Sound off in the comments below! After a vacation with his wife, Mara Elena Santiago, he agreed to the Winter Dance Party tour. On May 23, 1999, while portraying the "Blue Blazer" character, his stunt to come down from the rafters was botched, and he fell nearly eighty feet onto the top rope of the ring near a turnbuckle. [4] He then wrestled on the independent circuit as "'Irish' Erin O'Grady". Crash Holly (aged 32) Beginning his wrestling career with World Wrestling Federation and later World Wrestling Entertainment, Crash Holly was a well-known name. Everyone died instantly. In August 2005, Nora Greenwald, who performed alongside Lockwood as Molly Holly, released an autobiographical DVD titled "Nora Greenwald: Shootin' the Shi Crap", and a portion of the profits from the sale of the DVD went to Lockwood's daughter's education fund. Country firebrands The Chicks, stand-up and Netflix sensation Ali Wong and the return of the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con highlight this weeks to-do list. At Survivor Series on November 18, 2001, Holly took part in a battle royal that would guarantee the winner immunity from being fired that was won by Test. Jennings, who died in 2002 at age 64, was haunted by his decision for years to come. THE DEATH OF CRASH HOLLY - YouTube In 1990, he debuted in the WWE, and his nickname went from the "Modern Day Warrior" as he was known in WCCW, to the "Texas Tornado." Details of the bands highly anticipated launch of The MSG Sphere at The Venetian are finally being made official. They were the henchmen of Eric Bischoff, and quickly gained success as a dominant tag team. Coming from a successful wrestling family, Eddie Guerrero had some big shoes to fill in order to continue the success of the family name. In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, a private plane carrying musicians J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly (most famous for founding The Crickets) crashed outside of Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all on board. He was fired for drug-related problems in 1993, but the Doink gimmick transferred over to Ray Apollo, who played him as more of a happy-go-lucky face prankster. He was subsequently fired from TNA a year later for the same problem. Chris Kanyon was a mediocre wrestler in WCW when the WWE bought his contract along with the purchase of WCW. From the long-tenured career of Chris Candido, many were surprised to know how old he was when he died. On December 4, 2009, Umaga died after having two heart attacks, which was later found out to be a cause of an overdose of medication. Dion and the Belmonts were also on the tour, but Dion gave up his seat on the plane after hearing the $36 per-person price tag. A LOOK BACK: Plane crash that killed Buddy Holly in Clear Lake, Feb. 3 She was gifted thats all.. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and JP "The Big Bopper" Richardson had embarked on a . WWF created a gimmick 'The Loose Cannon' which earned him a reputation of being bad and unpredictable. He was a good friend of Austin, and his feud with Goldust was legendary. Crash Holly - Wikipedia No, she was never a major player in the WWE world, but with the company essentially washing itself clean of the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide, it has made no mention of Nancy's death, other than throughout the original tribute show. Tunney, a Canadian wrestling promoter, was the company's figurehead on-screen President and would often be shown in his office announcing new titles or championship matches. The Houdini of Hardcore died due to an overdose of a prescription drug called 'carisoprodol.' Bulldog's most memorable moment as a singles wrestler is SummerSlam 1992 when he defeated Bret Hart to have his first and only reign as the Intercontinental champion, in one of the best matches in the history of the WWE. Minor things, you know. 15 Wrestler Deaths WWE Doesn't Acknowledge - TheSportster Holly's pregnant widow, Mara Elena Holly, heard the news of his death on a . [21] He decreed that he must defend the championship twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, which later became known as the "24/7 Rule". For his achievements inside the ring, they inducted him into the 'Hardcore Hall of Fame.'