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By Thomas M. Gallipoli, PWTorch.com Obituary Specialist

Deceased Wrestlers for 2004
PWTorch.com Exclusive
By Thomas M. Gallipoli, PWTorch.com Obituary Specialist

"Welcome to my funeral parlor."
-Paul Bearer

As with the 2005 edition, I will list the information by Wrestler's Name, Real Name, Date of Death, Cause, Age and a brief snapshot of his/her career. I will also provide any Main-Stream Media links to the wrestlers if applicable. As a mild surprise, 2004 actually had more links than 2005 did. Again, please note that much of, if not most, of this information may be culled from "non-official sources" like blogs and websites but I have tried to insure the information was accurate. It is still my goal to make this section as up-to-date and accurate as possible for Wade and visitors so please feel free to email me at tomphoenix@optonline.net with any questions, comments, updates, links, corrections, or anything else you like.  I'll give you a shout-out and thanks for any updates or corrections. I hope to update this section at least once per week with one entire year per update so the next one will cover 2003.

I'd like to thank my wife, parents, and sister for their ongoing patience and love. And now, onto the roll call:

Buck Moore, January 1, 2004, Natural Causes, age 87

-I could find out nothing else about this longtime wrestler

Coach John Heath, John Heath, January 13, 2004, Cancer, age 80

-Longtime wrestler, staple of the Florida era, most noted for being broadcast partner of legendary announcer Gordon Solie as the color man

Jack Tunney(Wrestling Promoter), John Tunney Jr., January 24, 2004, Heart Attack, age 68

-Canadian citizen, Longtime figurehead WWF President, real-life WWF Canadian President/Head Promoter of WWF events in Canada
MSM Link:
Jack Tunney article

Alan "Beetlejuice" Carnill, Alan Carnill, January 25, 2004, Car Crash, age 42

-Indie wrestler, gimmick was movie character of same name, USACW Northwest Tag Team Champion

Hard Boiled Haggerty, Don Stansauk, January 28, 2004, Car Accident Complications, age 78

-Longtime heel wrestler, became one of the most successful wrestlers to become mainstream movie and television actor, former NFL player, former tag team partner, Lenny Montana became Luca Brasi in the Godfather movie, AWA (United States Champion, four-time AWA Tag Team Champion) NWA(Canadian Open Tag Team Champion, two-time Vancouver- Pacific Coast Tag Team Champion, two-time San Francisco-Pacific Coast Tag Team Champion, Texas Tag Team Champion, Hawaii Heavyweight Champion, two-time Hawaii Tag Team Champion, Hawaii-United States Champion, NWA World Tag Team Champion), four-time WWA Tag Team Champion, MAC International Heavyweight Champion, Ohio American Tag Team Champion
MSM Link:
hardboiled article

Dinty Parks, William Parks, February 11, 2004, Natural Causes, age 83

-Creator of the Sunset Flip (named after the chain of Sunset Motels which he owned), Canadian wrestler, World War II veteran, Northern Ontario North American Junior Heavyweight Champion

Danny Hawke, Daniel Hawkins, February 16, 2004, Complications due to Steroids, age 33

-I could find out nothing else about this indie wrestler

Danny Prickett (Wrestling Promoter), February 25, 2004, Heart Attack, age 58

-I could found out nothing else about this promoter

J Prodigy, Jeremy Adam Davis, February 29, 2004, Unknown, age 29

-Indie wrestler, two-time IWA Mid South Light Heavyweight Champion

Dano McDonald, James G. McDonald, March 4, 2004, Natural Causes, age 81

-Longtime wrestler, Canadian wrestler, upon retirement, became a mortician, NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion, Rocky Mountain Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Champion

Hercules Hernandez, Raymond Fernandez, March 6, 2004, Dies in sleep, age 46

-achieved renown as Bobby Heenan protégé in WWF but won no titles during that run, was also in tag team with Paul Roma called Power and Glory, feuded memorably against Billy Jack Haynes and Hulk Hogan, NWA (Central States Television Champion, two-time Central States Tag Team Champion, Southern Heavyweight Champion, two-time Florida Heavyweight Champion), MSWA Tag Team Champion, NJPW IWGP Tag Team Champion

Texas Outlaw #1, March 9, 2004, Car Crash, age 39

-I could find out nothing else on this wrestler

Power Mike, Chief Michael Okpala, March 11, 2004, Heart Attack, age 65

-Nigerian wrestler, used muscleman gimmick, Africa-African Heavyweight Wrestling Champion, Niger-Nigerian World Heavyweight Champion

Dr. Destruction, John L Coggeshall, April 4, 2004, Collapses in ring, age 34

-Indie wrestler, MWF (MWF Heavyweight Champion, Tag Team Champion
Aquidneck Island Regional Champion, Hardcore Champion, United States Champion,
Unified Champion)

