British Wrestler Ryan Smile Passes Away

British wrestler Ryan Smile has passed away. He was 31-years-old. 

Fellow wrestler Damian "No Fun Dunne" McKeown wrote: "It is with great sadness that I have to inform everyone that Ryan Smile passed away yesterday after losing his battle with mental health. This is a truly terrible loss of a larger than life character who brightened every room he was in with his passion, energy & humour. Please respect the privacy of Alice & her family at this time."

Smile's partner Alice later wrote on Facebook: "I cannot believe I'm having to write these words…

"On Tuesday morning, Ryan passed away after losing his battle with mental health, a battle in which he had been fighting for a long time.

"I can't fathom the words to express how I'm feeling right now. To anyone who knew Ryan, whether through wrestling or on a personal level, it's with an extremely heavy heart that I have to break this tragic news."

During his career, Smile was a regular on the British and Irish independent wrestling scene, capturing titles in RevPro and OTT. He was also the promoter for Lucha Forever, a promotion which dissolved in 2017. 

People from across the professional wrestling world have paid tribute to Ryan following his passing, including his former promotions RevPro and OTT. 

Joey Janela tweeted: "We had a match at @RevProUK after a hectic day on my behalf getting to the show, he was a great professional, we talked about the match for 10 minutes and went out there & had one of my best matches across the pond! RIP."

Sugar Dunkerton wrote: "The new wave of the BritWres scene wouldn't have had a compass to guide it without Ryan Smile. Very shocked to hear of his passing and hoping he's at peace in that next life."

Session Moth Martina penned: "RIP Ryan Smile. So undeniably talented, such a major part of the early days of OTT, such a help to me in the beginning of my career and was a joy to be around. I hope you are at peace now."

Cultaholic extends its condolences to Ryan Smile's family and friends.