Number 7 Jimmy Snuka
Credited for bringing the high-flying style to the World Wrestling Federation,
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka was a popular figure with the promotion in the 1980s and even made
sporadic appearances after it changed its named to World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE. By the
time of his return, however, Snuka had already been connected to the death of his girlfriend,
Nancy Argentino, on May the 10th of 1983. A few hours after a WWF taping, Snuka called the
emergency services from a hotel in Allentown, Pennsylvania. 23-year-old Argentino was found
unresponsive in their hotel room and taken to the Sacred Heart Medical Center, where
she succumbed to "undetermined craniocerebral injuries". They were reportedly consistent
with a moving head striking a stationary target while the young woman had over a dozen bruises
and cuts on her head and body, suggesting she’d been attacked. A forensic pathologist
recommended the case be treated as a homicide but charges weren’t pressed against Snuka,
even though he was the only suspect. The case was left officially open until it was picked up again
in June of 2013, more than three decades since Argentino’s death. Two years later, Snuka was
arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter and third-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty
and was found mentally unfit to stand trial after it emerged he was suffering from dementia, which
allegedly stemmed from wrestling-related injuries. As his health and mental competency continued to
decline, the charges against the 73-year-old were dismissed on January the 3rd of 2017.
Snuka died later that same month. Number 6 Chris Benoit
Canadian pro wrestler Chris Benoit’s career spanned over two decades,
during which he earned numerous accolades, including becoming a multiple-time WWE champion.
In June of 2007, he was slated to be crowned champion of the promotion’s ECW branch but missed
the pay-per-view due to a “familial emergency”. During the event, held on the 24th of the month,
he was replaced for the title match, the majority of which the crowd spent chanting Benoit’s name.
The following day, police found him dead at his home in Fayetteville, Georgia, along with his
wife and son. It was determined that Benoit had bound and fatally strangled his wife,
Nancy. He then drugged their son, Daniel, with Xanax, likely rendering him unconscious,
and then strangled him to death as well. Copies of the Bible were placed next to both their bodies
before Benoit used a lat pull-down machine to take his own life. He wrapped a towel around his neck,
attached it to the handle of the workout machine, and then released the heavy weight,
breaking his neck instantly. The tragedy sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling industry,
of which Benoit was one of the most prominent stars at the time, and multiple theories emerged
in the aftermath as to the root cause of his violent behavior. Steroid use and domestic
disputes were considered in addition to brain damage from concussions sustained throughout
his career, which would’ve greatly altered his behavior. Benoit was one of only a few wrestlers
to allow being hit in the back of the head with a chair. His finishing move, a diving headbutt,
involved him landing head-first into his opponents, after jumping off the top rope,
and it was also seen as a source of potential trauma. Analysis from the neurosurgery department
at West Virginia University revealed that Benoit’s brain was so compromised that it resembled that of
an “85-year-old Alzheimer’s patient”. Other tests indicated the presence of severe chronic traumatic
encephalopathy and extensive damage to all four brain lobes as well as the brain stem.
Number 5 Hulk Hogan Through his All-American persona,
wrestling icon Terry Eugene Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, was credited with spearheading the
surge of pro wrestling’s popularity in the 1980s and beyond. Among other avenues, he parlayed
the attention gained with the promotion into a film and a reality TV career. On March the 27th
of 1985, just days before the first ever WrestleMania, which would become a flagship annual
event for the promotion, Hogan appeared on a cable TV Talk Show called Hot Properties. In spite of
the wrestler’s reservations, presenter Richard Belzer insisted he show him one of his signature
moves. Hogan eventually agreed and put him in a front chin lock. He then squeezed it and Belzer
passed out before dropping out of Hogan’s grip and hitting his head on the studio’s floor. Mr. T,
a fellow guest on the show and Hogan’s partner in the upcoming tag team event at WrestleMania,
tried to assure the audience Belzer was all right. A clip of the incident showed the presenter
then helped up to his feet by Hogan and then announcing a commercial break. He was taken
to the hospital and had nine stitches applied to the back of his head. Belzer sued Hogan in
the aftermath and the matter was resolved for an undisclosed sum outside of court. He reportedly
used the money to buy a home in Nice, France, which he ironically nicknamed “Chez Hogan”.
