Rob Rage, a professional wrestler based in Canada, died on Saturday, according to Slam Wrestling. He was 41 years old. The outlet said that Rage (real name Rob Thomson) died after suffering cardiac arrest backstage at a wrestling show. At the time of his death, Rage had come backstage after competing in a match at the Hammering Cancer 4 fundraising show in Hamilton, Ontario. A source told Slam Wrestling that Rage went into cardiac arrest after coming back to the dressing room. Some professional wrestlers performed CPR until first responders arrived. Rage reportedly died in the ambulance.ย
“So saddened (sic) to hear of the Passing of Rob Thomson A.K.A Rob Rage,” wrestler Ray Donovan said. “My heart goes out to him and my condolences to his family and friends. Whether (sic) it was standing across the ring from him or getting to work with him on Dark Side of the Ring. He was always there to make you laugh and lend and ear. I got to know him a little more personally during our scenes together, talking about wrestling and our love for fitness, he was just a really good guy. It’s in these times that we must cherish our lives even if we are down because it can be taken from us in a second… Thank you for the times we shared. ย RIP Rob.”
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Rage competed in multiple promotions in the Ontario area, including Crossfire Wrestling, Classic Championship Wrestling and Deathproof Wrestling. Rage would also go by names such as “Muscle Messiah” and “Tyrannosaurs Pecs” as well as “Warrior Rage” when wearing Road Warrior-style makeup. Because of that, Rage was selected to portray Road Warrior Hawk in a Dark Side of the Ring episode about him.ย
Along with wrestling, Rage competed as a bodybuilder, worked as a personal trainer and did some acting. He starred in the movie The Masked Saint with WWE Hall of Fame “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. “I was telling him the story when I got to work with him onย The Masked Saint,”ย Rage told Slam Wrestling in 2020. “He teared up and he got really emotional about it.”
Rage is survived by his two sisters and mother. “We are deeply saddened with the sudden passing of Rob Thomson AKA Rob Rage,” Ontario Elite Wrestling wrote in a statement. “Not only was Rob a larger than life persona in the ring with amazing talent, he was also just as big of a person in the locker room and among friends.As we mourn the loss of a great man, a squared circle beyond our reach has gained a phenomenal talent.”
