Grappling With Tragedy: Larry Cameron

Brian Damage

Grappling with Tragedy is a series of articles that deal with unfortunate, tragic incidents that have occurred throughout the history of professional wrestling. It is unlike the ‘Wrestling with Sin’ series that deals more with the seedier side of wrestling like arrests, murders and suicides. Grappling looks more at particular tragic incidents that have in some instances altered pro wrestling in some way.

Larry Cameron

Larry Cameron grew up in Mississippi where he played football in both high school and college. Cameron was drafted by the NFL’s Denver Broncos in 1973 and after being cut by them…signed on to the Canadian Football League. He won a Grey Cup championship and was an all star with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1976, but had to retire from football due to injuries. After football, Cameron got involved with professional bodybuilding where he was crowned. ‘Mr. Minnesota.’ It was in Minnesota where wrestler/trainer Eddie Sharkey discovered Cameron and convinced him to give professional wrestling a try.

After training with Sharkey, ‘Lethal’ Larry Cameron made his pro debut in 1985. He was then sent to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to further train with Stu Hart in his “dungeon.” Cameron trained alongside fellow former football player Brian Pillman. Cameron would wrestle full time in Hart’s Stampede Wrestling where he won the promotion’s top title…the North American championship by beating Davey Boy Smith. ‘Lethal’ Larry was is recognized as the last North American Champion as the company folded in 1989. Cameron would wrestle for he AWA, NWA and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

He wrestled very briefly for WCW being managed by Teddy Long and also had a try out with the WWF. Cameron was featured heavily in various wrestling magazines where he was often dubbed a future star in pro wrestling. He had an arrogance when talking on the mic and had the look of a superstar with his chiseled physique. Cameron used a flying shoulder block tackle as his finishing maneuver, but also occasionally used a piledriver.

Cameron traveled to Europe, where he wrestled for Otto Wanz’s Catch Wrestling Association (CWA). It was where he won the CWA tag team titles with Mad Bull Buster aka Pitbull #2 Anthony Durante. On December 13, 1993, Cameron was wrestling a singles match against Tony St. Clair in Germany. Cameron collapsed in the ring during the match. He had suffered a massive heart attack and died in the ring. He and Anthony Durante were the reigning CWA tag team champions at the time of his death. He was posthumously inducted into the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995. Larry Cameron was just 41 years old.