Just saw the news hit online.

Apparently he had cancer; had no idea.

For a guy that was always supposed to be "hated by smarks", it seems like all smarks loved Sid. He got cheered by WWF crowds against Hogan and HBK, and the ECW crowd always popped for him. Really, Sid was just cool. It sucks to see him pass on.

RIP Sid. May there be a softball game waiting for you in the afterlife.

This one hurts...I'm at a lost for words.

We live in a world where the bella twins are in wwe hall of fame.
But Psycho Sid isn't.....

Sid was too cool to fail.

RIP Sid. 1 of the greatest big men of all time.

I think with Sid he was unapologetically your stereotypical wrestler. He was carved out of stone, had an intimidating look, and screamed at the top of his lungs mistakes and all during his promos. I think this is what endeared him to smart and casual fans alike. His in ring work was also suspect but his charisma was so great it masked those problems. He is truly a "pure" wrestler with his quirks like his random leaves for softball and attacking other wrestlers with squeegees and scissors. He wasn't meant for the life of a "normie". Personally I liked everything he did from the Skyscrapers all the way to the "Millennium Man", one of the most entertaining big men of that era.

RIP

RIP to the Master AND RULER... of the world.

One of my favorite Sid moments is when Sid asks JR for a 'do over' during a live promo on RAW, and JR simply responds "we're live, pal" as Sid continues absolutely seamlessly. I put Sid in the "Scott Steiner" camp when it comes to promo ability; he certainly wasn't well spoken, but he also had a charisma that allowed him to pull off what a lot well spoken wrestlers couldn't. Obviously, throw Ultimate Warrior into this category.

Kind of wish he hadn't spent all that time in WCW and elswehwere. The history books are written by the winners ...

One of the coolest wrestlers ever. Promo ability and charisma often get lumped together when they are two very different things. Sid wasn't a great promo, but he was one of the most charismatic wrestlers ever. Think of all the roided out muscle freaks that have emerged in wrestling who had absolutely nothing else going on, and as a result, they did nothing. No one cared about them. But Sid, man. Sid was just different. No one can really articulate why. One of those things that can't be. Which is probably best, a mysterious It Factor. I never want that being able to be explained. Sid walked out and it was just, holy shit, look at this guy.

I've often stated in HOW some variation of, "Sid couldn't talk, couldn't throw a punch, and injured himself in horrific fashion trying to kick" which sounds like a criticism, and would be of any other wrestler as those are the three most basic things a wrestler should be able to do, but I say it in awe that it didn't matter when it came to Sid. Because I loved Sid his entire career. And everyone I knew loved Sid his entire career. Normies, Vince McMahon brainwashed size obsessed fans, smarks, everyone loved Sid. 

The three greatest examples of everyone loving Sid:

1. Sid getting cheers over Hogan at Royal Rumble 1992: Younger fans might not understand the magnitude of this. Post Monday Night Wars, heels as the cool guys getting cheers, post-John Cena Era, the top babyface getting booed in every town his entire career, this is just something happens sometimes. But that shit didn't happen in 1992. People didn't boo top babyface Hulk Hogan before that (maybe that one time with Jake the Snake, but footage was destroyed). And people didn't boo babyface Hulk Hogan after that (until WCW). Sid was so fucking cool, he had people cheering for him over Hulk Hogan. Yeah, it was 1992, it wasn't 1987 anymore, but still. Things were accidentally lined up for that to happen for a lot of other Hogan foes and it only ever happened with Sid. That's the Sid Factor. 

2. Sid getting cheers over HBK at Survivor Series 1996: While it's true MSG was one of the smarkiest crowds, MSG was also extremely loyal to top babyfaces. They never turned on Bruno, as far as I know. They never turned on Hogan. Granted, circumstances were very different, it being his return, but they didn't turn on Bret the very same night against Austin who was on his way to becoming Austin. They only ever really turned on Backlund, but that took years! Until Sid walked out to face Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1996. It almost seems like there wasn't even a plan to turn on HBK, it was just a natural reaction to Sid walking out, with that intensity, that charisma, and the arena was just summoned to cheer for Sid. Like a sudden epiphany by everyone in the crowd: Why the fuck would we cheer for Shawn Michaels over this guy? Which, you know, yeah.

