Former WWE star “Iron” Mike Sharpe passed away last night in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Sharpe, aged 64 was battling numerous health issues in the recent times and reportedly found dead in his home on Sunday.
During the 1980’s, Sharpe was one of the top stars in WWE and was billed as “Canada’s Greatest Athlete” in WWE. Later, he moved to the New Japan Pro Wrestling. WWE issued an official statement regarding his death on their official website.
WWE is saddened to learn that Michael Sharpe, known to WWE fans as “Iron” Mike Sharpe, has passed away at age 64.
Long before “Iron” Mike Tyson entered a boxing ring, self-proclaimed "Canada’s Greatest Athlete" "Iron” Mike Sharpe was battering opponents in a wrestling ring. A second-generation Superstar whose father and uncle both competed in sports-entertainment, Hamilton, Ontario’s Sharpe was a champion in his native country as well as several regional American territories in the United States.
Managed by WWE Hall of Famer Captain Lou Albano, Sharpe used the mysterious (and often loaded) black brace on his right forearm to defeat opponent after opponent while simultaneously berating them. Sharpe’s winning ways were enough to earn him a WWE Championship Match against Champion Bob Backlund in Philadelphia in April 1983, a mere four months after his WWE debut. Like so many others, Sharpe was unsuccessful in defeating Backlund.
Sharpe then regularly competed on and off for both WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Sharpe’s final WWE match occurred in 1995 against Billy & Bart, The Smoking Gunns.
Following his retirement, Sharpe had a school in Brick, N.J., where he trained many aspiring competitors. His students included former WWE Superstars Charlie Haas and Simon Dean (also known as ECW’s Nova), as well as WCW Superstar Crowbar.
