RIP Macho Man Randy Savage, Age 58

Tragic news is in from the pro wrestling world today. Former WWF Champion, Macho Man Randy Savage, has been killed in a car accident earlier today. Macho Man, real name Randall Mario Poff, was just 58 years old at the time of his death.

Website Sky News HD reports that the car crash happened near Savage's home in Seminole, Florida this morning. Reportedly, he lost control of his 2009 Jeep Wrangler around 9:30 AM in the morning local time, leading to the crash. The report says he drove over a concrete central reservation into oncoming traffic lanes before crashing into a tree. Savage's wife, Barbara Poffo, was with him at the time but survived the crash.

A statement from WWE.com said the following about Poffo's life:

"WWE is saddened to learn of the passing of one of the greatest superstars of his time. Our sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends."

Macho Man worked with WWE from 1985 to 1993. Among his championship accomplishments, Savage won the WWF Championship twice, and the Intercontinental Championship once. He worked with WCW as well and won its World Heavyweight Championship four times. Savage was also 1987's King of the Ring winner as well. He did a brief stint with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling from 2004 to 2005.

It's with sadness that I report this news as Macho Man Randy Savage was one of my earlier favorites in the WWF. He's one of the reasons the early days of WWE took off and became so much more popular for generations to come. One of my favorite all-time matches involved Macho Man in a retirement match against Ultimate Warrior at a previous Wrestlemania. These were two of my favorites and they put on a great match early in WWF's heyday.

Deepest condolences go out to the friends, family and all fans of Macho Man Randy Savage. He is truly one of the big legends in pro wrestling and will be sorely missed.

Chris Kanyon dead, former WWE & WCW star dies age 40

In what seems to be an unfortunate trend yet another professional wrestling star has passed away at an all too young age. Just today it's been reported that former WWE and WCW wrestling star Chris Kanyon has died at age 40. The news that Chris Kanyon is dead has shocked many of his family, friends and fans. Chris Kanyon's death appears to be a suicide at this point with details still developing in the story.

Early news reports have indicated that a pill bottle and several notes were found nearby to Kanyon's body in his Sunnyside, Queens, New York home. The news will cause many to remember another tragic death, when former wrestler Chris Benoit committed suicide after murdering his wife and child in their home.

Kanyon's wrestling career extended from 1992 until 2006 according to the Chris Kanyon wiki entry. In 1994 he had worked as a "jobber" wrestler with WWE, providing an amateur opponent to help push other wrestlers in the ring. Kanyon worked in the WCW as a character named "Mortis" (1997) but eventually began to use his regular name of "Kanyon". For a while he used the catch phrase "Who's better than Kanyon?" Kanyon started working in WWE during a WCW-ECW Alliance storyline. He had few storylines including a breif feud with wrestlers Matt Hardy, then Rhyno, as well as an appearance when he dressed up as Boy George and was attacked by Undertaker. Kanyon suffered several injuries requiring surgery after working with WWE and appearing at various house shows as his "Mortis" character.

After revealing in real life that he was homosexual, his wrestling career ended with WWE. Kanyon went on the Howard Stern show several times in the aftermath of his career. Kanyon, althouh retired from wrestling, made a return to the ring this past year to work in a couple matches.

Deepest condolences are extended to the friends, family and fans of Chris Kanyon.

Will Mysterio "Face" the Fans at No Mercy?

(Will Mysterio be unmasked this Sunday?)

An interesting stipulation was added to the No Mercy grudge match between WWE Superstars Kane and Rey Mysterio. Should Rey Mysterio lose this match, Mysterio will have to "de-mask" in the ring, showing his face worldwide to the fans. Rey is the only remaining superstar who wears some sort of mask or face paint. ECW's the Boogeyman has been MIA for weeks, even though his mugshot still appears on the ECW intro video. Boogeyman didn't actually wear a mask in the ring, just enough face paint to serve as one. The Big Red Machine, Kane, was well known as a masked man at one time, but ditched it to face the fans and reality. And with No Mercy approaching the speculation grows whether Mysterio will be the final superstar to lose his symbolic mask.

When Rey signed his contract with the WWE in 2002, Vince McMahon requested that Mysterio wear his mask for matches once again. In Mexico, a wrestler could be fined or even have their license suspended in Lucha Libre by the Box y Lucha Commission for this; there, once a wrestler loses his mask, they cannot traditionally regain it. (info source: Wikipedia.org) Rey, who started wrestling at just age 14 in Mexico, still has a babyface, making him appear much younger than he actually is at age 33, and he's always been beloved by fans. So it's doubtful he'll be put into any WWE horror films, like Glenn Jacobs aka "Kane" has been. (See No Evil)

If Kane wins at No Mercy, the mask removal won't be anything new for Mysterio. Rey's been unmasked for interviews before, such as this Unmasked Mysterio interview on video at YouTube from a while ago. He also removed his mask in the ring once before, but that was in the days when WCW was its own wrestling organization. The WCW match occurred at Superbrawl IX, where Mysterio fought in a "Hair vs. Mask" stipulation. His tag team partner was Konan and they took on "The Outsiders", Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. When Mysterio and Konan were defeated, Mysterio finally removed his mask in the ring in front of fans. According to Wikipedia, Rey phoned his uncle afterwards to express disappointment in removing his mask, a symbol of culture and his luchador wrestling status.

See Rey UNMASKED in WCW Match, SuperBrawl IX!

Many speculate Kane has nothing to really lose in this match. Judging by the carnage Kane has unleashed on Mysterio and Evan Bourne in weeks past, it seems in Rey's favor to pull off some sort of win at No Mercy, so he won't have to pull off the mask.

WCW Star Chase Tatum Dead, Age 34

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, former WCW wrestling star Chase Tatum was found dead late Sunday afternoon due to an apparent accidental drug overdose. The former wrestling star was recovering from surgery to repair a degenerative disc in his back. His father, Roy Tatum states that Chase had been battling with painkiller addiction for years but was making plans to enter rehab.

From Atlanta Journal Constitution:

"He was in the process of getting his life back together," the elder Tatum said Monday evening. "He was confident he was going to turn things around, to live a normal life again without those painkillers."

Chase Tatum's body was discovered by a friend at his Buckhead home around 4 p.m. Sunday. He was unresponsive and could not be revived by emergency personnel. A toxicology report has been ordered by the Fulton County Medical Examiner, which will take anywhere from six to eight weeks, said Laura Salm, an investigator with the coroner's office.

"He laid down, went to sleep and woke up in heaven," his father said.

Tatum enjoyed a 2 1/2 year wrestling career before retiring due to back complications. As he continued to deal with back problems he went on to acting gigs, including a role in the low-budget comedy "Who's Your Caddy?" in 2007. This of course will add to the growing list, with another unfortunate death prior to age 40 for a pro wrestler. Deepest condolences go out to Tatum's friends, family and fans. His funeral will be held at 2PM this Thursday in Atlanta.

Read more about Chase Tatum at the AJC.com article here