Former WWE Talent Daniel Rodimer Pleads Not Guilty To Murder Charge

Former WWE talent Daniel Rodimer pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, May 8 to a murder charge over the passing of a man who sustained a head injury during a Halloween party at a Las Vegas Strip hotel in 2023, the Associated Press reported.

Rodimer appeared in a Las Vegas court for his arraignment, at which point his attorneys Richard Schonfeld and David Chesnoff told a state court judge they intend to challenge Rodimer's indictment on a murder charge. Rodimer later told reporters outside court that he "vigorously denies any responsibility for the allegations."

Rodimer turned himself in at the Clark County Detention Center in Nevada in March 2024 following the issuing of a warrant for his arrest by Las Vegas Police on the charge of open murder. The warrant was issued over the death of Christopher Tapp on October 29, 2023.

It was initially believed that Tapp died following a fall but investigators later learned he had argued with Daniel Rodimer before his passing. This led to Tapp's death being ruled a homicide as a result of blunt-force trauma to the head following an altercation in a hotel room. Following the incident, Tapp was transported to hospital but died several days later. 

After initially competing in season four of Tough Enough, Daniel Rodimer wrestled for WWE from 2004 until 2007. He only had three matches on the WWE main roster until his release. Plans were once in place for Rodimer to join Rated RKO with Edge and Randy Orton but they were ultimately scrapped. 

Rodimer retired from pro wrestling soon after his release and he has since run for political office multiple times. In 2020, he was the Republican party nominee in Nevada's 3rd congressional district in the House of Representatives but Rodimer lost to incumbent Susie Lee of the Democratic Party.