Deceased Pro Wrestlers Who Tragically Suffered From CTE

• Bass teamed with Black Bart as The Long Riders in a few territories.
• The Outlaw debuted back in 1971 and worked for 20 years.
• He has a small role in the 2018 indie film Silent Times.

While we haven’t seen a traditional “ornery Texan” gimmick perhaps since the early Justin Hawk Bradshaw days, it was, for a long time, a tried and true gimmick. One of the best of the Golden Era was The Outlaw Ron Bass. In an early memorable moment, he raked his spurs against the face of Brutus Beefcake. Shortly before his death, Bass, along with many other superstars, were part of the Konstantine Kyros lawsuit for brain trauma. After The Outlaw’s death in 2017 due to a burst appendix, CTE was confirmed via autopsy.

Paul Orndorff Was An Expansion Era Legend

• Orndorff’s brother Terry was also a wrestler.
• Mr. Wonderful was trained by Hiro Matsuda.
• Orndorff’s most famous backstage incident with Vader killed the big man’s allure.

Throughout his career, Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff was always on top or near the top of the card. Unfortunately, Orndorff worked during a time when if you didn’t work you didn’t get paid, and he allowed one of his massive arms to atrophy.

But he also did take many an unprotected shot to the head. He would also be part of the Kyros lawsuit and pass away in 2021 due to dementia caused by CTE.

Andrew “Test” Martin Was A Rising Big Man In WWE

• Vince Russo wanted to put Test with Triple H and HBK as part of DX.
• The big man was trained by legends Bret Hart and Dory Funk, Jr.
• Test was part of the big wedding angle that put Triple H and Stephanie McMahon together.

Debuting as a massive Roadie during Motley Crue’s performance Raw, Test firmly established himself as a major powerhouse. Despite having the look and the size, he was learning on the job, it seemed, and never quite caught fire. He was found dead in his apartment in 2009 with painkillers and steroids found in his home. An autopsy by Bennet Omalu, one of the renowned scientists in the field, declared that Test had suffered from CTE.

Mr. Fuji Was A Great Tag Team Wrestler Before Becoming A Manager

• Fuji was trained by Nick Bockwinkel.
• Mr. Fuji is a five-time WWE tag team champion.
• He was inducted into the 2007 Hall of Fame.

Even though he portrayed one of the biggest heel managers during The Expansion Era, Mr. Fuji goes down as one of the most beloved characters of all time. While the lawsuit was eventually dismissed, The Devious One was another name added to the lawsuit regarding severe head trauma. Fuji was one of many superstars who utilized the diving headbutt during his career. It is a move started by Harley Race, and The King stated in interviews he regrets innovating it.

Jimmy Snuka Was Early WWE’s Mega Babyface

• The legend was trained by famed shooter Danny Hodge.
• By marriage, Snuka is part of the Anoa’i family.
• His daughter Tamina is also part of The Bloodline.

Before any of the massive big babyfaces that would help drive the brand, Superfly Jimmy Snuka was, at one time, the biggest superstar in the Territory.

His work was mythical — the big cage splash that became iconic is actually not the first one, which is why future legends like Tommy Dreamer, Bully Ray, and Mick Foley had to get to MSG to bare witness. He, too, would die of causes related to dementia, brought on by CTE.

Balls Mahoney Was A Hardcore Legend In ECW

• Balls was trained by Jersey legend Larry Sharpe.
• Before coming to ECW, he was Boo Radley in SMW.
• Made a cameo on Raw as Xanta Klaus, getting stunned by Stone Cold.

Balls Mahoney was the kind of superstar built for ECW. Someone who had big dreams, decent enough ambition, and strengths that Paul Heyman could harness while hiding weaknesses. The crowd loved chanting “Balls!” every time Mahoney would start throwing punches. But his biggest claim to fame was the way he swung a chair. That also sadly meant taking a few chair shots as well. Shortly after his passing due to a heart attack, it was revealed that he also suffered from CTE.

Axl Rotten Was An Extreme Icon

• Rotten was taught by perennial Journeyman Jumping Joey Maggs.
• Axl’s most famous match was the Tapei Death Match against Ian Rotten.
• Rotten, albeit briefly, worked for both WCW and WWE.

One of the most enduring examples of how violent ECW could get was The Taipei Deathmatch between the members of Bad Breed — Axl and Ian Rotten. The team dipped their hands in shards of glass and started throwing hands in the bloodiest encounter ECW may have ever seen. Tragically, Rotten succumbed to and died of a heroin overdose in 2016, but his brain was discovered to have had CTE.

Daffney Deserved So Much More

• Daffney was trained by several superstars, along with the WCW Power Plant.
• She was one of three women to have held the WCW Cruiserweight Championship.
• She debuted in TNA as “The Governor,” parodying Sarah Palin.

While plenty of fans enjoy looking at and admiring more “traditional” beauties, there’s also a huge search of fans that crave something vastly different. Just ask superstars like Lita and Rhea Ripley. In the latter days of WCW, that star was The Scream Queen, Daffney. Daffney was unique, and by all accounts a very nice and special soul.

She suffered a horrendous injury during a Monster’s Ball Match in TNA that set Daffney down a dark path, suffering from depression and essentially airing her suicide note on a live stream and asking that her brain be donated to be studied.

Chris Benoit Was A World Champion In WCW & WWE

• Benoit’s heinous crime nearly ended the industry as fans knew it.
• Chris Nowinski asked Benoit’s father to donate Chris’ brain.
• Benoit’s case is the first diagnosed case of CTE in WWE.

When Chris Nowinski asked Michael Benoit for his son’s brain in order to study it, he discovered that he had the brain of an 85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient suffering from depression and CTE. That still doesn’t bring a single bit of comfort to anyone involved in the aftermath of this tragedy. But it did, however, help push forward concussion protocols that WWE still uses.