. Holly was frequently attacked by other wrestlers in unlikely locations, including an airport, a funhouse, a circus, and his hotel room. O'Grady wrestled Grimes in a try-out match for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on January 20, 1998,[13] and both were signed to contracts. His second go-around with the WWE, as Umaga, was a far more successful venture, with the big man taking main event status and even scoring a PPV win over Ric Flair and winning the Intercontinental Championship twice. The musicians had traveled in subfreezing temperatures in unheated buses, and people were getting sick. This video details the death of professional wrestler Crash Holly! Pregnant with Hollys unborn child, Mara Elena Holly suffered a miscarriage after learning of Buddy Hollys plane crash on the news the next day. when a B-25 Bomber made a wrong turn into the Empire State Building. Inside Buddy Holly's Death In A Plane Crash And 'The Day The Music Died' On November 1, 2003, Mad Mikey and Rory Fox defeated Quiten Lee and The Human Time Bomb with Ricky Steamboat as the special guest referee for the Heartland Wrestling Association in what turned out to be Lockwood's final match. At the TNA Lockdown pay-per-view event in 2005, Candido competed in a tag match with Lance Hoyt vs. Apolo and Sonny Siaki. The reason for his murder? Up until that point, the tour schedule saw Holly and his peers drive more than 300 miles on more nights than not. In the early hours on June 18, 2013, Hastings died in a single-vehicle automobile crash in his Mercedes C250 Coup. Later that month, the Holly Cousins began a short feud with Too Cool and Rikishi Phatu. He gained popularity in a quick span of time, so he returned back to the USA and signed up with Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in 2003. At Rebellion, Crash defeated William Regal to win the European Championship. Along with being a former European, Light Heavyweight, and Tag Team Champion, Crash Holly will be mostly remembered as being the one who started the "24/7" rule after defeating Test in February of 2000. Michael John Lockwood (August 25, 1971 November 6, 2003) was an American professional wrestler. He apparently fell out of favor during his time with the WWE because of his heavy drinking and gambling debts and was let go in 1995. Again, like others before him on this list, he failed a drug test which led to his release in 2007. Inside The Plane Crash That Killed A Country Music Icon. Crash Erin O'Grady Green Ghost Johnny Pearson Mad Mikey Roles: Singles Wrestler Tag Team Wrestler Beginning of in-ring career: 1989 Michael Lockwood was best known in the WWE as the younger cousin, Crash Holly, to Hardcore Holly. He would be dead 3 short years later. The most common cause of their death has been cardiovascular disease. The autopsy revealed that Lockwood ingested 90 pills of Carisoprodol. In June, the newly formed WWE ended his contract. He wanted to stay in New York while the rest of the group wanted to live in their home state. Throughout the remainder of 2001 and early 2002, Holly continued to wrestle primarily on house shows and the WWF's secondary television shows. She graduated from Oberlin College, where she earned a double degree in American History and French. He also had one ECW Tag Team Title reign with Lance Storm during his involvement with the stable (although Lance Storm was not an official member). His career did not go unnoticed to the WWE, as he became a member of the Hall of Fame class of 2012. What was the cause of Buddy Holly's death? Their relationship was a strained one, and Hardcore frequently threatened Crash. Around 6:07 pm, Hughes, Cline, and the others took to the sky. [3] He was buried in China Grove in Rowan County, North Carolina. He was found by his wife, and while his family has limited the information made public in regard to his death, it's believed his heart failure was caused by his regular use of enhancement drugs. On February 3, 1959, rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper (aka J.P. Richardson) and pilot Roger Peterson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake after. In January 1959, with his new chart-topping hit dominating American airwaves, the young Texan embarked on a Midwestern string of ballroom and auditorium shows called The Winter Dance Party. Holly was riding high on Thatll Be the Day, while Richardson was known for Chantilly Lace. Valens had written La Bamba, the world-famous song that would see him posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was raised in Pacifica, California, where he graduated from Terra Nova High School. [16][17] At Rebellion, the Holly Cousins competed against APA and Edge and Christian in a triangle match, which Edge and Christian won. Born in 1981, Lance Cade started his wrestling career in Japan. Interest in some of the newer wrestlers took off, and Michael Lockwood lost his place in the story lines. In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, a small aircraft carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson crashed a few miles from. The on-screen boyfriend and fianc of Stephanie McMahon, Test won numerous titles during his WWE career, but remained primarily a mid-card wrestler. Soon, the pretend family members were bitter enemies. Crash Holly via wwe.com Michael Lockwood was best known in the WWE as the younger cousin, Crash Holly, to Hardcore Holly. Buddy Holly's Death Certificate| FiftiesWeb He was related by marriage to Montreal mobster Vic Cotroni and used his power to smuggle illegal cigarettes in Canada. She never