20 wrestlers who died in 2018

Bill Fralic, a four-time NFL Pro Bowl winner, and a competitor in WrestleMania 2's 20-man WWF vs. NFL Battle Royal, died on 14 December following a battle with cancer. He was 56-years-old.

Larry 'the Axe' Hennig, father of Curt 'Mr Perfect' Hennig and grandfather of Joe 'Curtis Axel' Hennig, died of kidney failure on 6 December. He was 82 years old.

Former WWE Tag Team Champion and pro-wrestling innovator Tommy 'Dynamite Kid' Billington passed away on 5 December - his 60th birthday.

Legendary St. Louis wrestling promoter and announcer Larry Matysik passed away at the age of 72 on 25 November. He had been suffering from pneumonia having recently entered hospice care.

Former NWA President R. Bruce Tharpe has announced on 6 November that NWA Hall of Famer José Lothario had passed away at the age of 83.

On 18 October, WWE released a short statement announcing that Dick Slater had passed away at the age of 67. No cause of death was given.

Japanese wrestling and MMA star Aya 'Aliya' Koyama sadly lost her battle with stage IV cancer in late August. She was just 45 years old.

One of Mexican wrestling's most revered luchadores, Villano III, died after suffering a cerebral infarction in late August. He was 66 years old.

On 13 August, Cauliflower Alley Club president Brian Blair announced that Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart had passed away in his home after suffering a head injury following a seizure. He was 63-years-old.

Former WWE Tag Team Champion Brian 'Grandmaster Sexay' Christopher died in police custody on 29 July after reportedly hanging himself in his cell. He was just 46 years old.

After several days of conflicting reports about his ailing health, Frederick 'Brickhouse Brown' Seawright died on 29 July after a battle with prostate cancer. He was buried just over a week later, on what would have been his 58th birthday.

WWE Hall of Famer Nikolai Volkoff passed away on the morning of 29 July, days after being released from a Maryland hospital where he had been treated for dehydration. He was 70 years of age.

Masa Saito, who twice won the WWF Tag Team Titles with Mr. Fuji back in the early '80s, died on 14 July at the age of 76. He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for the previous eighteen years

Chuck Williams, more commonly known as Rockin' Rebel, was found dead at an address in West Chester, PA on the morning of 1 July, alongside his wife. West Goshen Township PD are declared the case a murder-suicide.

In July 2017, Tough Enough III winner Matt Cappotelli was diagnosed with grade IV glioblastoma mulitforme, a type of brain cancer. In May of this year, Cappotelli's wife Lindsay sadly announced that his neuro-oncologists had made the agonising decision to discontinue treatment.

On 29 June, Lindsay posted that Cappotelli had tragically passed away:

After being hospitalised for a month with pneumonia, Leon 'Vader' White died on 18 June at the age of 63. He had been beset by health problems for many of the previous years.

Nick Busick, best remembered for his time in WWE as the mustachioed blackguard 'Big Bully Busick' passed away at the age of 63 on 8 May.

One of the most instrumental figures in the history of the wrestling industry, Bruno Sammartino, passed away on 18 April in Pittsburgh shortly after being hospitalised. He was 82 years old.

Former WWE wrestler and manager John 'Johnny Valiant' Sullivan was killed in early April after being struck by a truck in his home of Ross Township, PA. He was 71 years old.

Original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling star Emily 'Mountain Fiji' Dole passed away at the turn of the year, having suffered from various health complications for many years. She was 60 years old.