Stephan DeLeon, April 6, 2004, Motorcycle Crash, age 34

-I could find out nothing else on this wrestler

The Great Goliath, Pablo O. Crispin, April 12, 2004, Heart Attack, age 69

-Mexican wrestler who became U.S. Citizen, Mexico-Mexican National Heavyweight Champion, NWA (nineteen (19!) time Americas Tag Team Champion, two-time Beat the Champ Television Champion, three-time Texas Tag Team Champion,
Georgia Tag Team Champion, San Francisco Tag Team Champion, American Tag Team Champion, Central States Tag Team Champion, Western States Tag Team Champion),
AWA Southern Tag Team Champion

Rattlesnake Brooks, Cecil Darren Westbrook, April 17, 2004, Liver Disease, age 43

-I could find out nothing else on this wrestler                 

Baby X (Jose Barreto Martínez), May 1, 2004, Murdered, age 21

-I could find out nothing else on this wrestler

Pepper Gomez, Jose Serafino Gomez, May 6, 2004, Taken off Life Support, age 77

-Longtime wrestler, gimmick was "Man with the Cast Iron Stomach", former tag team partner with the Rock Duane Johnson's grandfather, Peter Maivia, NWA (fourteen (14!) time Texas Heavyweight Champion, nine-time Texas Tag Team Champion, Pacific Northwest Tag Team Champion, four-time San Francisco Tag Team Champion, three-time Northwest Tag Team Champion, Southeastern Heavyweight Champion, Southern Heavyweight Champion, Pacific Coast Junior Heavyweight Champion, Americas Tag Team Champion, seven-time Texas Tag Team Champion), AWA (Tag Team Champion,
United States Champion), WWA (Heavyweight Champion, two-time Tag Team Champion)

James Dudley, James Dudley, June ??, 2004, Natural Causes, age 93

-WWE Hall of Famer, in reality, he was Vince McMahon's Limo Driver, managed Bobo Brazil for a short time in the 1950s

Balk Estes (Wrestler & Wrestling Promoter), Malcolm Estes, late June, 2004, Natural Causes, age 91

-All star athlete in high school, wrestled NWA Light Heavyweight Champion Rex Mobliy to a two-hour draw, became promoter in Indiana area where Wahoo McDaniel got his first break

Tito Copa, Jacobo Selherszberg, June 3, 2004, Heart Attack, age ??

-I could find out nothing else about this wrestler

Kurt Von Brauner, Jim Brawner, June 4, 2004 Stroke, age 83

-Longtime tag-team American wrestler whose gimmick was that of stereotypical evil German, NWA (twelve-time Mid America Tag Team Champion, three-time Florida Tag Team Champion, three-time Georgia Tag Team Champion, two-time Amarillo Tag Team Champion, two-time Mid America Tag Team Champion, three-time Georgia Southern Heavyweight Champion, San Francisco Tag Team Champion, Tennessee Tag Team Champion, two-time Amarillo Brass Knuckles Champion, Mid Atlantic Southern Tag Team Champion, Detroit Tag Team Champion, Western States Tag Team Champion, three-time Texas Tag Team Champion), AWA (Indiana Tag Team Champion,
two-time AWA Southern Tag Team Champion), WWA Tag Team Champion

Brandon Starr, June 6, 2004, Stroke From Wrestling Injury, age 19

-I could find out nothing else about this wrestler

"Sweet Daddy" Malcolm Monroe Sr(Wrestling Promoter), Malcolm Monroe Sr., June 7, 2004, Blood Clot in Brain, age 53

-Indie African-American promoter, ICW Promoter, BTW Promoter

Ron Matteucci, June 14, 2004, Heart Complications, age 72

-I could find out nothing else on this longtime wrestler

Victor the Bodyguard, Victor Rodriguez, June 20, 2004, Heart Attack, age 38

-Puerto Rican wrestler, IWA (six-time Tag Team Champion, Hardcore Champion), WWC (two-time WWC Tag Team Champion, Puerto Rico Heavyweight Champion)

"The Green Hornet" Pat O'Hara, Sunday Feuer, June 21, 2004, Natural Causes, age 84

-Longtime wrestler, legally changed his name to Patrick O'Hara, two-time NWA Southern Heavyweight Champion

Sandor Kovacs, Sandor Kovacs, June 30, 2004, Alzheimer's, age 84

-Longtime Canadian tag team wrestler, born in Hungary, World War II Veteran, trained by Stu Hart, NWA (Hawaii Tag Team Champion, Pacific Coast Tag Team Champion, Canadian Tag Team Champion), Stampede Wrestling International Tag Team Champion