knew a note of music, Clines mother later said. Townsend man dies a day after eating Dave's Sushi; cause of death not In February 2000, Crash Holly joined the hardcore division. He was the only headliner not on the plane and the only headliner who didnt die that night. The spelling changed to Buddy after Hollys first recording contract misspelled it, and the name Buddy Holly was stuck for good. The Buddy Holly crash site memorial near Clear Lake, Iowa. Born Charles Hardin Holley on Sept. 7, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, the musical ingenue was nicknamed Buddie by his mother, who felt his given name was too adult for the young boy. In his first appearances he would bring a scale to the ring to try and prove his 400-pound status despite the fact he was 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds. In March 2005, the New Breed Wrestling Association held the "Mike Lockwood Memorial Tournament", which was won by Michael Modest. In 1959, Holly, Valens and Richardson were part of the Winter Dance Party, a tour that had started in Milwaukee and traveled to small cities in Minnesota and Iowa. He later became the Intercontinental Champion in February of 2007 by defeating Jeff Hardy. One of the stars, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is billing the new dates on the Las Vegas Strip as a new show. The Buddy Holly plane crash shocked the world. Buddy Hollys death became known as the day the music died., the satanic legend of blues musician Robert Johnson. By 1958, it was clear that Holly and The Crickets needed to part ways. In August 2005, Nora Greenwald, who performed alongside Lockwood as Molly Holly, released an autobiographical DVD titled "Nora Greenwald: Shootin' the Shi Crap", and a portion of the profits from the sale . The Hart Foundation and Pillman also defeated the American team of Ken Shamrock, The Legion of Doom, Goldust, and Austin in a tag team match. Holly wrote all his own songs, many of which were released after his death and influenced such artists as Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney. The musicians traveled in an unheated bus that frequently broke down. [34] The couple had one child together, a daughter. In the Attitude Era, there was an angle where Steve Austin invades Pillman's house only for Pillman to aim his gun at him in self-defense. On the February 24 episode of SmackDown!, he defeated Test to begin his first of 22 Hardcore Championship reigns. Not so. We will be discussing this topic more, as well as Raw, SmackDown, TNA and ROH on the weekly Pancakes and Powerslams wrestling talk show this Tuesday night at 11pm est. The rockstar, born Charles Hardin Holley, died alongside his fellow band Why would he die and not me?. Shortly before the Badd Blood pay-per-view, Vince McMahon announced that Brian Pillman was found dead in his hotel room earlier that day. For other people, see, World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (19982003), NWA Total Nonstop Action; independent circuit (2003), Power Pro Wrestling Young Guns Championship, defend the championship twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, IWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, UWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, List of premature professional wrestling deaths, "In Memory: Professional Wrestlers Who Died Under 40", "History of the European Championship Crash Holly", "History of the Light heavyweight Championship Crash Holly", "The 16 most decorated champions in WWE history", "A Crash course in believing yourself: Crash Holly may be small, but he has a gigantic drive to prove he can excel in the WWF Cover Story Interview", https://youtube.com/watch?v=0AXp7Oyx9jo?t=13m51s, Lockwood's ECW matches, from WrestlingData.com, "History of the World Tag Team Championship Crash & Hardcore Holly", Lockwood's 2003 NWA-TNA matches, from WrestlingData.com, "IWA Junior Heavyweight/World Cruiserweight Title History", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crash_Holly&oldid=1145607763, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles with dead external links from September 2010, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, APW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time), Ranked No. Its getting so even Cline cant follow Cline.. After the autopsy, the doctors attributed the cause of his death to arteriosclerotic heart disease. The tour hadnt even reached the half-way point. Patsy Cline rose to fame with songs like "Walkin' After Midnight" and "Crazy." After two near-death experiences, the country music star died in a plane crash at 30 years old with fellow country . The plane crashed at full speed into the woods of Camden, Tennessee, killing everyone instantly. They include the aircrafts weight and balance calculations (for passengers, baggage and fuel), possible issues with rudder panels and possible carburetor Induction icing, Coon told CNN in an