Several wrestlers who appeared regularly or on rare occasions in Arizona decided to punch their own ticket out of life. Bob Sallee, Mike Awesome, Morbus, George Drake, Tojo Yamamoto, Ripper Collins....
Howard Stein was another part of Arizona wrestling who died in a such a tragic fashion.
While working at a print shop with bis parents, hew as a regualr at the Phoenix Madison Square garden and at the Bernsten shows, where he was forever heckling the villains from a ringside seat. He was not, however, a wrestler.
The closest he came to any physical contact with a wrestler was during an Eddie Sullivan match when, feeling bored, he shouted "I want some fucking action." Keep in mind this was 1981 or so, before profanity became the norm from fans or wrestlers. Hearing this, Sullivan lost his cool, stepped out of the ring and strutted over to Stein.
"You looking for some action?" Sullivan asked. :Give me some." He then slapped the cigar out of Stein's mouth and motioned him to get up.
Stein wisely did not, though the next week he was on Eddie's case more than ever, minus the request for "fucking action."
A year later, he mysteriously stopped showing up at the matches..
It seems for reasons no one knew, he went to Las Vegas to party it up, lost a load of money in the celebration and seeming in a good mood, returned to Vegas where he shot himself. Evidently, the spree and ending were thought out in advance.
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