Darren Drozdov, a former NFL player who played for the Denver Broncos before becoming a professional wrestler, died Friday, his family made the announcement through World Wrestling Entertainment. He was 54.
According to his family, Drozdov died due to natural causes. He had been a quadriplegic since October of 1999 after he got paralyzed performing in the ring.
Drozdov played for the Broncos from 1993-1994, competing in six career games with two starts for Denver in ‘93. He played collegiately at Maryland, with stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets organizations.
“We’re saddened by the passing of Darren Drozdov, who played for the Broncos from 1993-94 before becoming a @WWE wrestler,” the Broncos said in a statement. “‘Droz’ embodied the spirit of perseverance & determination through adversity, and our hearts go out to his family.”
When his NFL days ended, the ex-Broncos tried his hand at the World Wrestling Federation, starting in 1998. Early in his career, he was dubbed “Puke” a name which he got after he was caught on video during his football days vomiting on the field. He had an unforgettable scene in the wrestling documentary “Beyond the Mat’’ when owner and chairman Vince McMahon requested that he upchuck on command.
Haven joined the WWF during the so-called “Attitude Era’’, Drozdov gained his biggest notoriety when he joined the Legion of Doom (also known as the Road Warriors), one of professional wrestling’s most renowned tag teams of all time. As part of the LOD gimmick, “Droz’’ wore shoulder pads again, only this time they had spikes on them.
Drozdov’s career tragically ended when he was taping an episode of Smackdown when he landed wrong taking a powerbomb from D-Lo Brown.
His family recorded that he was preserved through the tragedy.
“Droz maintained a championship mindset and lived every day to the fullest even though he was unable to move from the neck down for the past 24 years,” a portion of his family’s statement read. “His own words sum up his relentless positivity in the midst of adversity: ‘There is always another day. Just because I’m paralyzed and stuck in a wheelchair, doesn’t mean my life is over. I’ve learned to live again, and my life is far from over.'”
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