Shad Gaspard Disappeared Off California Coast

Gaspard's last act before disappearing is heroic
Photo Credit: WWE.com

Former WWE wrestler Shad Gaspard was reported missing May 17 after swimming with his son off Marina del Rey beach. Gaspard and his son were swept up in a rip current along with several other swimmers around 4 PM. Gaspard in his last actions before being lost in a wave directed lifeguards to save his son. Lifeguards were able to save the boy, but Gaspard disappeared shortly after. Rescue efforts have been ongoing, but they have borne no positive identifications. Dave Meltzer tweeted that his contacts on the scene reported to him that things are not looking hopeful. Gaspard was at the beach with his wife as well.

Gaspard's career in wrestling began by trying out and qualifying for the second season of Tough Enough. However, he never made it to television, as he failed a physical. However, he impressed Dr. Tom Prichard enough that he was invited to Ohio Valley Wrestling. He developed there and soon became a top prospect in WWE's former developmental territory. He got his shot on the main roster with JTG in a tag team called Cryme Tyme. The team had midcard success in WWE for two separate stints at the end of the Aughts. His stint in WWE came to an end in 2010. Afterwards, he bounced around between wrestling, acting, and comic book writing. While acting took most of his focus, he still bounced around with JTG in various dates after his own release in 2014. His most prominent recent appearance was with JTG in the Joey Janela Spring Break 3 Night 2 Clusterfuck match.

While Gaspard is not confirmed gone, the odds of his survival don't look very good right now. Gaspard's wife, Siliana, had, as of 3 PM ET yesterday, not left the beach, holding out hope that someone would find her husband. It's not supposed to happen like this. It's never supposed to happen like this. You never think of a hero dying, and it feels so cosmically, karmically wrong. It feels cruel. Getting taken out by a rip current can happen to anyone at any beach in any sea attached to any ocean. It's a danger you never really think about happening until you feel the pull dragging you out to sea. It's all about response time, about how the ocean is where you get pulled out to. West Coasters will tell you the Pacific Ocean isn't as placid as its name would indicate. The ocean floor drops, the coast is littered with crags, and the currents are rough. He made sure that his son would be the one to get out, and it's heartbreaking.

You can't measure a man's life by a wrestling career, and you shouldn't. A human being is a human being, and a father and a husband should not lose his life at age 39. This story has crushed a lot of people who follow wrestling, myself included. I'm hoping beyond hope that he's alive somewhere on a rock or a piece of driftwood, waiting to be saved. However, it feels like this story is going to have a tragic end. It sucks.