I haven't watched professional wrestling in a long time. The WWF used to be a major part of my life from age four to about ten. From the television events to the exhibitions at the Civic Center to the action figures, if it was WWF, I wanted it. While I grew out of that phase long ago, I still remember how I followed and admired those wrestlers.

That's why my discovery that Davey Boy Smith, known around wrestling as the British Bulldog, died last week brought me down. For a brief time, British Bulldog was my favorite wrestler. It's sad to realize the character I idolized was a real person, with real problems, who abused steroids and, as a result, suffered a heart attack at age 39. Actually, I didn't know how he died until I did an internet search. What I found: an entire list of wrestlers who have died in the past decade, many of which I grew up watching on the television or fake-wresteling with their action figures. Some other WWF came up during the search. While I had already known about a few of the deceased wrestlers--- such as Andre the Giant and Owen Hart--- I was saddened to realize many more wrestlers who have been merely a distant memory led real lives that are now over. Here's a list of WWF wrestlers I used to watch that until tonight I didn't know were no longer with us:

Dino Bravo (murdered)
Big John Studd (cancer)
Junk Yard Dog (car accident)
Bobo Brazil (heart complications)
Gorilla Monsoon (natural causes)
Ravishing Rick Rude (heart attack)
British Bulldog (heart attack related to steroid abuse)

Here's a three-count salute to you guys. You gave me much excitement during my grammar school days.