I’m Not Dead! Wrestlers Rumored to Have Died

It was revealed this week that former journeyman wrestler Don “DC” Drake had passed away. And, shortly thereafter, it was revealed that the rumors of his death had been greatly exaggerated.

“I’m alive and well,” the non-dead Drake told SLAM! Wrestling after his obituary had appeared on wrestling news sites this week.

Drake’s rumored death was unusual, but not unprecedented. A number of wrestlers have been declared deceased in the past — either due to honest mistakes or deliberate deception (the latter becoming increasingly more common in the Twitter age).

Here are some other notable cases of wrestlers who, despite reports to the contrary, are still very much alive.

Corporal Kirchner

On Oct. 15, 2006, patriotic ‘80s star Michael “Corporal” Kirchner was reported dead by a somewhat reliable source — World Wrestling Entertainment. Ironically, when the news of his death was reported on WWE.com, Kirchner happened to be in Connecticut, driving a big rig truck not far from the company’s Stamford headquarters. He even considered popping by Titan Towers to surprise the people who had just published his obit. Kirchner’s mom called WWE to correct the mistake. Commentator Gorilla Monsoon sometimes used to shorten “Corporal” to “Corpse,” which almost became strangely prophetic.

Powered By DT Author Box

About The Author: Colin Hunter

Colin Hunter is a print and online journalist who was named the best sportswriter in Canada by the National Newspaper Awards in 2008. He is a longtime contributing writer (as C.F. Hunter) for Pro Wrestling Illustrated, The Wrestler and Inside Wrestling, and has been a regular writer for SLAM! Wrestling. Career highlights include drinking beer with Fit Finlay, chasing a cat with Christian in his backyard, and gluing a wig onto the bald head of the late Missing Link.

Support WNZ and Share This Post!

•