Frankie Williams

A 2014 study by Eastern Michigan University of professional wrestlers who were active between 1985 and 2011, found that mortality rates for professional wrestlers are up to 2.9 times greater than the rate for men in the wider United States population, with cardiovascular-related deaths being 15.1 times higher than the general population, drug overdose-related deaths being 122.7 times greater than...

A 2014 study by Eastern Michigan University of professional wrestlers who were active between 1985 and 2011, found that mortality rates for professional wrestlers are up to 2.9 times greater than the rate for men in the wider United States population, with cardiovascular-related deaths being 15.1 times higher than the general population, drug overdose-related deaths being 122.7 times greater than the general population, and cancer deaths being 6.4 times higher than the general population. A 2014 report by John Moriarty of the University of Manchester and Benjamin Morris of FiveThirtyEight also found that the mortality rate for professional wrestlers was significantly higher than that of athletes in other sports. Experts suggest that a combination of the physical nature of the business, no off-season, and potentially high work load, with some wrestlers fighting more than 100 and even 200 matches per year, along with the drug culture in wrestling in the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s contributes to high mortality rates among wrestlers. Another 2014 study ascribes the higher death rate largely to higher rates of cardiovascular disease compared to the general population, with morbidly obese wrestlers being especially at risk. Many promotions employ performers as "independent contractors" and do not offer company-sponsored group health insurance coverage in most instances. This is said to have a causal connection to their longevity, morbidity, and mortality. WWE performers' status as independent contractors was spotlighted by John Oliver on an episode of his show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in March 2019, with Oliver calling on WWE fans to protest at WrestleMania 35. The WWE denied Oliver's critique. The concept of the untimely deaths of professional wrestlers was a frequent topic of discussion on the Opie & Anthony show. After Scott Hall's death in 2022, Bret Hart and Kevin Nash talked about the premature death of several wrestlers, mentioning the mental and body damage as possible causes. List Under 20 Under 30 Under 40 Under 50 Under 60 Under 65 See also List of oldest surviving professional wrestlers List of professional wrestling memorial shows Ten-bell salute Tributes: Remembering Some of the World's Greatest Wrestlers, a book featuring eulogies for professional wrestlers References Further reading Hamilton, Ian (2012). Gone Too Soon: Deaths That Changed Wrestling. CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1-4775-4026-8.