email. Both physically and mentally, everyone involved in sports entertainment should prepare to endure a career of pain and constant tiring hard work. In 1999, Crash Holly debuted as Hardcore Holly's onscreen "cousin." Instead, Hughes became disoriented in the clouds just thirteen minutes after takeoff. He was released by the company in 2004 and faced numerous personal obstacles, including various arrests for violent altercations. [30] He soon joined Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore in the Mattitude Followers (abbreviated "MF'er") stable. Everyone had been killed on impact. Then, learn about the death of Elvis Presley. I was so afraid for many years that somebody was going to find out I said that, Jennings recalled of his joke. Others, only God knows why they have left us so soon. He wrestled on nine NWA-TNA weekly PPVs, lastly on October 1. Holly, who also wrestled under the aliases of Mad Mikey (NWA/TNA) and Erin O'Grady in the APW before . He was found partially clothed with a pool of vomit around his face. In April 1961, Cline even sketched out her will on a Delta Airlines flight, going as far as to specify her burial outfit. 4 years prior to his death: Crash Holly makes his WWF debut (Raw, August 16, 1999). The presence of drugs and alcohol were found in his bloodstream, but his death certificate noted morbid obesity was a main cause of death, as well as type 2 diabetes heart damage. Although many wrestlers are compiled on this list (sadly), 10 will be featured on slides in no particular order. Coon, a self-described retired pilot and aircraft dispatcher, asking it to look at other possible contributing factors to the crash. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. His parents, Lawrence Holley and Ella Pauline Drake, even wrote their local paper in support of rock and roll. The tribute videos were an incredible homage to a wrestling legend which inspired some real emotion from Superstars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, Stephanie McMahon, and a grief-stricken Vince McMahon standing alone in the ring in the middle of an empty arena. The official investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board. Clines songs Walkin After Midnight and I Fall To Pieces were chart-toppers. The NTSB received a letter from aviation enthusiast L.J. Sytch has lashed out in regard to a Candido documentary produced by his brother Johnny, while the WWE has steered clear of remembering the talented athlete. Well be [back in Nashville] before you know it.. Lockwood debuted in 1989, as "Johnny Pearson" in Bay Area Wrestling, where he wrestled until 1994. It was determined that the Crash Holly death was caused by suicide with a deliberate overdose of more than one bottle of the muscle relaxant Carisoprodol and alcohol. [36] His death, caused by choking on his own vomit, was officially ruled a suicide. A Kansas City resident named Mildred Keith snapped what is believed to be one of the last photographs of the country music star. By continuing to browse or by clicking I Accept Cookies you agree to the storing of first-party and third-party cookies on your device and consent to the disclosure of your personal information to our third party service providers or advertising partners to optimize your experience, analyze traffic and personalize content. Holly's bassist, Waylon Jennings, would be haunted by that night for decades, as he had casually given up his seat for a flu-ridden Richardson moments earlier. . This disease had also taken his father's life. The number to call is (347) 884-8452. The still-unsolved murder is believed to be over a deal that angered the mafia, but whatever it was, it was incredibly personal given the 17 shots. The death of Patsy Cline shocked the music world. A few months later, the Civil Aeronautics Board blamed the accident primarily on the pilots lack of qualification and certification to fly solely by instruments and secondarily on an inadequate weather briefing. He defended it on two episodes of Heat, against Funaki and Grandmaster Sexay, before dropping it to the debuting Jerry Lynn on the April 29 episode. He died shortly after the fall. The Day The Music Died: Inside The Tragic Story Of Buddy Hollys Death. From Elton John and Bruce Springsteen to Mick Jagger and The Clash, Buddy Holly inspired a litany of incoming icons, an Oscar-winning film, and one of the greatest American rock and roll songs of all time. Starting his wrestling career at only 15, Smith was focused on being a household name throughout the business. He was 34 years old. [12] Following his stint in ECW, Lockwood returned to APW where he performed until October 1998. Fatu was released in 2003, forcing the team to disband. Known since as the day the music died, Buddy Hollys plane crash remains one of the most tragic moments in rock and roll history. [30] His last several matches with the company were tag matches with Moore, as well as house show matches against newcomer Orlando Jordan. On February, 15, 2004 at the No Way Out pay-per-view, Guerrero finally achieved his dream of becoming WWE Champion by defeating Brock Lesnar. Copyright 2019 Las Vegas Review-Journal, Inc. