We are very sad to report that Pete Rose, who lit up the baseball diamond for decades under the Cincinnati Reds, has passed away at 83-years-old.
TMZ reports that Pete Rose passed away earlier today at his home in Las Vegas. His agent, Ryan Fiterman of Fiterman Sports, confirmed the news and stated, The family is asking for privacy at this time.
Rose was one of the greatest baseball players in history, earning 17 All-Star Game selections, winning three World Series titles, and being named the 1973 National League MVP. His cause of his death has not yet been revealed.
Although Charley Hustle was never inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame, and its likely that he never will be due to the fact that he bet on baseball, he did receive that honor in WWE. He also had quite a resume of angles in a WWE ring that encompassed some big time events.
Between 1998 and 2000, Rose appeared at WWEs WrestleMania pay-per-view event. At WrestleMania XIV, he served as a guest ring announcer before a match between Kane and the Undertaker. He taunted the Boston crowd before receiving a Tombstone Piledriver from Kane.
Then at WrestleMania XV, Pete Rose sought revenge by dressing as the San Diego Chicken and attacking Kane, only to take another Tombstone. He returned at WrestleMania 2000 but was again thwarted by Kane and Rikishi.
In addition to these appearances, Rose featured in a Halloween-themed commercial for WWEs No Mercy event in 2002 and was chokeslammed by Kane. In 2004, he was inducted into the Celebrity Wing of the WWE Hall of Fame, becoming the first celebrity inducted, with Kane presenting the honor. Rose also guest hosted an episode of WWE RAW in 2010.
Pete Rose may have been a controversial figure in sports, but he was beloved in WWE. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and fans during this time.
