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The world of professional wrestling seems remarkably glamorous from outside. However, all that glitters is not gold. The performers have a grueling schedule which takes a toll on their bodies.
Wrestlers walk on a thin line each time they step into the ring. One botched move and their career may get over in no time, just like Tyson Kidd.
Over the years, many legends and WWE Hall of Famers like Edge, Bret Hart, and Stone Cold needed to retire for health reasons as a result of numerous bumps.
But not many have been so lucky, a plethora of wrestlers both beloved and in their primes have died suddenly. These deaths could be due to heart attacks or drug overdoses, the latter being the more common reason.
Here are five such wrestlers who left for the heavenly abode a bit too soon.
Honorable Mentions: Rick Rude, Bam Bam Bigelow, British Bulldog
#5 Andre The Giant (46)
Andre The Giant needs no introduction. Unarguably the most popular pro-wrestler of the 80s, Andre was not just "The Eighth Wonder of the World," but was the sole inductee of the inaugural class of the WWE Hall of Fame in 1993.
A one-time World Heavyweight Champion and a one-time World Tag Team Champion, Andre's rivalry with Hulk Hogan ranks amongst the best of all time.
Andre died in his sleep of congestive heart failure in January 1993, in a Paris hotel room. His condition of gigantism had an impact on his health and led to his demise.
Andre The Giant is still remembered and commemorated by the wrestling fraternity. Since 2014, the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is held every year at WrestleMania to celebrate the success and life of the big man. In April 2018, HBO aired a documentary honoring Andre The Giant.
#4 Mr Perfect (44)
Curt Hennig, popularly known as Mr. Perfect, remains to date arguably the best wrestler to never hold a World Title in WWF or WCW. Hennig's reign as the Intercontinental Champion in the 90s help garner credibility for him and the title.
At WCW, he was also a United States Heavyweight Champion and World Tag Team Champion, alongside Barry Windham.
Mr. Perfect died in February 2003 due to acute cocaine intoxication. Steroids and painkillers had a big impact on his health.
Curt Hennig was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007. His son, Joe, uses the ring name Curtis Axel, representing his father's first name and his grandfather's nickname, respectively.
#3 Yokozuna (34)
Yokozuna is one of the greatest Samoan wrestlers to have stepped into the squared circle. Billed as a legendary Japanese sumo wrestler, Yokozuna was a two-time World Heavyweight Champion and a two-time Tag Team Champion.
He even won the Royal Rumble in 1993, after eliminating Randy Savage. He is the third fastest newcomer after Brock Lesnar and Sheamus to win the WWF/WWE Championship after his debut.
While on an independent wrestling tour in Europe, Yokozuna died from pulmonary edema in his Liverpool room. His weight at the time of his death was 580 lbs, and the reason for his death was attributed to his lungs showing severe signs of blockage due to a fluid.
In March 2012 Yokozuna was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his cousins, The Usos and Rikishi.
#2 Eddie Guerrero (38)
Eddie Guerrero is one of the most electrifying and beloved wrestlers to have stepped into the ring. From WCW, ECW to WWE, Eddie made a mark wherever he went. He remains the last person to pin Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship.
After fighting his demons throughout his wrestling career and turning his life around for good, Eddie passed away in November 2005 in a hotel room.
The autopsy revealed that the cause of his death was due to sudden heart failure, which his wife, Vicki, attributed to his past abuse of illegal substances and alcohol.
Superstars like Latino Heat are rare and he left an impact and legacy on the professional wrestling industry as an inspiration to many future professional wrestlers, like Sasha Banks, who as a tribute to the legend, wore a strikingly similar ring attire at WrestleMania 32.
#1 Owen Hart (34)
Owen Hart is undoubtedly one of the greatest tag-team performers in the history of pro-wrestling. A four-time tag-team champion, Owen is best known for having a class-apart rivalry with his brother, Bret Hart.
Their steel cage match at SummerSlam 1994 ranks amongst the best matches in WWF's history.
On May 23rd 1999, Owen Hart during his ring entrance at the WWF's Over the Edge pay-per-view event, fell tragically when his release opened untimely with him being suspended nearly 80 feet above the ring, leaving him dead.
A special episode, RAW is Owen aired the next night and had shoot interviews with fellow wrestlers who had great stories to tell about Hart.
Such is the legacy of Owen Hart that Kevin Owens named his son Owen and incorporated the name into his ring name as a tribute to both of them.