"The Redneck" Billy Redwood, William Crumpton, July 4, 2004, Car Accident, age 29

-Indie wrestler, two-time Hardway Wrestling Tag Team Champion, MCW Rage Television Champion

"Big" Pat Roach, Patrick Roach July 17, 2004, Cancer, age 68

-Longtime British wrestler, appeared in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange film and Clash of the Titans, two-time Europe-European Heavyweight Champion

Vic Vengeance, Timothy William Berner, July 25, 2004,  Suicide, age 33

-I could find out nothing else on this indie wrestler

Henry Marcus(Wrestling Promoter), Henry Marcus, July 25, 2004, Natural Causes, age 93

-Called the Dean of Promoters but I could find out nothing else on this longtime promoter

"Gentleman" Ken Timbs, Kenneth Timbs August 1, 2004, Heart Attack, age 53

-trained by Ole Anderson, three-time SCW Southwest Tag Team Champion, NWA (Central States Tag Team Champion, United States Junior Heavyweight Champion, three-time World Light Heavyweight Champion, Central States Heavyweight Champion), CCW Junior Heavyweight Champion, Guatemala-Guatemala Heavyweight Champion

Payton Scott, Christopher Payton Scott, August 26, 2004, Car Accident, age ??

-Indie wrestler and promoter, ACW (Heavyweight Champion, Tag Team Champion), ACW Owner, NWA-OK Commissioner, TACW Tag Team Champion

JW "The Snakeman" Hawk, James William Hawk. September 7, 2004, Unknown, age 55

-I could find out nothing else on this wrestler

Jim Barnett(Promoter), James E.Barnett September 7, 2004, Natural Causes, age 80

-Controversial figure in the book "Chokehold" by Jim Wilson, longtime promoter, WCW Australia Promoter, AWA Promoter, NWA Promoter, WWE Senior Vice President

Dr Wagner Sr, Victor Manuel González Rivera, September 7, 2004, Natural Causes, age 68

-Mexican wrestler, three-time Mexico-Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion, Mexico-National Tag Team Champion, NWA (Light Heavyweight Champion, Americas Tag Team Champion)

Enrique Llanes, Enrique Juan Yáñez González, September 7, 2004, Organ Failure, age 85

-Longtime Mexican wrestler, trained by Tarzan Lopez, Mexico-National Light Heavyweight Champion, NWA Middleweight Champion

Big Boss Man, Raymond Traylor, September 7, 2004, Massive Heart Attack, age 42

-Wrestled also under the names of Big Bubba Rogers, The Boss, The Guardian Angel, WWE, SMW, and WCW wrestler, unusually quick for a big man wrestler, member of the nWo in WCW, and feuded with The Mountie, Nailz, Al Snow, WWE
(four-time Hardcore Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion), UWF World Heavyweight Champion
MSM Link:
bossmanarticle

Marianna Komlos, Marianna Komlos, September 7, 2004, Breast Cancer, age 35

-Canadian lady wrestler, originally going to be Mrs. Cleavage in aborted WWE angle, was a female bodybuilder with the following titles (1997-British Columbia Middleweight Champion, 1996-Gator's Classic Lightweight Champion, 1997-Women's Extravaganza Middleweight Champion)

Samson Kutsuwada, Tomotsugu Kutsuwada, October 12, 2004, Unknown, age 57

-Japanese wrestler, one of the many Tiger Masks, AJPW All Asian Tag Team Champion

Billy Spears, William Spearman, October 12, 2004, Unknown, age 72

-Longtime wrestler, NWA (Gulf Coast Tag Team Champion, Gulf Coast Heavyweight Champion, Southeastern Tag Team Champion, two-time Alabama Heavyweight Champion)

Chuck Molnar, Charles Albert Molnar, November 6, 2004, Natural Causes, age 72

-Longtime Canadian wrestler, trained by Jack Lloyd

El Misterio de la Muerte, November 6, 2004, Dies during match, age ??

-I could find out nothing else on this Mexican wrestler

Xtreme, November 25, 2004,  Unknown, age 20

-I could find out nothing else on this wrestler

Dane Gerous, Jared Hogan, November 26, 2004, Injuries from Car Accident, age 19

-Indie wrestler, three-time 3A High School Wrestling Champion, besides that, I could find nothing else on this wrestler

Jack Donovan, Jack Dunnivant, November 27, 2004, Fell off ladder, age 76

-Longtime wrestler, tag team partner of Jackie Fargo, married lady wrestler, Verne Bottoms, NWA (two-time Central States United States Champion, Gulf Coast Southern Tag Team Champion, Tri State United States Tag Team Champion, Central States North American Tag Team Champion, Gulf Coast Heavyweight Champion, Southeastern Heavyweight Champion

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