June 21, 2006 Observer Newsletter: John Tenta obituary
Within pro wrestling, there are far too many stories of overindulgent behavior leading to early deaths. But it’s even more tragic when a young man with a loving family is simply dealt a bad hand that he can’t overcome. Worse, we often like to take solace in the case of deaths by saying that at least the man didn’t suffer. And in this case, there is no solace.
John “Earthquake” Tenta battled cancer bravely for the past few years, and with nothing but complete dignity. He regularly posted updates on the Wrestlecrap forum of his friend, Randy Baer (aka R.D. Reynolds). Every message was about a fight that he was bound and determined to win. He was winning early, and by his words and spirits, at first, you couldn’t envision him losing. He came back after being handed the first verdict by his doctors of a probable death sentence two years ago. In 2004, he was first diagnosed with bladder cancer. After chemotherapy, he got the good news that he was winning the fight and the cancer was barely a dot.
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.