shad Gaspard died on May 17 after getting caught in a strong rip current in Venice Beach, California. The rescue team was about to save him, but he instructed them to save his son first. In WWE, Shad competed with his best friend JTG as a tag team known as Cryme Tyme.
His first heroic deed came in 2016 after he prevented a robbery attempt at a gas station in Florida. Gaspard grabbed the suspect's gun and restrained him until the police arrived at the scene. Many fans, wrestlers, and critics paid tribute to Shad Gaspard and WWE honored him by uploading clips of some of his greatest moments on their social platforms.
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