Rick Bognar: WWE Favorites Mourn Death of ‘Fake Razor Ramon’

Saturday night, the wrestling world was rocked by the news that Rick “Titan” Bognar had passed away at the age of 49. The death was confirmed by Bognar’s brother. No cause of death was given at the time.

Bognar was best known for his days playing Fake Razor Ramon for WWE in the 1990s. When Scott Hall and Kevin Nash left WWE for the WCW, the rights for their characters, Razor Ramon and Diesel, remained. WWE hired and Glenn Jacobs, the wrestler who is now better known as Kane, to play fake versions of those characters.

As it turns out, the reaction to this storyline was overwhelmingly negative, and Bogner left WWE after his one-year contract with the company expired. He continued to wrestle until 2000, which included a stint with New Japan Pro Wrestling. However, a neck injury ended his career.

“It is with great sadness that I share some news with Rick’s Facebook friends. On September 20th Rick passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the young age of 49,” Bognar’s brother wrote. “It is tough to comprehend and will likely never sink in fully. Rick left behind a great legacy and I know he will be remembered and missed by all of us.”

With the news of Bognar’s passing, fellow wrestlers reached out on social media to pay tribute.

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Like Bognar, Kane was a man tasked with filling the role of a fake character during the mid-1990s. He was the fake Diesel in the much-maligned storyline. Kane respected Bognar for the work that he did both in the ring and following his retirement. 

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While there were many fellow wrestlers that mourned the loss of Bognar on Sunday, they were certainly not the only ones. WWE referees also weighed in to pay tribute to the man that spent a year with the company before heading to NJPW. 

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Bognar was known for his time as the Fake Razor Ramon in the WWE, which is actually how many came to know his name. Interestingly enough, this gig has a unique backstory that was revealed by wrestler Brian Heffron. 

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The Canadian-born Rick Bognar was known for his time in both WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling. As it turns out, he was a trendsetter for wrestlers from the Calgary area. Paul Lazenby explained the impact that Bognar made on the sport when he paid tribute to the late wrestler on Saturday night. 

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With the news of Rick Bognar, social media was filled with tributes and memories of his time in both WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Some mentioned watching Bognar perform during his career while others posted photos form their interactions with the former professional wrestler. 

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One of the prominent figures that paid tribute to Rick Bognar was Chris Jericho. The former professional wrestler and musician posted multiple photos of him and Bognar while discussing their long history together in the ring. 

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Obviously, Rick Bognar was best known for his time as the Fake Razor Ramon, but some of his fellow wrestlers would prefer if that was not his calling card. Instead, they want Bognar to be known for his time as Big Titan, as well as his motivational speaking career following his wrestling career.