Darren Drozdov, who briefly played for the Denver Broncos before becoming a professional wrestler, died Friday, his family announced through World Wrestling Entertainment.
Drozdov was 54. He died due to natural causes, per his family. Drozdov had been a quadriplegic since October of 1999 after he was paralyzed while performing in the ring.
Drozdov was with the Broncos from 1993-1994, playing in six career games with two starts for Denver in '93. Drozdov, who played collegiately at Maryland, also had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets organizations.
"We're saddened by the passing of Darren Drozdov, who played for the Broncos from 1993-94 before becoming a @WWE wrestler," the Broncos said in a statement. "'Droz' embodied the spirit of perseverance & determination through adversity, and our hearts go out to his family."
After his NFL days concluded, Drozdov tried his hand in the World Wrestling Federation (it became the WWE in 2002), beginning in 1998. Early in his career, he was known as "Puke," having been caught on video during his gridiron days vomiting on the field. He had a memorable scene in the wrestling documentary "Beyond the Mat," when owner and chairman Vince McMahon requested Drozdov upchuck on command. Joining the WWF ranks during the so-called "Attitude Era," Drozdov's biggest notoriety came when he joined the Legion of Doom (also known as the Road Warriors), one of professional wrestling's most renowned tag teams of all time. As part of the LOD gimmick, "Droz" dawned shoulder pads once again -- only this time, they had spikes coming out of them.
Tragically, Drozdov's career ended while taping an episode of Smackdown when he landed wrong taking a powerbomb from D-Lo Brown.
His family noted that Drozdov persevered through the tragedy.
"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," a portion of his family's statement read. "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.'"
