Jerry "The Wall" Tuite, 36; Pro Wrestler
Ed Varner
12/6/2003 12:05:00 PM
Jerry "Wall" Tuite passes away
by Dave Meltzer
Jerry Tuite, who wrestled under names like The Wall (WCW), Gigantes (All Japan)
and Malice (TNA) passed away a few hours ago in Tokyo.
Tuite had finished his tour yesterday and was staying at the Narita Hotel, by
the airport, ready to return home. When an All Japan official called his room,
he didn't answer the phone. They called several more times as they were to take
him to the airport, before finally they got the hotel door opened and he was
found dead in his room at 7:45 p.m. today Japan time.
----
--A few more notes on the death of Jerry Tuite. He was 36. One of the people
who found him when they opened the door was Adolfo Tapia (La Parka). The
preliminary cause of death is a heart attack.
there's a photo of him at: http://www.usaprowrestling.com/wall.JPG
Ed Varner
more details from 1wrestling.com:
JERRY "THE WALL" TUITE PASSES AWAY IN JAPAN
by Mike Johnson Updated: 12/6/2003 9:43:48 AM
Jerry Tuite, who worked under several different ring names including The
Wall while in WCW, Malice for NWA: TNA, and currently Gigantes for All Japan
Pro Wrestling passed away early Saturday morning after working the final show
of a tour for All Japan.
Nikkan Sports in Japan reported that Tuite was found unconscious in his hotel
room and rushed to the hospital. Tuite was found by La Parka and Nosawa when
they had returned from a meal and wanted to say their goodbyes before heading
for the Narita Airport to return to Mexico. The report listed Tuite’s age as
36 and the cause of death as “an acute heart attack.”
Tuite wrestled his last match on Friday 12/5 at All Japan's PPV from Budokan
Hall in Tokyo, working a six man tag, teaming with (Bull) Buchanan and Justin
Credible to defeat Nobutaka Araya, Tomoaki Honma and Kazushi Miyamoto.
A native of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, Tuite trained at the Iron Mike Sharpe
Wrestling Academy, breaking in alongside Crowbar and Nova, among others and
building a close relationship with Bam Bam Bigelow. Tuite debuted in 1994.
After working out at the Power Plant, Tuite was brought into World Championship
Wrestling in 1999 during Kevin Nash’s booking stint as The Wall. Utilizing a
chokeslam as his finisher, Tuite was among many of the younger performers
rushed onto WCW television time in an attempt to stop the bleeding once WWF
overtook the Monday Night Wars of the 1990s, even getting the chance to work
Hulk Hogan on Nitro.
Tuite was given a Mohawk and renamed Sgt. A-WALL as a member of Bill DeMott’s
Misfits in Action group during Vince Russo’s fabled stint booking WCW in
2000. When the MIA ran its course, Tuite returned to the Wall persona.
Following the purchase of WCW by the World Wrestling Federation, Tuite was sent
to the WWF’s developmental territory. While waiting to be called up to the
main roster, Tuite was given his release so he could deal with personal issues
and was told once he had dealt with them, the door was open to come back down
the line. Tuite was later given dark matches by WWE, but at the time noted he
was rusty and didn’t give a good showing.
"In our business there are so many different types of personalities, it's a
shame that the drug use is very frequent. Some guys have some major injuries,
have chronic pain, but it becomes habit forming... Some people get hooked."
said Tuite on an appearance with Long Island, New York radio show Get In The
Ring in May 2003. "I didn't have to, if I utilized my chiropractor right, and I
took Ibuprophren I could have kept the pain down. You are thrown into that
lifestyle, everybody has it and 'When in Rome.'"
By all accounts at the time, Tuite had cleaned up after his WWE release and hit
the independent scene. He had remade himself in an attempt to freshen his look
and help pave his way back to the big time. He had worked on his physical
appearance, shedding his trademark shirt and tie for simple tights, exposing
the many tattoos that had inked on his body. While he may have used the Wall
name on the independent circuit, between the tattoos and the longer stringy
hair, only the most hardcore fan would have realized it was the same performer
at first glance.
Tuite began as regular on the Northeastern independent scene, working for such
companies as USA Pro Wrestling (as part of a duo with old friend Crowbar),
Phoenix Championship Wrestling (where he held the promotion’s championship),
and NWA New Jersey (where he also was champion), among a host of other
independent companies. He had brief stints in XPW (using the name Snuff) and
appeared on the first MLW show as well. Tuite worked the final World Wrestling
All-Stars tour, competing in the main event of what proved to be the
promotion’s final event in December 2002 in Zurich, Switzerland, as Tuite was
pinned by Sting to win the WWA championship in a Three-Way that also included
Lex Luger.
When NWA: TNA debuted in June 2002, Tuite was brought in and worked the main
event of the promotion’s first PPV, surviving to the end of a “Gauntlet for
the Gold” Royal Rumble under the name Malice, losing to Ken Shamrock in a
match to determine the new NWA champion. Although he received a strong initial
push in NWA: TNA against Shamrock and Sabu, managed by Jim Mitchell as a member
of Mitchell’s New Church, TNA cutbacks kept him from appearing regularly. He
was eventually brought back, but got a regular gig with All Japan and with the
exception of a few appearances from time to time, was pretty much done as a
regular with TNA.
Tuite, under the name Gigantes, had been touring regularly with All Japan since
early 2003.
On behalf of 1Wrestling.com, I’d like to extend my condolences to the family,
friends, and fans of Jerry Tuite.