Former Broncos DL & WWE Wrestler Darren Drozdov Passes Away

Darren Drozdov, a former Denver Broncos defensive lineman who later started a professional wrestling career, passed away Friday.

WWE, for whom Drozdov worked, shared a statement from his family, and the Denver Broncos paid their respects to him on their Twitter feed. Drozdov was 54 years old.

We're saddened by the passing of Darren Drozdov, who played for the Broncos from 1993-94 before becoming a @WWE wrestler.

"Droz" embodied the spirit of perseverance & determination through adversity, and our hearts go out to his family. pic.twitter.com/9clWCZxRdt
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) June 30, 2023

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Drozdov went undrafted out of the University of Maryland and was a defensive lineman in the NFL during the early 1990s. He spent the 1993 season with the Broncos and was active for six games with two starts.

Longtime Broncos fans may remember what happened with Drozdov on a 1993 Monday Night Football game, in which he lined up opposite the center and vomited on the football before it could be snapped.

After the 1993 season, Drozdov was never active for a regular-season game, spending his time on the practice squad. He would later sign with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets, but never made either team's active roster.

Drozdov eventually made his way to the Canadian Football League. He spent the 1996 season with the Montreal Alouettes.

Drozdov then entered the world of professional wrestling, spending a brief period on the independent circuit, before WWE signed him to a developmental deal in 1997. He debuted on Monday Night Raw in 1998 with the nickname Puke, a nod to his incident on Monday Night Football and his ability to vomit "on command."

He was later billed as Droz and competed in the tag team ranks with Matt Bloom (billed as Albert) in 1999, but an unfortunate turn of events ended Drozdov's pro wrestling career.

During an Oct. 5, 1999, taping of the Smackdown show, Drozdov wrestled D-Lo Brown and suffered a severe neck injury when Brown attempted a powerbomb. Drozdov landed on his head and broke two vertebrae in his neck.

The incident left Drozdov a quadriplegic with no movement below his neck at the time, though later in his life, he would regain movement in his upper body and arms.

Drozdov would go on to write articles for WWE's website for a period of time. He was also named an honorary captain for the University of Maryland football team (for whom he played in college) in September 2007 for a game against Villanova.

Mile High Huddle sends its thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Darren Drozdov.

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