"Bad Bones" John Klinger Passes Away

"Bad Bones" John Klinger, a staple of the European independent wrestling scene, passed away on Monday, May 20. Klinger 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."

Tributes have poured 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.

Bad Bones made his pro wrestling debut in 2005 and soon established himself as one of the top names in German wrestling which led to him having three reigns as wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion and one reign as GWF World Champion. Bad Bones also worked multiple tapings for TNA between 2009 and 2017 and he was a featured performer for WCPW between 2017 and 2019.

Cultaholic extends its condolences to John Klinger's family and friends.