Sabu was not the first former WWE legend to die too soon. The WWE and ECW legend died at the age of 61. Several superstars have died at a young age. In this article, we look at five of them.
WWE Has Erased Everything Regarding Chris Benoit
Benoit had an illustrious career in WWE, either on RAW or SmackDown, and was a megastar in the late 90s and early 00s. He was considered a future Hall of Famer, but this was never the case, as he committed suicide in 2007 after murdering his son and wife.
WWE erased any reference to Benoit from its website, so it’s like the late wrestler never existed for the Stamford-based company.
Benoit worked for WCW and WWE for 15 years (1992-2007), winning multiple championships for each company.
Luke Harper Died In 2020
Harper was well-known for his time with The Wyatt Family alongside the late Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, and Braun Strowman. He died at the age of 41, as he was recovering from a serious lung issue.
He passed away nearly five years ago (December 2020). His death had nothing to do with the COVID-19 pandemic, after testing negative for the virus.
Harper was hospitalized for several weeks before his death, as he was dealing with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He died because of that medical issue after a couple of months in the hospital.
After a seven-year run with WWE (2012-2019), where he won titles in singles and tag team action on RAW and SmackDown, he parted ways with WWE in 2019 and moved to AEW, where he wrestled for a few months before being hospitalized.
Umaga Passed Away At The Age of 36
Umaga wreaked havoc during his time with WWE and became the Intercontinental Champion twice, but died at the age of 36 as a result of a heart attack following a drug overdose.
The late wrestler worked for WWF between 1995 and 2001, then moved to TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling before returning to WWE for another four years (2005-2009).
He left WWE in 2009 after failing the company’s Wellness Program, as he was not willing to get into a rehabilitation program. He died six months after his departure from WWE (December 2009), while he had reportedly agreed to come back to the company at the Royal Rumble in January 2010.
Eddie Guerrero Was Considered a WWE Icon
Guerrero was considered a legendary wrestler and had an illustrious career mainly with WWE before he died in 2005 at the age of 38 in Minneapolis, with the cause of death being a heart attack.
This heart failure came as a result of heart issues from the use of steroids and drugs for years as painkillers. He never recovered from those medical issues and eventually passed away.
He worked for ECW and WCW for years before moving to New Japan Pro Wrestling and then to WWE, where he stayed until his death.
He won major titles in ECW and WCW and became the WWE Champion once. He also claimed the Intercontinental Title, the United States Championship, and the Tag Team Titles, respectively, before entering the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, a year after his death.
Bray Wyatt Died In 2023
The Wyatt Family leader died a couple of years ago (August 2023) due to a heart attack following an infection that was related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
His last match was in Jan. 2023, as he took time off in February to recover, but he never came back and passed away in August 2023. Wyatt was 36 when he died and was considered one of the top wrestlers and creative minds in the business after a 12-year run with the company before his departure in 2021.
He came back in 2022 and worked for a year before his death, while during his WWE career, he became a Tag Team Champion on both RAW and SmackDown, and he claimed the Universal Championship twice and the WWE Title once.