Sid Eudy, a six-time world champion in American professional wrestling, has died at the age of 63 after a long struggle with cancer. His son Gunnar announced this on social media. He performed with several ring nicknames during his outstanding career, such as Sid Vicious in WCW, Sid Justin in WWF, and Sid Psycho in WWF.
Eudy was one of the best wrestlers in the 1990s, including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and the Undertaker. His first significant match against Hogan at WrestleMania VIII in 1992 ended in a disqualification.
The athlete oscillated between Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation, Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling, and the independent circuit such as the United States Wrestling Association throughout the decade. In 1994, he faced his longtime rival Jerry “The King” Lawler in a fierce rivalry for the USWA heavyweight title.
After that time, Eudy began his best stint wrestling in the WWF in 1995, first protecting Shawn Michaels, then joining the bizarre Million Dollar Corporation faction led by Ted “The Million Dollar Man” DiBiase. He challenged WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash (then competing under the name Diesel) for the world title as a member of this faction, but was unsuccessful.
UD rose to the top of the World Wrestling Federation in 1996, fueled by the development of the persona of Sycho Sid, a madman with a blank stare and violent outbursts. Sycho Sid defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship and eventually won it for the first time at Survivor Series at Madison Square Garden.
Sycho Sid faced Michaels and Bret Hart in pursuit of the championship in the following months. Sid won the WWF Championship from The Undertaker in the main event of WrestleMania XIII in perhaps his most iconic match. The match contributed to The Undertaker’s legendary streak of twenty-one consecutive victories in the WWF’s flagship event.
After the war, Ud left the WWF because his cervical spine needed surgery. He reappeared on TV with WCW, where he captured the promotion’s World Heavyweight Championship while facing Hogan, Nash, and Chris Benoit. Before this, he suffered a serious leg injury during a televised match that threatened his mobility.
After rehabilitation, Udde made a triumphant return to the ring in 2004 and continued to play on the independent circuit in the 2000s. In 2012, he joined WWE for the first time in fifteen years when he appeared on the milestone 1,000th episode of “Monday Night Raw.” His final match was in 2017 in Ontario, Canada.
Sid Eudy’s family includes his wife Sabrina, their two sons Frank and Gunnar.