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service. She was just 30 years old. Clines distinctive singing style helped bridge the gap between pop and country music, and in 1973, Cline became the first solo female artist elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Then, browse these 44 fabulous pictures of Dolly Parton. While fighting a match in TNA Impact Wrestling against Sonny Siaki and Apolo, Candido fractured his fibula and tibia. photo: Garry Matthew Justice. (PDF). Eddie would later achieve success in the WCW, becoming both the Cruiserweight and US Champion. At Wrestlemania IX in Caesar's Palace, he defeated Bret Hart to become the WWE Champion for the first time. The feud continued into February 2000. The problem was compounded by the WWFs acquisition of the WCW. [21] This turned him into a crowd favorite and earned him the nickname "The Houdini of Hardcore". They took off around 2 pm, stopping in Dyersburg, Tennessee to refuel. Country legend Waylon Jennings, then Hollys bass player, gave up his seat to a sick Richardson. The crash has inspired generations of artists. Crash Holly spent 10 years as indie-wrestler before he joined WWF in 1999. The tour began on January 23 in Milwaukee during one of the coldest winters on record. He was released by the company in 2008 and passed away in February 2014 from a heart attack. Don't miss the big stories. Its the day the music died. Crash Hollys family laid him to rest in China Grove in West Central, North Carolina. In 1993, going deeper into depression due to a number of factors, he committed suicide at the age of 33. His autopsy report lists his cause of death as "traumatic injuries due to massive blunt-force trauma" consistent with a high-speed impact. And he left the band in December of that year. He has, however, been brought up on occasion by JBL and CM Punk. When it comes to impact on the nascent genre of rock and roll, Buddy Hollys influence is nearly insurmountable. In 2009, he along with his brothers David, Kevin, Mike, and Chris, and his father Fritz, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Pilot Roger Peterson also died in the crash. Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson were famously killed in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959, which Don McLean dubbed "The Day the Music Died" in the 1971 classic "American Pie" An autopsy was performed last Thursday, but the coroner's office needs to receive toxicology reports before confirming a cause . Wikimedia CommonsAlthough he only had one number one song, Buddy Holly influenced countless music legends. Health officials have not linked Dave's Sushi to Lewis' death. A number of tributes have been paid to Lockwood. While his siblings formed a tiling business upon graduating from high school, Holly spent his spare time rehearsing country songs he heard on the radio. I will never forget that gorgeous white chiffon dress she wore, recalled Dottie West, a fellow performer at the show and one of Clines friends. He became the Hardcore Champion a total of 22 times. He didn't do much following his wrestling career, other than fighting briefly in the UFC, entering Finland's Parliament in 2007 and calling the country's president a lesbian. Whatever the reason, the plane crashed in a field about five miles from the airport it appeared that the plane's right wing tip caught the ground and the aircraft cartwheeled. He forged a greater legacy once he scaled back his performing career in the 1960s and lived out his hero Paul Robesons decree that artists are gatekeepers of truth.. The Tragic Death of Buddy Holly and His Beloved Friends. [21] His most common tactic was to sneak a pin, often after the champion had been beaten down by someone else, and quickly run backstage, away from possible challengers. She was just beautiful. But WWF made him wear scarves, dresses, eye shadow, and pink dress to portray womanish "Adorable" Adrian Adonis. Flickr/Kent KanouseBuddy Holly was buried in the Lubbock Cemetery in Texas in February 1959. There have been many wrestlers who died young like Ravishing Rick Rude (40) and Eddie Guerrero (38). In Memory: Professional Wrestlers Who Died Under 40 [2], Crash made his pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam in August, where the Holly Cousins wrestled in a Tag Team Turmoil match, won by the Acolytes Protection Agency. [2] He had a long feud with The Mean Street Posse (Pete Gas, Rodney and Joey Abs) over the title. Adonis was with fellow wrestlers in a minivan when the driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to avoid hitting a moose. He had barely graduated himself when he opened for Elvis Presley during a 1955 tour stop in Lubbock.