How Dennis Condrey Died Explained By Jim Cornette

Dennis Condrey passed away on Friday, March 20 after suffering a broken neck from a fall at his home, Condrey's long-time friend Jim Cornette explained on the Jim Cornette Experience.

"What had happened was normal day. His wife Theresa, she's in nursing. She was at work and had to go in and train some people that day and he always picks her up. So she texted him right as she was about to get off, 4 o'clock, and he didn't answer her back, and that was unusual. As she looked out in the parking lot, he wasn't there, then she knew something was wrong. So she called the neighbours and they're country people, told the neighbour where the key was hid so he could go in and see what was wrong," Cornette began.

"Dennis had fallen in their hallway, and not like downstairs or off of anything. Whether he had tripped, which is possible, or whether, as I think about it, may have been more something that he had some kind of dizzy spell where he couldn't catch himself on the way down. In the way he fell, he broke his neck and severely damaged his spinal cord. He was still on the floor when the neighbour found him and was able to turn him over. He was cognisant of what was happening, but by the time the ambulance got there, they got him to the hospital, a number of things happened. The point being he was paralysed at that point from the chest down and with the injuries that he had sustained, and again with his neck...so they didn't really have to make a decision. He was on a respirator but that wasn't going to last. So his wife Theresa was not put in that position, although she would have known what he would have wanted."

Cornette noted that Condrey had been bugging his wife, Theresa, to retire so they could spend more time together. She was due to retire at the end of the month.

"The suckage for a number of reasons, when a guy beats cancer multiple times, has been clean, clear for ages. Had the artificial voice box but has been more cheerful than he's ever been in his life and to have this freak thing happen, and also he has been bugging Theresa about retiring, because she's only 67 but now that's her full social security retirement age. So he had been bugging her about retiring so they could spend some more time together and they had some plans. The last day she was going to be at work was at the end of this month, nine days away," Cornette added.

Tributes have poured in for Dennis Condrey and a GoFundMe has been launched by Dax Harwood to help with funeral expenses and bills. Cornette noted that Condrey had been using the royalties from Midnight Express action figures to pay off his mortgage, but the house was not fully paid off at the time of his passing.

"I had mentioned that when we did the Midnight Express figures that one of the things Dennis was concerned about was, 'Boy, this will really help get our house paid off so that if something happens to me I don't have to worry about that with Theresa.' We had made a heck of a dent and I thank everybody for that because every month, when he gets the cheque, he calls as soon as it comes in the mail because it's been a big deal for him. Hadn't done it all yet," Cornette stated.

Dennis Condrey's name is etched in pro wrestling history as part of The Midnight Express, originally forming the stable in 1980 with Randy Rose, with the tag team being joined by Norvell Austin in 1981. This version of the group split in 1983, but Condrey would reform the Midnight Express in Mid-South Wrestling with Bobby Eaton and Jim Cornette as their manager. They would go on to establish themselves as one of the greatest tag teams in the history of wrestling.

After a split in 1987, Condrey would be replaced in the Midnight Express by Stan Lane, but he would later form the Original Midnight Express with Randy Rose, managed by Paul E. Dangerously (Paul Heyman), and briefly feud with Lane & Eaton across NWA territories.

Dennis Condrey would rejoin the Midnight Express with Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane in 2004, and the legendary tag team would team together until retiring in 2011.

If you use any quotes from this article please credit the original source and give an H/T to Cultaholic.com.