5 WWE Superstars who competed at SummerSlam 1992 and have passed away

WWE Superstars have come and gone in the 30 years since the company held its last premium live event in the United Kingdom. That show was SummerSlam 1992 at Wembley Stadium, an event that drew roughly 80,000 fans and featured three historic matches.

The Undertaker wrestled Kamala in a singles match. The Ultimate Warrior fought "Macho Man" Randy Savage for the WWE Championship. Lastly, we saw The British Bulldog challenge Bret “Hitman” Hart for the Intercontinental Championship in the main event - an unprecedented spot for the IC title.

Sadly, many of the stars who wrestled at this event have passed away in the years since. Today, we honor the past as we look at five WWE Superstars who competed at SummerSlam 1992 and have passed away.

#5 – WWE Hall of Famers The Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal)

The Legion of Doom - the team of Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal - were one of the most recognizable and popular tag teams of the 80s and 90s. The duo had won multiple tag team championships between the NWA, WCW, and WWE respectively.

Hawk and Animal were a force to be reckoned with and feuded with the likes of The Natural Disasters, The Nasty Boys, Demolition and Money Inc while in the company.

The Legion of Doom wrestled Money Inc in the opening match of SummerSlam 1992, picking up the victory over the former Tag Team Champions after Animal connected with a Powerslam to DiBiase.

Road Warrior Hawk (Michael Hegstrand) died on October 19, 2003 in his home at Indian Beach, Florida due to a sudden heart attack. Road Warrior Animal (Joe Laurinaitis) passed away on September 20, 2020 due to a sudden heart attack while celebrating his and his wife’s wedding anniversary at Osage Beach, Missouri.

#4 – WWE legend Kamala

“The Ugandan Giant” Kamala had various stints in the company throughout the 80s and 90s. The biggest match of his career took place at SummerSlam 1992 as he wrestled The Undertaker in singles action.

The match ended in disqualification after outside interference from Kamala's manager Kim Chee. This would lead into Survivor Series in November '92, where Undertaker would end the rivalry with Kamala by defeating him in the first-ever Casket Match.

Kamala suffered from various health issues throughout the latter portion of his life, starting in 2011, which included diabetes and high blood pressure. He eventually had his legs amputated as well because he did not accept dialysis treatment.

Kamala contracted COVID-19 in August 2020 and passed away due to complications of the virus that worsened due to having diabetes. The big man unfortunately suffered cardiac arrest and never recovered.

#3 – WWE Hall of Famer "Macho Man" Randy Savage

One of the most colorful and beloved figures in WWE history, The Macho Man Randy Savage has done it all in the company and was (arguably) in the prime of his career in 1992.

Savage defended the WWE Championship against The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam 1992 in a rematch from WrestleMania VII (1991). Warrior would defeat Savage via count-out after outside interference from Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect. Both Warrior and Savage embraced after the match and walked back to the locker room together.

Savage passed away on May 20, 2011 after suffering a sudden heart attack that caused him to veer off the road and get into a car accident with his wife. The heart attack was too much for The Macho Man to overcome, having suffered from atherosclerotic heart disease (enlarged heart) that went undiagnosed.

#2 – WWE Hall of Famer The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior is one of WWE's most intense and controversial superstars in history. In 1992, he had just returned to the company after being fired in August 1991 due to holding Vince McMahon up for money during contract negotiations.

As documented in entry #3 above, Warrior defeated Savage by count-out after outside interference from Ric Flair. This would have led to Warrior teaming up with Savage to wrestle Flair and Razor Ramon at the 1992 Survivor Series in November, but Warrior was released by the company yet again - this time due to a drug violation (steroids).

The Ultimate Warrior died on April 8, 2014, just one day after his last appearance for WWE on Monday Night Raw. He had just been inducted into the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame and was rekindling his relationship with the company and Vince McMahon following years of bitterness and hatred. Warrior died at the age of 54 due to a sudden heart attack.

#1 – WWE Hall of Famer The British Bulldog (Davey Boy Smith)

"The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith is arguably one of the best wrestlers to ever come out of the UK. Davey teamed up with The Dynamite Kid to form “The British Bulldogs”, who were one of the more popular tag teams throughout the 80s. Davey would eventually branch off on his own and become a singles star.

One of the biggest matches of his career came at SummerSlam 1992, when Davey challenged his real-life brother-in-law, Bret “Hitman” Hart, for the Intercontinental Championship. Smith defeated Hart after countering a Sunset Flip attempt to get the pinfall victory.

Smith celebrated his Intercontinental Championship victory with his wife Diana Hart and Bret himself, who at first refused to shake his hand but would come to his senses shortly after and embrace Davey.

Davey Boy Smith died on May 18, 2002 due to a sudden heart attack. Autopsy reports indicated that he had steroids and painkillers in his system, but they were not a life-threatening level. The medical examiner determined that Davey had passed away due to a heart attack caused from having an enlarged heart.

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