Longtime Wrestling Fan Favorite Has Passed Away At 58

The pro wrestling universe lost another beloved star this week following the passing of former wrestler Tracy Smothers. He was 58 years old.

A champion wrestler in high school, Smothers began pro wrestling in 1982 at the age of 20 in various regional promotions. He made headlines for wrestling an unmuzzled, 550-pound bear – the video of which can still be found on YouTube.

Working alongside tag team partner Steve Armstrong, Smothers parlayed his success into deals with larger promotions in the 1990s. He and Armstrong competed in WCW, Smokey Mountain Wrestling and USWA, capturing multiple tag team titles together before joining the World Wrestling Federation in 1996.

While in WWF, Smothers largely performed as the jobber “Freddie Joe Floyd,” losing to rising stars like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Hunter Hearst-Helmsley (“Triple H”). After a brief run in WWF, he went to ECW where he once again won tag team gold.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Smothers competed on the independent circuit across the world, bringing fans that had followed him for decades with him.

Smothers passed away on Wednesday following a year-long battle with lymphoma. He was first diagnosed with the illness in November 2019.

WWE legends such as Edge, Tommy Dreamer, Bully Ray and others have taken to Twitter and social media to share their stories of performing alongside the departed Smothers.

Our hearts go out to Mr. Smothers’ family and loved ones.

The post Longtime Wrestling Fan Favorite Has Passed Away At 58 appeared first on The Spun.