Darren Drozdov, better known to wrestling fans as Droz, passed away at age 54. The news was revealed by WWE after they ran an “In Memory” graphic at the start of Smackdown in London. No cause of death or other information is known at this point.
The New Jersey native entered the world of professional wrestling in 1997 and a year later he was signed to a WWE deal, where he was given the name of Puke simply because he could vomit on command. His interview with Vince McMahon was part of the Beyond The Mat documentary where McMahon famously requested Drozdov to vomit in his trashcan.
He was part of the Legion of Doom when Hawk was having health issues and after the angle ran its course, he was renamed Droz. Unfortunately for him though, his career was cut short when during an episode of Smackdown tapings in October 1999, he was on the receiving end of a running powerbomb by D’Lo Brown which ended badly.
He landed on his head and fractured two vertebrae in his neck and after several hours of surgeries, he was left a quadriplegic with no movement below his neck. He later regained movement in his upper body and arms but remained confined in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
After his injury, WWE kept him on the payroll, with Droz doing different work such as writing content for the website and magazines as well as being a guest on the Byte This show.
