Wrestling Legend 'Killer' Kowalski Dead at 81

Hulk Hogan: 'I'm Completely Devastated'

(NEWSER) - News that Randy "Macho Man" Savage died in a car accident age 58 has triggered plenty of nostalgic tributes:

• David Brown, Yahoo Sports : "A small part of my childhood died. ... Other than Hulk Hogan or Andre the Giant, no WWF rassler was more popular than Savage in the late 1980s," writes Brown, who also recounts Savage's four-year stint in baseball's minor leagues. He wasn't a bad player, but injuries did him in. "His contribution to pop culture, wrestling and baseball ought to be remembered for a long time. Ohhhhh, yeahhhhhhhh!"

WWF wrestler has heart attack while driving

(NEWSER) - "Macho Man" Randy Savage, the WWF wrestler and Slim Jim spokesman, has died in a Tampa car accident, TMZ reports. The 58-year-old had a heart attack while driving, said his brother. The Jeep sped through oncoming traffic and struck a tree head-on, highway officials said. Savage died in the hospital; his wife, Lynn, who was also in the car, suffered minor injuries and was treated in a different hospital. More»

'Hillrod,' Obama, McCain play to the WWE audience

(NEWSER) - The three presidential candidates have each recorded a stilted video for tonight's episode of Raw, the WWE show that attracts 5 million viewers a week. In the segments, intended to promote voter participation, the candidates do some grandstanding with goofball quotes, including Clinton referring to herself as "Hillrod," the AP reports. More»

First Lady of pro wrestling dead at 84

(NEWSER) - Pro wrestling’s "Fabulous Moolah," 30-year champion of World Wrestling Entertainment, has died at 84. Mary Lillian Ellison was the first female wrestler inducted into the WWE’s Hall of Fame. When a promoter asked her why she wanted to wrestle, she answered: “For the money! I want to wrestle for the moolah!” and her stage name was born, The State reports. More»

Untimely deaths, widespread abuse appear to be linked

(NEWSER) - Chris Benoit's murder-suicide last June spotlighted the disproportionate number of early deaths among professional wrestlers; one activist has counted more than 60 dead before reaching 50 over the past 10 years. And a taxing, drug-addled lifestyle plays a big role. More»