Last night, former WCW pro wrestler Scotty Riggs on his Twitter account announced that fellow WCW alumni Sean O’Haire had passed away.
Just got a message that former wrestler Sean O’ Haire has passed away. #RIPSeanOHaire
— RIGGS (@realscottyriggs) September 10, 2014
Update: News has been officially confirmed of his death, including the fact it was a suicide. This was written before confirmation.
O’Haire passed away at just 43 years old, adding to a long list of unfortunate wrestler deaths before the age of 50. O’Haire was a martial artist and competed in Toughman competitions in South Carolina before heading to the WCW Power Plant to train and become a pro wrestler. At 29 years old, a late age for most, O’Haire made his pro wrestling debut straight to WCW, another rarity for most wrestlers. At a billed height of 6’6”, O’Haire was an incredible physical specimen. He looked like everything “Megaman” Tom Magee was supposed to be. Large, agile and quickly picking up psychology, O’Haire looked like a can’t miss project. Debuting at the same time as a group of rookies like Chuck Palumbo, Mark Jindrak, Mike Sanders and Reno, they soon formed the faction of the Natural Born Thrillers. Late in WCW’s tenure, O’Haire was unquestionably the shining star. It wasn’t hard to be impressed by a man possibly over 250lbs hitting a Swanton Bomb (dubbed the Seanton Bomb) with fluidity and execution. O’Haire found himself a multiple tag champion in WCW before the company was purchased by WWE.
Despite a couple appearances in 2001, O’Haire spent a year and a half in WWE development in Ohio Valley Wrestling. Fans raved about the potential of Sean O’Haire. He had the size, the look and the intensity to be more than just a superstar in the company. After a few appearances on Heat and dark shows, O’Haire debuted a new gimmick in the beginning of 2003.
Enter Sean O’Haire: The Devil’s Advocate
Eating: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e45S_a_zxEk
Taxes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1QfWHQP8ZE
Rules and Laws: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfnOU1gkeZY
Religion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEXJgkCCzks
Drugs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcYEq63CyeQ
Infidelity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XDtXARTXwA
To this day, those are the best vignettes the WWE has ever produced for a wrestler’s first statement, second only to maybe Razor Ramon. “I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know” set the Internet at the time ablaze. This was a gimmick with potential, with legs. With O’Haire’s imposing size and agility, he became a popular choice in EWR Wrestling simulators to be the kind of guy to fight The Undertaker and possibly best him, maybe even at WrestleMania. The hype was huge for O’Haire. To this day, fans grumble and complain at the lack of execution for the character and its inevitable failure. Just another failed gimmick thrown to the pile.
However, what some fans either forget or were not around for was that for all of his potential, size and ability… O’Haire couldn’t keep a straight face. WWE had him cut his promos in front of live crowds and each time, O’Haire would corpse, unable to contain the gimmick. The few appearances on television they had him make with the gimmick also had O’Haire corpsing it up, which made it look like he couldn’t take the gimmick serious. WWE could have put O’Haire on the shelf and sent him for acting lessons, but instead teamed him with Rowdy Roddy Piper, one of the best mic men in the business. The hope was that Piper’s natural ability could rub off on O’Haire, letting him ease into his gimmick. Unfortunately, Piper was let go prematurely, leaving the WWE with no plans for Sean. O’Haire left the WWE in 2004, never achieving the potential of his gimmick or his ability.
After a few spots in New Japan Pro Wrestling and various independents, O’Haire tried out in Kickboxing and MMA before retiring from sports entertainment.
I mentioned “Megaman” Tom Magee, a reference some might not know. Magee had similar size to O’Haire and was a Strongman competitor from Canada. He also had a martial arts background similar to Sean O’Haire. Magee was trained by Stu Hart and made his wresting debut in All Japan Pro Wrestling against Riki Chosu, impressing even Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer of his strength and agility. Coming to the WWF, Vince McMahon had Magee wrestle Bret “The Hitman” Hart in his tryout and asked Bret to give Magee a good match. Bret wrestled Magee in a good match, so good that Vince McMahon wanted to groom Magee as his next Hulk Hogan. Unfortunately, Magee couldn’t repeat the performances he had against Chosu and Hart. To this day, few remember Magee. They only remember that Bret Hart proved he could carry an absolute stiff to an absolute classic. Magee left the WWF, his once potential dissipated. Sound familiar?
Guys like Magee and O’Haire come into the business all of the time with the genetics, the pedigree and the training. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what the guy has on the outside. They need to also have the drive and passion to continue. O’Haire became a pro wrestler in 2000 and was retired by 2004. Potential is a tragic thing. I’m not saying O’Haire didn’t care about the business. That would be presumptuous. But he was likely very aware of the package he presented. The pressure of being everything someone wants in a superstar likely weighed heavy on his shoulders, no different to Tom Magee. That can sometimes chip away at even the biggest statue until it has no more support to hold on.
It’s unfortunate, but O’Haire was still a shining star in his limited time in pro wrestling. Those vignettes will live on as a reminder of the creativity one can use to debut a new character. His body of work will be a reflection of what size and athleticism can accomplish in a short amount of time. It has been over a decade since we first saw the Seanton Bomb and it’s hard to think of a more impressive move executed by such a big man, even in comparison to Brock Lesnar’s shooting star press.
You can find his obituary here.
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