After watching ESPN's 30 for 30 on Ric Flair this week I felt nostalgic for the pro-wrasslin I adored in my youth. I was dumb-founded when I stumbled upon news regarding the death of Canadian strongman Dino Bravo back in 1993. The passing of an ex-wrestler sadly, is commonplace however the circumstances regarding Bravo's death are as shocking as they are tragic.
And it happened almost 25 years ago and I had no idea.
I found the following posted on grunge.com ~
After years of employment throughout the '80s, Dino found himself on the outs with the WWF by 1992. According to fellow wrestler and friend Rick Martel, he simply didn't fit into Vince McMahon's plans anymore, so he was released. Bravo, with no savings and no knowledge of anything other than wrestling, got into organized crime through his uncle and joined a cigarette smuggling ring based in Quebec. Less than a year later, on March 10, 1993, he was dead, 17 gunshots riddled all over his body. Martel believes a cocaine smuggler blamed him for cops showing up during a would-be deal between the two markets, and Bravo suffered the consequences of running afoul with the mob.