3. ECW Arena going absolutely fucking crazy for Sid: Sid is everything you know about wrestling inverted. Sid, the wrestler who can't talk well and can't wrestle and who got pushed everywhere he went beloved by smarks. The thing about Sid getting a hero's welcome by the ECW Arena, the supposed toughest audience in wrestling, is that it was totally unsurprising. Of course Sid would be loved there. Because Sid was loved everywhere. Smarks had been cheering him from day one. ECW Arena following suit was just the final approval to cement the legacy of Sid as the unlikeliest smark darling. Because he was just that cool.

I have to add that I'm probably underrating Sid's promo ability a little bit. He had a very antiquated 1980s shouty style, but sometimes it worked.  I especially loved his time with Vader where together they seemed better somehow, because it was like they were creating a universe where that's just how people talk.

And also for all my "Sid couldn't wrestle" talk, which is mostly true, Sid could absolutely squash, which is a lost art, and a huge aspect of Sid's sidness always being over. If Sid was walking down the aisle to destroy a jobber (or several jobbers) there's few 5 Star Matches you'll ever want to watch over that. Sid was an artist in that regard. 

Also, was always amused that Sid, not known for his athleticism, somehow had one of the greatest leg drops I've ever seen. Sid had hops. Always cracked me up when he'd get cartoonishly high with a leg drop because it was always unexpected, no matter how many times I had seen him do it. 

Loved Sid, man. Gonna tap my chest then give a fist bump hand shake to everyone I see for the rest of the year. 

I also wanna believe Sid's leg break was probably one of the more searched gif avi file for early wrestling on the internet. At some point everyone limewired it. This was before everything was in YouTube.

He was a fucking titan of the ring and immediately a favorite of mine starting with Superstars squashes in 91-92, when he would send the jobber crashing back into the ring on a stretcher. He was also the main draw for me to rent the 89-90 WCW tapes if he was on the cover(the one Havoc tape with him and Sting is an all time fav VHS cover). Count me in as rooting for him to win the 92 Rumble, and I was hyped as fuck for Hogan vs Sid at Mania 8. In that moment that was wrestlings Tyson vs Holyfield for me my little mind couldnt fathom how awesome a fight this would be for these two to clash, I had to see it. Clash of the Titans. Ive also always loved Sid vs Taker at Mania 13 as a match and main event that just really worked for me. Then he shows up in ECW it was big time, I didnt even see it on tv just opened up a magazine and seen the pics and marked the fuck out of my skin.

I think by his 1999 WCW run I had outgrown him and just didnt care for all the crap they had going with him.

Im off work today to take my boy to doctor appt, I plan on doing shoulders at the gym today will definitely kill my traps in Sid’s honor RIP

Aug 27, 2024 14:23:51 GMT Neo Zeed said:

Im off work today to take my boy to doctor appt, I plan on doing shoulders at the gym today will definitely kill my traps in Sid’s honor RIP

Constructing the most jacked wrestler of all time like Dr. Frankenstein, Sid's traps are the first thing to come to mind after Scott Steiner's biceps. 

Only just now realizing we've been doing CAW wrong all this time.

Aww man. This came out of nowhere. Had no idea he was poorly.

No way I'm outdoing Shootist & Kilgore here. Great posts!

This is the part where I pull the jerk move of confessing to being a low vote on Sid in his death thread. He was famously a punch-kick wrestler who couldn't punch and broke his leg trying to kick. During his 91-92 WWF run as Sid Justice he became the first main event level wrestler who I realized sucked at wrestling regardless of push. Then you get into his generic shouty promos, softball flakeouts, stabbings, botches, "overpushes," and it's safe to say I was even a Sid hater at times. WWF, WCW, or ECW; heel or face, I was never into Sid as a singles wrestler.

BUT I loved the guy in tag teams. It's one of those weird things that makes little to no sense. Was indifferent on a good day to Sid as a single yet loved the guy in the Skyscrapers w/ Spivey, Masters of the Powerbomb w/ Vader, and especially in the awesome short-lived Sid & The Kid team. Those 3 teams combined didn't last a year. Yet 2 of them made my Top 25 favorite tag teams list a few years back and I still got a wee bit of heat from Kilgore for leaving off Masters of the Powerbomb (who would have been like Top 40). 

Oh, and Sid was also my definitive Powerbomb Guy for like 30 years. Ahh who am I kidding? He's STILL my definitive Powerbomb Guy even if those Powerbombs weren't always as 'omg awesome!' as I remembered. Truth is I still associate him with the move more than anybody else.

