Former WWE Star Darren "Droz" Drozdov Passes Away
The Attitude Era star was 54
Darren Drozdov, former football player turned WWE star whose career ended prematurely due to injury, passed away Friday morning, according to a report from PWInsider.
According to a statement from his family, Drozdov died of natural causes. He was 54.
After spending three seasons with the NFL's Denver Broncos, Drozdov transitioned into professional wrestling in 1997 as a prospect for the then-World Wrestling Federation. After picking up seasoning in ECW in early-1998, the eccentric Drozdov (generally known professionally as "Droz") debuted for WWE that spring as an ally to the Legion of Doom.
Notably, Drozdov had an unusual ability to vomit seemingly at will, and had previously done so during a nationally-televised NFL game. Drozdov famously demonstrated that ability to Vince McMahon himself at his offices, which was captured for the 1999 documentary Beyond the Mat. Droz went on to incorporate that trait into his on-screen persona, briefly earning him the stage name "Puke".
In his brief WWE run, Droz eventually feuded with his Legion of Doom teammates, after trying to forcibly replace Hawk as Animal's primary partner. Droz later formed a partnership with the newly-debuted Prince Albert (current Performance Center head trainer Matt Bloom), centered around the duo's affinity for tattoos and piercings.
Tragically, during the October 5, 1999 SmackDown tapings, Drozdov suffered a catastrophic injury during a match with D-Lo Brown. A miscue on Brown's running powerbomb attempt led to Drozdov landing on his head, and fracturing two vertebrae in his neck. The match was never aired, though a scene of Drozdov on a stretcher has appeared in WWE's "don't try this at home" PSAs.
The career-ending accident initially left Drozdov quadriplegic, though he later gained some use of his arms and upper body. Drozdov had stated on numerous occasions that he held no ill will toward Brown for the accident.
Post-injury, Drozdov was a contributor to WWE's website, and made appearances on the company's webcast Byte This in the early to mid-2000s. Drozdov's last notable appearance came on a 2020 episode of Dark Side of the Ring, discussing the 1998 Brawl For All tournament.
Cultaholic extends its condolences to Mr. Drozdov's family and friends.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