Number 4 Hardy Boyz While each enjoyed solo accolades,
Jeff and Matt Hardy are often remembered for forming the Hardy Boyz, arguably one of the WWE’s
greatest tag teams. For their many accomplishments inside the ring, the brothers also had their share
of legal problems, mostly related to addictions they both battled. Jeff Hardy was arrested on
charges of trafficking in controlled prescription pills and possession of anabolic steroids, in
September of 2009. From his North Carolina home, the police seized 262 Vicodin prescription pills,
180 Soma prescription pills and 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, in addition to drug
paraphernalia. He eventually pleaded guilty to the charges and was given ten days in jail along with
30 months of probation and a $100,000 fine. Matt Hardy was arrested for a DUI, on August the 20th
of 2011, and then taken into custody again two days later after the police found 20 vials of
anabolic steroids upon searching his home. He was also arrested, alongside his wife and
fellow wrestler Reby Sky, for a fight at Virginia motel, on January the 1st of 2014. They were both
reported as bruised and battered in the incident but they ultimately resumed their relationship.
Number 3 André the Giant
Dubbed “The Eighth Wonder of the World” André René Roussimoff was one of the most imposing wrestlers
in history. The Frenchman, who’d grown to incredible physical proportions due to gigantism,
had a billed height of 7 feet 4 inches and had, at one point, weighed over 500 pounds. To put
his incredible size into perspective, Roussimoff was taller than basketball player Shaquille O’Neal
and considerably heavier than the average male black bear. After the aptly-dubbed André the Giant
became the WWF’s heavyweight champion, following a bout with Hulk Hogan, he took part in an event in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A local cameraman by the name of Ben Hildebrandt had been given permission to
film Roussimoff as he was coming to the ring but not while in the ring. After the match, Rousimoff
became enraged as he believed that the conditions hadn’t been respected. He allegedly slapped
Hildebrandt and smashed his camera. Local police were then faced with the challenging task of
bringing the massive wrestler into custody, after he’d initially refused to cooperate. Roussimoff
was eventually convinced to go peacefully and was booked on charges of assault. They were eventually
dropped in lieu of a $100 criminal mischief fine and an order to pay for the camera. Roussimoff
died from congestive heart failure, in 1993, and would subsequently become the inaugural inductee
into the WWE’s Hall of Fame for his role as “a professional wrestler and as a pop culture icon”.
Today's topic was inspired by BINIWOP. If you have any other topics you'd like
to learn about subscribe & let us know in the comments section below.
Number 2 Tammy Sytch
Wrestling under the ring name “Sunny”, Tammy Lynn Sytch achieved great success in the 1990s
and is not only regarded as the first WWE Diva but was also credited with redefining the role
of women in the promotion. America Online once named her the most downloaded Internet celebrity
and, in 2011, she was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame. Her wrestling career was followed by a brief
stint in the adult industry as well as numerous legal problems. Over a 4-week span, in 2012,
Sytch was arrested for disorderly conduct, third-degree burglary, and three counts of
violating a protective order, charges that ultimately led to her spending 114 days
in a Connecticut jail. In the years that followed her release, she would continue to be arrested for
incidents that included multiple DUIs and other driving offenses. Her string of vehicular crimes
culminated on March the 25th of 2022, when the WWE star was taken into custody by Florida law
enforcement following a devastating car crash in Ormond Beach. Sytch was travelling at high speed
in a 2012 Mercedez Benz when she slammed into the back of a Kia Sorrento driven by 75-year-old
Julian Lasseter. The latter, who’d been stopped at a light, sustained critical injuries in the crash
to which he succumbed later on the same day. Information released by Ormond Beach, in May,
revealed that Sytch’s blood alcohol content had been three and a half times over the legal limit
for operating a motor vehicle at the time of the crash. The 49-year-old’s processing photo, showing
her smiling into the camera, earned considerable attention online and she was charged with nine
counts in the crash’s aftermath. Her string of charges included DUI manslaughter, a felony, for
which she risked a maximum of 30 years in prison. Number 1 Ric Flair
With a career spanning roughly five decades, Ric Flair is widely regarded as the greatest
professional wrestler of all time. Still active as of June 2022, the “Nature Boy” was crowned a
champion a total of 16 times in the WWE alone but also worked with other promotions, where he was a
major pay-per-view attraction and earned further accolades. In December of 2005, an arrest warrant
was released for Ric Flair following a road rage incident that had occurred the previous month.
A 29-year-old man claimed that, during a traffic dispute, Flair grabbed him by the neck and kicked
his Toyota 4Runner, causing a dent in its door. The victim was reportedly left with bruising to
his neck while Flair was arrested on charges of injury to personal property and simple assault
and battery. The case was eventually dropped after the witness against him failed to appear in court.
Thanks for watching! Would you rather be body-slammed by a prime Hulk Hogan
OR fail to find any clothes that fit properly for a year? Let us know in the comments section below!