And the quirks of some weirdo are really irrelevant when discussing Sid's career. The guy was a success by every metric that matters. He was a WWF Champion & a WCW Champion. He main evented two Wrestlemanias and a Starrcade. He was a member of the Four Horsemen. He feuded with a who's who of 80s & 90s wrestling. He was over everywhere he went. Plus, he had an all-time great look and some legendary squashes.

RIP Sid

Sid's the man!

Aug 27, 2024 15:49:42 GMT Leper Messiah said:

For a guy that was always supposed to be "hated by smarks", it seems like all smarks loved Sid.

Has anyone benefitted more from social media than Sid? It was one thing to talk about Sid, it was another to watch short clips and GIFs of the guy. He's up there with Sabu as one of the ultimate magazine wrestlers.

Aug 27, 2024 20:52:37 GMT Da Gr8t I Is said:

We live in a world where the bella twins are in wwe hall of fame.

While Sid deserves his due, I won't stand for this Bella slander. Total Divas was a game changer, Nikki's forearms would have made Misawa take notice and they earned their recognition. If they're good enough for Bryan Danielson, they should be good enough for you.

Aug 28, 2024 8:58:20 GMT Shootist said:

I think with Sid he was unapologetically your stereotypical wrestler. He was carved out of stone, had an intimidating look, and screamed at the top of his lungs mistakes and all during his promos.

There were plenty of guys who measured up to Sid, but as Kilgore pointed out very few carried themselves with the same intensity and magnetism.

Aug 28, 2024 8:35:49 GMT Kilgore said:

I have to add that I'm probably underrating Sid's promo ability a little bit. He had a very antiquated 1980s shouty style, but sometimes it worked.  I especially loved his time with Vader where together they seemed better somehow, because it was like they were creating a universe where that's just how people talk.

I was never able to shake the Cobain comparisons after you brought it up on the old website.

Aug 28, 2024 10:47:02 GMT Baker said:

Oh, and Sid was also my definitive Powerbomb Guy for like 30 years.

He was one of the first to use the Chokeslam as well?

I thought he cribbed those moves off of Nash and Taker, so while they were still cool looking spots, they would have been even cooler in 1991/92.

Like you Bake, I wasn't a big fan of Vicious either. Granted, when I started watching, it was purely because I was a Goldberg fan and Sid was his main rival. To Sid's credit, I bought into him as a credible opponent and to add to Kilgore's tally, Sid actually ended up getting cheered over Bill on his comeback tour. That Halloween Havoc match was a really good showing for Sid, albeit, if the match was designed to get Bill over, it failed because Sid came out of it an even bigger bad-ass.

Sid's run was kind of strange after that. They had him set up to be the first victim of the nWo, only for Bret to vacate the title, then Benoit won the title out of seemingly nowhere, only to vacate it in one of the darkest days in WCW history. Then they put the belt on Sid and unfortunately he became the face of a really stale era in the company. However before Sid could really establish himself, they had him drop the belt again and he seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. Reading through some Observers, I believe he suffered a shoulder injury but if you told me it was softball season I'd believe that too.

I thought he returned at just the right time and Steiner/Sid actually worked as a PPV main event. Of course when they ran it back, it completely over-shadowed Sid's entire run and now all anyone can think about is that leg injury. There's a lesson right there about restraint and how wrestlers need to understand that just because they think they can doesn't mean they should.

That was kind of it for Sid. He'd make the odd appearance, WWA comes to mind and his 2012 return, but Sid was a punchline.

'We're live pal'
'What's the matter Sid? Forgot your scissors?'
'Half the brain you do!'

It was only appropriate that Sid somehow found himself in the centre of the Shockmaster shmozzle as well.

However, once Twitter and YouTube became more prominent, it gave the older fans a platform to explain why Sid was so revered and while he had his shortcomings you can see why every promoter gave him that push, even Paul E. For me, the moment it clicked and I switched over was his WWF 1996/97 run, the entrance and the presentation just made him seem so dangerous.

It's a shame his career ended when it did. I would have loved to be here watching a MarkyD retrospective on Sid's TNA run, but it wasn't to be. Still, it's crazy to think that a guy who main evented multiple wrestlers, won the belt in two major companies etc. could have had a bigger career - it really speaks to his talent and how he was able to use his troubled upbringing to entertain all us rascals.

