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The wrestling world mourned the death of one of its unsung heroes on Aug. 26. Sid Eudy, best known to fans by his ring names Sid Justice, Sid Vicious, and Sycho Sid, passed away at 63. The news was first shared by his son, Gunnar.
Sid made his WWE (then WWF) debut in 1991 after starting at the NWA World Championship Wrestling. At 6-foot-9 and 309 pounds, he became one of Wrestling’s most famous “big men,” earning massive pull (positive and negative) with fans in the ’90s as both a heel and a face, as he feuded with major stars the likes of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and The Undertaker.
The wrestler would go on to headline two Wrestlemania events in 1992 and 1997, winning the WWF/WWE Championship title in ’96 and ’97 and holding on to it for a combined 97 days. During a later comeback to the WCW in the aughts, he headlined Starrcade in 2000 and entered a heated competition for the WCW World Heavyweight Champion title against Kevin Nash earlier that same year. The Arkansas native began by beating Nash, only to be stripped of the title a day later on a technicality and then beat him again that same night, essentially becoming a second-time champion, and maintaining the title for 75 days. He was also a two-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion and a one-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion.
Then in 2001, a gnarly fracture in his left leg sustained during a Four Corners match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Scott Steiner, Jeff Jarrett, and Road Warrior Animal essentially terminated his ascension. Sycho Sid would return to professional wrestling in 2004 but would never get another title shot again. In 2012, he made a big WWE comeback during its 1000th Raw episode celebrations, officially retiring in 2017.
How did Sycho Sid die?
According to his son, Sid Eudy died from what was perhaps the most important fight of his life. The wrestler lost a battle with an undisclosed type of cancer which he had been trying to beat for “several years.” “He was a man of strength, kindness, and love, and his presence will be greatly missed,” Gunnar reflected.
Described by contemporary Booker T as “one of the most imposing big men you ever met in your life” in a WWE tribute video, the Master and Ruler of the World who would genuinely scare young fans in the ’90s and ’00s, and who carried out a nearly 30-year career despite a devastating injury, will be missed in the world of wrestling.