A statement said: “WWE extends its condolences to Knighton’s family, friends and fans”.
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Axl’s mother, Maria, told Pro Wrestling Sheet that he was found dead in his vehicle outside of a McDonald’s in Baltimore – and it’s now believed he succumbed to an overdose, though an autopsy is scheduled for Friday. There is no word on cause of death.
Knighton trained to be a wrestler as a teenager and quickly found success with his British punk rocker gimmick Axl Rotten, despite the fact he was actually born in Baltimore.
Early reports indicated the 44 year-old wrestler died of an overdose inside of a motel room, but we’re told that’s not accurate.
“The way I do things may not be the way you do things but you will find out there is only 1 way”, he wrote in his final tweet Thursday morning.
Before his death, Axl Rotten was known for his appearances in the original Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Their brutal feud even included the use of weapons barbed wire baseball bats. He originally competed alongside John Williams (known as Ian Rotten) before the duo split up and became rivals in the ring.
Knighton was the subject of a 2015 documentary in which he talked openly about the devastating physical toll wresting has taken on his body, leaving him confined to a wheelchair, according to People Magazine. This likely led to Rotten being spotted by WCW, who brought him in during the late summer of 1991 for a shortlived feud with babyface rapper P. N. News.
‘When Axl left my house Sunday night, I pretty much knew I would never see him again, ‘ Williams wrote. That God must have been making him suffer.
He went on to form a tag team partnership with Jonathan Rechner – known as Balls Mahoney in ECW – where he competed until 1999.
Our thoughts are with his loved one in the wake of this tragedy.
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You can also check out several other videos from throughout his career below.