RIP Sid, you will always be the man!

While we're all upset over Sid's passing, here's a cool little story about him, and how awesome he was.

Got to see him wrestle Lawler in a scorching hot gym in the mid 2000's. Dude looked amazing and was in great spirits despite it being like 100+ in the venue.

Being in a sweat box will always give it an extra *.

I was just recently coming around to watching more of him. He was pretty much retired by the time I became a fan, and all I ever knew were shoot interviews about his softball love, the Mania dookie, crazy promos, etc.

Turns out he was one of the coolest dudes in the business. His powerbomb's have also become one of my all-time favorites, they always looks brutal.

Another case of the IWC giving a guy too much shit for being below average in-ring and not appreciating what he actually excelled at.

I also had no idea he was this over during his prime. Absolutely crazy. Just a few more connected dots and Sid could have honestly been remembered as one of the GOAT's.

RIP Sycho!

Aug 28, 2024 11:51:02 GMT Big Pete said:

Aug 28, 2024 10:47:02 GMT Baker said:

Oh, and Sid was also my definitive Powerbomb Guy for like 30 years.

1. He was one of the first to use the Chokeslam as well?

2. Of course when they ran it back, it completely over-shadowed Sid's entire run and now all anyone can think about is that leg injury. There's a lesson right there about restraint and how wrestlers need to understand that just because they think they can doesn't mean they should.

1. Yep. Either Sid or Taker introduced me to the Chokeslam just as it was Sid or Spivey who introduced me to the Powerbomb.

2. Can't blame this one on Sid. He didn't want to do the move. Heard straight from his own lips Johnny Ace talked him into it. Let's see if I can find the video...
Jackpot!

Also remember seeing Sid in a shoot interview say the 'Half the brain you do!" line was fed to him, so this one was not a genuine Sid flub lmao. Russo, apparently!

This one hits really hard. I remember in 1990 when he was in WCW stretching jobbers out he was getting cheered.
Watching Sid jobber matches is more entertaining that most wrestling period.

Most people forget Sid was the godfather of the Attitude era, but my favorite version of sid was Heel Sid Justice and the The Millennium Man when he would get involved in other matches with referee charles robinson who turned heel with sid assisting him in making matches legit and counting the pin

One thing we've overlooked thus far is Sid Vicious being a top tier ring name. Not quite on par with the gold standard, Brutus Beefcake. But up there! Which reminds me...

Mar 29, 2024 1:18:09 GMT Baker said:

This is only tangentially related to wrestling, but it's a story I have to get out of my system. At work today, likely inspired by the recent PW music discussion somehow triggering this latent memory, I thought of a real obscure character from school named Aaron and his "Sid Vicious Is Dead" t-shirt...

This Aaron was a creepy fellow who quite frankly freaked out Matt The IRS Fan and I. Aaron was a year above us and sat alone at either our lunch table, or the next one over. He wore all black and rarely spoke. Now I was also very quiet beyond the friendly confines of my inner circle, but I'd at least acknowledge the existence of other people with a wave, nod, or "Hello." The best you could hope for from Aaron was the occasional grunt. This was before Columbine, so we didn't necessarily think "FUTURE SCHOOL SHOOTER," but we did have him down as the guy most likely to stab someone in the hallway just for the fun of it.

Anyway, multiple days a week, Aaron would wear this black t-shirt with white writing proclaiming "SID VICIOUS IS DEAD." Matt and I were fascinated by this shirt because we knew Sid Vicious was very much alive. He had just returned to WWF! Which dates this to the February-June 1995 portion of the 94-95 school year. And surely nobody else in the history of the world would have had the very singular "Sid Vicious" name. Matt and I, who were basically teenage versions of Jerry & George, discussed this guy's shirt way more than you would think. Like I said, we were fascinated. If Aaron hadn't been such a creep, we would have asked him what was going on with his FAKE NEWS shirt since we knew the only Sid Vicious who could possibly have existed was not only still alive but could be seen on tv Saturdays at noon (and Monday nights if you happened to be one of those lucky sods with cable). Maybe Matt (because there's no way I was doing it) did have the grapefruits to ask the million-dollar question only to be met with the usual radio silence or apathetic grunt? It's possible!

It wasn't until a few years into the 21st Century that I discovered another Sid Vicious had indeed existed and all I could think about was Aaron's shirt which had vexed so Matt and I.