Former WWE star Darren "Droz" Drozdov passed away at the age of 54 on June 30.
Drozdov had a memorable WWE run during The Attitude Era, and he was featured with the Legion of Doom (Animal & Hawk) and Prince Albert at different points. In October 1999, his career was tragically cut short when he fractured two vertebrae in his neck when he slipped during a powerbomb by D'Lo Brown. Due to the injury, Drozdov never walked again. Over the years, he was widely admired for his perseverance and his bright outlook following the incident.
Since the news of Drozdov's passing became public, various members of the wrestling world have paid tribute to him.
Man I’m so sorry to hear one of our ring brothers has passed away.
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) June 30, 2023
Darren Drozdov aka Droz.
We wrestled on a lot of cards together. Such an awesome dude. Great personality and great wrestling talent. We always talked about football and fishing. Sending love, strength, mana and…
Nothin but LOVE for our brother Droz.
— Bully Ray (@bullyray5150) June 30, 2023
My condolences to his family and friends.
RIP and God Bless ---- pic.twitter.com/Fr4yY9y5hc
Droz was the first wrestler I knew that played at UMD. He went to WWE after the NFL paving the way for other Terp D-Linemen @MojoMuhtadi & Me…. #RIPDroz pic.twitter.com/DdrhKDTjER
— Top Dolla ---- (@AJFrancis410) June 30, 2023
Be at peace, Darren. Droz really helped me get through my broken neck. He was so encouraging to me. His positivity helped me let go of anger I had due to being sidelined. He will always be an inspiration. #RIPDroz
— Amy Dumas (@AmyDumas) July 1, 2023
Heartbroken to learn of the passing of Darren Drozdov aka Droz. Sweetheart of a man. Was fortunate to get know him in ECW and then WWE. All good memories! Shared lots of laughs. Rest In Peace Droz. My thoughts and heart go out to his family. pic.twitter.com/13nexou1Kh
— Brian Heffron aka The Blue Meanie (@BlueMeanieBWO) June 30, 2023
Very sad to hear of Droz passing. Was a really a great guy. Career was sadly cut short due to a tragic situation in the ring. Battled for years, was always smiling and positive. RIP pic.twitter.com/n0t3Z00BJK
— taz (@OfficialTAZ) June 30, 2023
Godspeed, Droz. Rest well, sir. -- https://t.co/d0G4sdiUqn
— Adam Pearce (@ScrapDaddyAP) June 30, 2023
#DarrenDrozdov kindly spoke to me before I started w/ WWE. He & I were @umterps D Linemen. He didn’t know me at the time but selflessly spoke to me for hours to get me jump started in wrestling after football. Everytime we spoke, he was exceptionally kind. We will miss you Droz. pic.twitter.com/wZlgAN4541
— Dean “Mojo” Muhtadi (@MojoMuhtadi) June 30, 2023
Sad to hear about fellow jersey boy Droz . A great guy and beautiful person. RIP my friend .
— Tony Chimel (@TheTonyChimel) July 1, 2023
Droz was a staple of the Attitude Era & created many moments in a short period of time that people still look back on.
— Ryan Pappolla (@BodieIsRyan) June 30, 2023
Bigger than that though, he refused to be defined by the unbelievably unfair circumstances he went through.
He was an inspiration. He always will be. https://t.co/vOjVPXlvef
Such a wonderful man. We wrestled each other, fought each other in Brawl for All, hunted together, talked tons and tons of football and laughed together every time we met. You made me want to be better the way you handled adversity. You will always be a brother. RIP legend. https://t.co/NjCtvL2TXi
— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) July 1, 2023
Fightful joins the wrestling world in mourning Drozdov, and we send our condolences to his family and friends.
