Wrestling Legend Adrian Street Dead at 82

Wrestling star Adrian Street, 82, died last week following a stroke. Street began his wrestling career in 1957 under the ring monicker Kid Tarzan Jonathan before eventually using his birth name inside the squared circle. He competed for various promotions such as NWA Hollywood Wrestling, NWA Wrestle Birmingham, Mid-South Wrestling Association, Southeastern Championship Wrestling, All Star Wrestling, and Cauliflower Alley Club. Street won championships in all of the aforementioned territories. His early wrestling inspirations were Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers. Street competed across countries like Germany, Canada and Mexico before eventually making his way to the states in the 1980s.

Street's wife, Linda, shared the news of her husband's passing on Monday.

"He was recovering from that at home when he developed colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, which later turned into sepsis," Linda told BBC. "That's what killed him. It all came about so quick. I've still not come to terms with it yet."

Street officially retired from professional wrestling in 2014. He estimated to have wrestled somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000 matches during his seven-decade career.

Support from the wrestling world has poured in for Street and his family. WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque paid tribute to the late wrestler on Twitter.

"A genre-bending pioneer whose larger-than-life presence and ruthlessness between the ropes changed the wrestling world forever. Honored to have called Adrian Street a friend," Triple H wrote.

Drew McIntyre also expressed his admiration for Street, calling him a "genuine trailblazer."

"Adrian Street was before his time, a genuine trailblazer and one of the toughest men you could wish to meet," McIntyre wrote. "My thoughts go out to his wife Linda & the rest of his family and friends. RIP."