Just like any other sport, professional wrestling has pressures. The pressure to succeed, the pressure to be the best and the pressure to stay on the top of the mountain for as long as possible. Being a professional wrestler involves some incredible highs but the lows, when they come, can be horrific.
These are some of those lows — and one TV incident that was one big misunderstanding that could have started a war!
Here are the 12 most shocking crimes committed by professional wrestlers.
The Sad Saga of Chris Benoit
Let’s get the most shocking story out of the way. Chris Benoit was one of the most skilled and respected grapplers of his time. Benoit allegedly killed his wife Nancy Benoit, strangled their seven-year-old son Daniel, and committed suicide by hanging. The story sent shockwaves through the wrestling community and Benoit’s name and legacy has seen been erased from the WWE history books.
The Unwrapping of The Total Package
Once one of the biggest names in the sport, Lex Luger’s fall from the top of the industry has been tough to watch. In 2003, Lugar was arrested for domestic abuse on Miss Elizabeth. The two were dating at the time. Two days later, Lugar was arrested for driving under the influence. Life didn’t get much easier for “The Total Package” when he was arrested during the investigation of the overdose death of Miss Elizabeth. No charges were ever made and Luger was set free a short time later.
Thankfully, Lex has cleaned up his life, and is now a born again Christian and published the book Wrestling with the Devil: The True Story of a World Champion Professional Wrestler – His Reign, Ruin, and Redemption in 2013.
Real Life Cops Turn Into TV Props
A big name in the Mid-South area, Billy Joe Travis’s real life troubles followed him into the ring and actually became a storyline. Travis was arrested, on air, during a match for not paying his child support. Travis was working with the USWA in Memphis at the time, and when the cops arrived to take him into custody, head of USWA booking Jerry “The King” Lawler used the footage for the TV show.
Good Morning Kuwait!
Leon White, better know to fans as Big Van Vader, was one of the most agile big men in the history of the business. In 1997, Vader was challenging The Undertaker of the WWE championship. Both men appeared on a morning show in Kuwait to promote an upcoming event when things got a little out of control.
According to source, Vader was told to throw a fit at the interviewers line of questioning and grab him when asked if wrestling was fake. Apparently, the interviewer was never clued in on the plan. The appearance almost turned into a national incident, but luckily, the WWE was able to smooth everything over. Vader was charged $164 for the on-air ambush.
Never Bring A Knife To A Fake Fight
One of the founding members of The Gangstas, New Jack was just as dangerous outside the ring as he was inside the squared circle. In 2004, the unstable New Jack was arrested for stabbing an opponent with a knife during a match. Allegedly, the man broke kayfabe and started working too rough. New Jack took offense then took matters into his own wielding hands.
The Gamblers
Blackjack Mulligan’s in-ring persona was that of a rouge roughneck. The kind of guy Kenny Rogers or Johnny Cash might sing about in a song. If the names all sound familiar it’s because the Windhams are a wrestling legacy. Barry Windham is Blackjack’s other son and his grandson’s are current WWE stars Bo Dallas and Bray Wyatt.
In 1990, Blackjack took a major gamble outside the ring and ended up getting burned by it.
Blackjack Mulligan and his son Kendal Windam were arrested for counterfeiting by the US Secret Service in a joint investigation with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The authorities found close to $500,000 in fake $20 bills. As a result of a plea agreement, both men spent 24 months in a federal prison.
McDonald’s And The Olympian
Ken Patera was the WWE’s resident strong man and Olympian long before Mark Henry came around. Patera was a former professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and Strongman competitor. He’s the kind of guy who could pick up very large objects if angry. And that’s just what he did.
In 1984, Patera was in the AWA and hanging out late night with another AWA star, Masa Saito. The pair were denied service after hours at a McDonald’s in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Patera was so angry he picked up a massive rock and tossed it through the restaurant window. Patera and Saito assaulted the policemen sent to arrest them later at a hotel. Sixteen months later, at which point Patera was in the WWF, he was sentenced to two years in prison.
Naked and Famous
High-flying Juventud Guerrera was certain high flying on something one night in 2000 while working for WCW. According to multiple witnesses, the incident occurred at the Brisbane Marriott Hotel where Guerrera and the rest of the WCW crew were staying at during their time in Sydney as a part of the Australia tour.
Guerrera, reports say, began shouting obscenities (first at Disco Inferno and then at others), then stripped naked, and also began throwing chairs near a dining area. Fellow wrestlers who were unable to restrain him called the local police. Twenty police officers arrived at the scene at around 11:30 a.m.; an estimated six offers as well as capsicum spray were needed to calm Guerrera down. One of the officers was a female, who was taken to a local hospital due to an injury suffered during the incident; several bystanders were affected by the capsicum spray. Guerrera was also screaming lascivious words during the incident, but no one could understand him. He has been charged with three counts of assault, indecent exposure, obstructing police, disorderly conduct, and possession of a drug (believed to be ecstasy). This all occurred just hours before the Nitro taping was to start that same evening.
Guerrera will remain in a holding cell is Brisbane before he will be appearing before a Magistrate on Sunday. Last year, he was nearly deported from the U.S. when he and Jerry Brenneman (Jerry Flynn) were involved in a car chase, after which it was revealed that he had a Blood Alcohol Content level of a .20 (2.5 times over the legal limit in most U.S. states).
More Famous Than He Realized
A hardcore and underground wrestling legend, Nick Cage was the first-ever CZW World Heavyweight Champion. Cage’s list of wrestling accomplishments includes wrestling at nearly every CZW show and competing in more CZW matches than anyone. That record might have since been broken since Cage has been preoccupied for the last few years with serving time.
In December, 2010, New Jersey authorities arrested Cage for allegedly robbing a PNC Bank in Collingswood, New Jersey on December 22. During the robbery, Wilson handed a note to a female employee at the bank demanding money, and got approximately $3000. Following the robbery, Wilson and his girlfriend went to Atlantic City to gamble. On March 15, 2011, Cage pled guilty to second degree robbery and was sentenced to five years in prison.
The reason New Jersey police were able to catch up to Cage so quickly was because he didn’t bother to wear a mask for the robbery. He was recognized immediately.
The Locker Room Killing Of A Legend
One of the most notorious moments in wrestling history involved Jose Gonzalez and the death of wrestling legend Bruiser Brody. Brody was huge star at the time and the two men apparently had a fight in a locker room shower during a wrestling event.
Current WWE star Zeb Colter, wrestling as Dutch Mantel at the time, was present for the entire incident. Here’s his retelling of the tragic story.
The Police Stop Heard Round The Wrestling World
Hacksaw Jim Duggan was an American hero in wrestling tights. The Iron Sheik was the classic heel. One night in New Jersey, both men’s lives would change forever, after a simple traffic stop.
The Sheik and Duggan were pulled over at DUI check point. Duggan was honest with police by admitting he was carrying weed but didn’t know the Iron Sheik also had cocaine in his possession. The two were arrested and the story made national news.
While drug possession is a serious offense, the bigger issue within wrestling circles was the fact that a major good guy was traveling with his arch rival. It pulled back the curtain on the wrestling industry and ruined the illusion for some fans. Duggan has said the night basically killed his career.
Hardbody Gets Hard Time
In 2008, WCW wrestler “Hardbody” Harrison was sentenced to life in prison. Harrison Norris was found guilty of running a scheme to force women into prostitution. Norris was convicted last November of numerous charges including conspiracy, commercial sex trafficking and witness tampering.