Balls Mahoney, real name Jonathan Rechner, died of natural causes, after suffering a heart attack, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. The WWE and Extreme Championship Wrestling great died at the age of 44 on April 12, 2016, at his home in Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey.
Jon, as he was called out of the ring, suffered from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which caused the heart attack, said Charles Webster, the spokesperson for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Jon’s death was truly shocking. The wrestling star was relaxing at home with his longtime partner, Gayle Schechter, watching Jeopardy!. Gale said that Jon laid down on his side to answer questions and get cozy, when she noticed just moments later that he was unconscious. She called 911 and performed CPR, but he passed away before paramedics arrived.
At the time, Gayle wasn’t sure if Jon’s death was connected to an accident he had two weeks prior to his passing. Jon apparently fell and was having trouble walking.
Jon found massive success in the ECW, competing in the 90s as Balls Mahoney. He would walk out to the AC/DC classic “Big Balls”, and dominated the league by tag-teaming with Axl Rotten. They formed the unbreakable duo “The Hardcore Chair Swingin’ Freaks.”
He left the league in 2001, and went on to join the WWE in 2005, when they relaunched the ECW as their own brand. Obviously, they had to get Balls Mahoney back! He left the league in 2008, and competed in independent circuits until his death in 2016.
HollywoodLifers, our thoughts are with Jon’s family during this difficult time. Help us honor him in the comments!