Darren Drozdov Passes Away At Age 54

We are deeply saddened to learn that former ECW star Darren "Droz" Drozdov has passed away, aged 54 years old. 

Fightful has reported that Darren Drozdov passed away, with no word on what the cause of his death was yet. 

In the late 1990's Droz joined the WWF and was sent down to ECW for conditioning and to get his character together. He gained recognition through his appearance in the documentary film "Beyond The Mat". In the film, he had a meeting with Vince McMahon, during which the nickname "Puke" was coined due to his ability to vomit on command. 

During his time in the WWF, Droz formed a partnership with The Legion of Doom (aka the Road Warriors) and Prince Albert. However, tragedy struck in October of 1999 when Droz was facing D'Lo Brown in a match. He fractured two vertebrae in his neck after slipping during a spot, causing him to become paralyzed and unable to walk. Despite the life-altering event, Droz remained with WWF (now WWE), transitioning into roles such as a writer and columnist. He also made appearances in DVD documentaries and VICE TV's series "Dark Side of the Ring". 

To honor Droz's contributions to the company, WWE displayed a graphic in remembrance of him at the beginning of the June 30th episode of WWE SmackDown.

"There are no words to convey the deep sense of loss and sadness we are feeling right now…" Droz's family said in a statement. "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. 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.’"

"Man I’m so sorry to hear one of our ring brothers has passed away. Darren Drozdov aka Droz. We wrestled on a lot of cards together," Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson tweeted. "Such an awesome dude. Great personality and great wrestling talent. We always talked about football and fishing. Sending love, strength, mana and light to his family. RIP brother."

Droz's family also thanked the WWE for "treating him like family, and for all of their love, support and stepping up to make sure that Darren always had the proper care and treatment needed to live in his condition over the past 24 years."

"He would not want anyone to be sad at this moment and would want to this to be a celebration of his life, to be remembered for all the great things that he accomplished, the fun, the laughter, the great memories he shared with everyone," the family said.

Before getting into wrestling, Droz played in six NFL games with the Denver Broncos in 1993 and also spent time with the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a defensive tackle at the University of Maryland.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Droz's family, friends and fans at this time. May he rest in peace!