Brian Knighton, a former WWE superstar who fought under the moniker “Axl Rotten,” has been found dead in Baltimore.
He was 44 years old.
Details are still coming in regarding the death, but PWInsider reports that Knighton was discovered by authorities in a McDonald’s in the vicinity of the motel he was staying in.
The ex-wrestler had just sent a message on Twitter 10 hours before his corpse was found.
Knighton was best known for his run in the original Extreme Championship Wrestling in the mid-1990s, establishing a feud at the time with his storyline brother and former tag team partner, Ian Rotten.
He was one of the first wrestlers to use barbed wire baseball bats inside the ring, turning that item into a common weapon of choice and helping to usher in an era of blood and violence.
“Thanks for letting me learn from you, but most of all thanks for being my brother,” Ian wrote in a Facebook tribute after learning of Brian’s death, linking to photos and videos from Knighton’s career.”
Ian said he saw this death coming:
“When Axl left my house Sunday night, I pretty much knew I would never see him again.
“He would always say to me that he had no idea why he was still here. That God must have been making him suffer. I told him that it was Gods plan for him to write his book, and maybe that book would change one person’s life.
“Unfortunately, now that book won’t be written. When he left my house, he told me he wrote this story and he knew how it ended.”
Knighton went on to appear in the WWE and that organization issued the following statement on his passing:
“WWE extends its condolences to Knighton’s family, friends and fans”
