According to a report by cbc.ca, the wrestling community mourns again as another former WWE wrestler just passed away. This makes it the firth death record within just two months.

Ion Croitoru, ‘The Russain Bear’ Ivan Koloff, Chavo Guererro Sr., George Steele (who was one of Koloff’s noteworthy opponents), Nicole Bass and Jimmy Snuka have all departed from this world in the last few weeks.

The former WWE wrestler and infamous biker Ion Croitoru passed away at the age of 53. In case you are not familiar with the names, Ion Croitoru, that’s understandable as most young wrestling fans wouldn’t have a solid record of his engagement to the company then, especially because he only experienced a mild success during his reign in the giant wrestling promotion, WWE. However, Johnny K-9 and Bruiser Bedlam from various promotions in North America in the 1980s and 1990s drives a memory home.
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The cause of death is as yet unknown but natural causes are expected. It has been confirmed that Croitoru passed away at a federal halfway house in Toronto, Canada, just six months after he was released from prison.

In Case You Didn’t Know

Johnny K-9 signed for the then-World Wrestling Federation in 1985 where he worked as an enhancement talent all the way up until 1989. Johnny K-9 also took part in a televised match against Hulk Hogan.
After leaving the WWF K-9 worked briefly for New Japan Pro Wrestling, taking on legends such as Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami and Riki Choshu.

Johnny K-9 and Bruiser Bedlam experienced mild success in the professional wrestling ring but Ion Croitoru wasn’t so lucky outside the squared circle when it came to interactions with the police. Croitoru was a notorious biker in the Hamilton (Ontario) area and spent 10 months in prison during his stint as president of the Satan’s Choice Outlaw bike club for trafficking cocaine.

In 1998 Croitoru was sentenced to 33 months in jail for blowing up a local police station (the initial target was a strip club), but his most notorious run-in with the law came in 2005 when he was charged with the murder of a couple some six years earlier. Croitoru avoided major jail time because of a lack of evidence, but his links to gangs and crime in the Ontario area wouldn’t go away.

In 2013 he was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to 13 years in prison. In September of last year, Croitoru was released and allowed to live in a halfway house provided he did not have any contact with organized crime groups.

Croitoru was just 53 years old and leaves behind three children and a wife. More news will surely break over the coming days.

All deaths are tragic, and we would like to send our condolences to Croitoru’s wife and children.