Refereeing is perhaps the most underappreciated role in wrestling as a bad referee can greatly detract from a match while a good referee can greatly enhance them. Thankfully, Jack Lotz was a good referee.
Lotz worked as one of WWE’s top officials during the 80s, refereeing many iconic matches and events. He was the official for the iconic match between Hulk Hogan and The Iron Sheik where Hogan won his first WWE Championship. Lotz also worked on the first three WrestleManias, the highlight of a refereeing career spanning over three decades.
Shad Gaspard – May 17, 2020 (39 Years Old)
In a tag team that was the product on its time in some ways, Shad Gaspard and JTG are most remembered for their stints in WWE as Cryme Tyme. While the stereotypical gimmick would likely not fly today, the duo made the most of it with their charm and charisma. They had two stints with WWE from 2006-2007 and again from 2008-2010.
After the team broke up in March 2010, Gaspard was released by WWE but would go on to do a ton of impressive work in Hollywood. He appeared in such major movies as Get Hard and Birds of Prey while also performing the motion capture for Kratos in God of War.
Hana Kimura – May 23, 2020 (22 Years Old)
All of the entries on this list are difficult to talk about but Hana Kimura’s death remains a reminder to be kind to each other as you never know what people are going through.
At only 22 years of age, Kimura was one of the best women’s wrestlers in the world and was one of the brightest stars in wrestling’s future. Debuting in 2016, Kimura was trained by Wrestle-1 and competed in the promotion for three years.
After announcing her departure from Wrestle-1 in 2019, Kimura joined the biggest women’s wrestling promotion in the world, Stardom. Despite only being in the promotion for a year, she won several championships and awards during her time there.
Danny Havoc – May 31, 2020 (34 Years Old)
Death match wrestling has a stigma and reputation behind it but if you heard Danny Havoc talk about what he did, you knew he was something special. One of the biggest death match stars of his generation, Grant Berkland wrestled as Danny Havoc for Combat Zone Wrestling from 2005-2017.
Appearing in the Vice docuseries The Wrestlers, Havoc showed the more thoughtful side of the Business as the episode culminated with his retirement match in 2017. His style may not have been for everyone but major stars like Jon Moxley and Sami Callihan showing their respect for him after his passing showed just how much Havoc meant to his community.
“Mr. Wrestling II” Johnny Walker – June 10, 2020 (85 Years Old)
Johnny Walker began wrestling in 1955 being trained by Tony Morelli and former NWA World Champion Pat O’Connor. After a decade of wrestling under his given name, Walker retired for three years before returning as The Grappler. This went on until 1972 when a semi-retired Walker was given the moniker of Mr. Wrestling II.
It was during this time that Walker had the most success in his career. He became a top draw in the south and was one of the top draws in the United States as a whole. Fun fact, U.S. President Jimmy Carter named Mr. Wrestling II as his favourite wrestling during this period.
Walker would work for Mid-South during the early 80s, helping to introduce Magnum T.A. as his protégé. This ultimately led to a feud between the two before Walker left the territory in 1984. Walker continued to work until he retired in 1990 before briefly resurfacing in Hawaii training “Mr. Wrestling III” Steve Corino in 2007.
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