Dwayne Johnson And WWE Lead The Tributes To Darren Drozdov

Written by James Holder • Published Jul 01, 2023 08:08 EDT
Darren Drozdov

On June 30th, 2023, it was announced that Darren Drozdov had sadly passed away aged 54.

The former NFL star is best known for his time in WWE in the late 1990s where he performed as Droz. The star first found wrestling fame as part of the Beyond The Mat documentary where he was seen meeting with Vince McMahon, and vomiting into a trash can which he could seemingly do on demand, which led to him being given the name Puke.

In May 1998, Drozdov joined forces with the Legion of Doom — The Road Warriors — although he eventually left the stable. Drozdov’s in-ring career came to an unfortunate end in October 1999 during a match with D’Lo Brown. As a result of the accident, Droz suffered a serious neck injury which left him quadriplegic. As a testament to the kind of person he was, Drozdov never held any animosity towards Brown over the incident, insisting that it was just an unfortunate accident.

Darren Drozdov Remembered

Following the news of his death a number of WWE Superstars both past and present paid tribute to the star, each sharing their memories of the star in and out of the ring.

Dwayne Johnson began by paying tribute to an “awesome dude and great personality.”

“Man I’m so sorry to hear one of our ring brothers has passed away. 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 light to his family. RIP brother”

Very sad news about Darren Drozdov. He endured so much and always seemed to have a smile on his face no matter what. My heart goes out to his family and friends during this difficult time.

WWE Hall of Famer Lita recalled Drozdov reaching out to her while dealing with her serious neck injury in the early 2000s.

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

Saddened to hear about the passing of Darren Drozdov. Darren was a great guy who was always full of life & laughs.

#RIP Darren Drozdov I didn’t know him well, but he was a fun guy to be around who always had a smile on his face and a positive attitude. He will be missed and remembered fondly.

Everyone at Inside The Ropes sends their condolences to Darren Drozdov’s family and friends during this difficult time.