WRESTLING NEWS
Wrestlers Who Sadly Died In Their 20s
By TREVOR DAME
The following story contains discussions of sexual assault, suicide, and drug abuse. Please bear that in mind before you begin reading.
CONTENT WARNING
Art Barr was encouraged by Roddy Piper to pursue the business as The Juicer, which would later land him a spot in WCW. When a prior sexual abuse conviction was brought to light, Barr moved to Mexico, performing in a tag team with Eddie Guerrero. He was poised to start a run in New Japan when he was found dead of a heart attack at age 28.
Art Barr
Hana Kimura had a blossoming career in the Japanese wrestling industry before joining the reality TV show "Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020." After an argument with one of her castmates, Kimura was deluged with cyberbullying, which ultimately led to her suicide at the age of 22 — Japan has since created harsher penalties for online abuse.
Hana Kimura
Probably best known for his work in CZW and ROH, Trent Acid had a talent for the highspot-oriented style that was starting to emerge on the scene, but drugs and run-ins with the law plagued his success. In 2010, Acid violated his parole and agreed to rehab to avoid more jail time, but he died from a drug overdose at age 29, just days after leaving.
Trent Acid
Plum Mariko, a talent for the JWP promotion in Japan during the mid-'90s, suffered many injuries during her career, including multiple concussions. In a match in August 1997, she lost consciousness after performing a standard Liger Bomb and never woke up, dying the next day at age 29 due to a pre-existing abscess in her brain.
Plum Mariko
In 2000, New Japan signed a full-time deal with the outstanding outsider Masakazu Fukuda. During that year's New Japan Young Lions tournament, Fukuda collapsed during a match against Katsuyori Shibata and died days later at 27 from a cerebral hemorrhage, an injury with which he had previously struggled.
Masakazu Fukuda