Internationally recognized pro wrestler “Bad Bones” John Klinger recently passed away on Monday, May 20. Klinger, who has been a popular wrestler in the European wrestling scene, died only days after his 40th birthday and mere months before he planned to retire from professional wrestling.
European promotion wXw announced Klinger’s passing, writing (translated):
“We say goodbye to ‘Bad Bones’ John Klinger. John Klinger was one of the defining wrestlers at wXw for over a decade. He won all of the major titles at wXw and won both 16 Carat Gold and Shortcut to the Top. In his almost 450 matches in the wXw ring, he always worked hard and did his best to excite his fans. At just 40 years old, John died far too early, shortly before his planned retirement. We wish his family and friends strength in this difficult time.”
Wir verabschieden uns von "Bad Bones" John Klinger.
John Klinger war über ein Jahrzehnt einer der prägenden Wrestler bei wXw. Er hat alle großen Titel bei wXw errungen und sowohl 16 Carat Gold als auch Shortcut to the Top gewonnen. In seinen knapp 450 Matches im wXw-Ring hat er… pic.twitter.com/ISBZfbjJax
— wXw Germany (@wXwGermany) May 20, 2024
Tributes have flowed in for Bad Bones from across the pro wrestling world, including from Will Ospreay, Corey Graves, Kyle Fletcher, TNA Wrestling, Nick Aldis, and Christopher Daniels. Former WWE NXT UK talent Flash Morgan Webster, who noted the two only wrestled less than a week ago.
“I only wrestled him 9 days ago. Was talking to him in Poland after the match about how he was gonna retire in September and was happy with what he’d achieved and was happy to step away on his own terms. Life can be so cruel. Rest in peace John.”
Bad Bones made his professional wrestling debut in 2005 and quickly became one of the leading figures in German wrestling. This led to him holding the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship three times and the GWF World Championship once. Bad Bones also appeared on several TNA tapings from 2009 to 2017 and was a prominent wrestler for WCPW from 2017 to 2019.
