Ozzy Osbourne sadly passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76. “The Prince of Darkness” was obviously known as a godfather of heavy metal for his time both with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist, but Osbourne had a big connection to the wrestling world, too.
Ozzy first appeared at Wrestlemania 2 managing The British Bulldogs with Captain Lou Albano. He later hosted an episode of WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” with his wife Sharon and had a hilarious and memorable backstage segment with Chris Jericho. Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” was used in 2022 for the introduction to Survivor Series. Ozzy also previously performed on Smackdown in 2007 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.
Naturally with heavy metal’s frequent connection to the wrestling world, several professional wrestlers paid tribute to the icon following his passing.
Chris Jericho: “Thank You Oz, for all the joy you brought to us!! #OzzyRules”
WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H: “Rock and Roll Heaven just received The Prince of Darkness, and if I know Lem, he asked what took you so Fkn’g long to get up there!! Ozzy was one of a kind. His relentless passion for music was something I always looked up to. From the moment I heard the first riff of Paranoid I was hooked on this sound that I never heard before. My dream turned into reality as Ozzy would become involved with @WWE and eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame. My condolences to Sharon, your children and grandchildren who had the fortunate pleasure of your time. Give Lem a hug from me and I’ll see you on the other side. Give em Hell Ozzy.”
Bully Ray: “He would often say to the audience…’ I love you all.’ WE ALL LOVE YOU!! GOD BLESS YOU OZZY. Thank you!!!!!! I’m sure Lemmy and Randy were waiting for ya at the Pearly Gates.”
Drew McIntyre: “I thought Ozzy would outlive us all.Thank you for keeping us going on those long road trips. RIP Prince of Darkness.”
Damian Priest: “The tunes. The memories. The inspirations. Thank you. RIP Ozzy.”
Frankie Kazarian: “Cannot articulate how much @OzzyOsbourne has meant to me and my musical pallet for my entire life. Im profoundly sad. But..if anyones music or soul is immortal, it’s Ozzy Fucking Osborne. Godspeed Prince of darkness.”
WWE: “WWE is saddened to learn that music icon and WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne has passed away. WWE extends its condolences to Osbourne’s family, friends, and fans.”
Hurricane Helms: “I’ll never forget Ozzy being a guest at a WWE show that earlier in the day us WWE Talent were reminded of our ‘PG status’ and to tone down our language and use of certain gestures. Ozzy, later that night, took the stage and his first words were ‘What’s up muthaf*ckas!!!‘”
