Lance Cade Dies

[Xero]

From PWInsider:

I am extremely sad to confirm that Lance McNaught, who was one of Shawn Michaels' first wrestling students and worked for WWE under the ring name Lance Cade, has passed away at the age of only 29 years old. We are still working on further details at this time.

Cade was part of the original class of students trained by Shawn Michaels and Rudy Boy Gonzales at Michaels' Wrestling Academy in San Antonio, Texas, a class that also included Bryan Danielson and Brian Kendrick. Due to his lanky frame and athletic ability, there were comparisons to a young Barry Windham. Cade was immediately signed to WWF developmental after a few appearances for FMW in Japan and went through OVW and HWA.

Cade was brought to the main roster in 2003 to form a team with Mark Jindrak (now Lucha Libre USA's Marco Corleone), going as far as to work the Wrestlemania XX card as Jindrak's partner. Cade was eventually sent back to developmental and returned as Trevor Murdoch's partner. That team clicked a little better and eventually had a WWE Tag Team championship run.

Cade's most prominent run in WWE was as a second to Chris Jericho during Jericho's excellent feud against Shawn Michaels. In the midst of that run, however, he was released from the company after an incident on an airplane where Cade took too many painkillers and went into a seizure. The plane had to be diverted in order to save his life and WWE opted to release him.

The company eventually brought Cade back and had him under a contract for about a year, but released him without doing anything. At the time, Cade claimed in an interview with me that the company let him go because he asked for help due to personal issues he was having stemming from addictions to sleeping pills that he began using to deal with pain while getting himself clean. Sources within WWE scoffed at the claim at the time.

Cade worked for independents and Japanese dates after his release.

Sadly, he leaves behind two young daughters.

On behalf of everyone associated with PWInsider.com, I'd like to express our deepest condolences to Lance's family and friends at this time.

[CSL]

Just came here to post this. I'd like to say I'm surprised but well, I'm not.

[Chavo Classic]

What? Wow. That's waaaaaaay too young.

[Biggz]

Sad because he had a lot of unused potential.

[Haze]

This is very sad. Interested to see what caused his death.

[CSL]

If it was nothing to do with his big fuck off drug problem, I'd be very surprised.

[BizarroKing]

Damn, this is the shocker of the year for sure.

[Schlomey]

I was a big fan of his. I loved his work with Jericho for that short time and marked out when I heard they rehired him.

This news sucks. RIP.

[The Fugitive]

I hate to admit it, but I had to pause for a moment as I was thinking "Hang on, I know a Garrison Cade. Who's Lance Cade?"

Nevertheless, 29 is too damn young to go. RIP.

[Kane Knight]

Cade was okay. Probably would have been better in time. Won't know now. that sucks.

29's too young. Way too young.

[Triple Naitch]

Not surprised, but still way too young even by wrestling death standards.

[Londoner]

Wow, sad to hear this.

[Nark Order]

What the hell.

[The Gold Standard]

Wow. I really don't understand why so many wrestlers are dying so young. Don't they realize they shouldn't do these drugs?

[PhallenAinjewl]

Wow..what a shame. It truly is sad to see someone that young and talented go. And I agree, he had alot of untapped potential that could've came out in a few years time.

And I don't want to speculate, but given the information in the article, would anyone be surprised if it turns out to be an OD??

[Lock Jaw]

Too young. I always enjoyed him.

RIP

[Schlomey]

we don't know how he died yet gold standard. But I see it like this...


These guys spend years training to be on top, and that is WWE. Maybe after such a rise and an abrupt fall back to obscurity they can't handle the downtime. Idle hands are a devils play thing remember.

[Domino]

Another young death...sad as always.

[PhallenAinjewl]

WWE.com is reporting heart failure

[YoungFlyFlashy]

RIP...seriously, 29...RIP

[YoungFlyFlashy]

WWE.com is reporting heart failure

http://www.wwe.com/content/media/images/3883682/15364020

World Wrestling Entertainment was informed Friday morning by Lance McNaught’s father that he has passed away of apparent heart failure. WWE extends its deepest condolences to the McNaught family. Mr. McNaught was under contract from March 2003 to October 2008 and performed under the name "Lance Cade." He returned to FCW, WWE’s developmental territory, in September 2009, and was released in April 2010.

[RiX1024]

fck me 29, way too young, he would of being something if drugs didn't take over his life, tonz of potential with little promise, rest in peace laddie.

[screech]

Man that's awful. Another one gone way too early.

[Corporate CockSnogger]

Damn. RIP.

[Dark-Slicer Diago]

Damn. RIP Lance

[VSG]

What the fuck? I seriously hope its not related to drugs.

[MVP]

Damn, RIP

[YoungFlyFlashy]

What the fuck? I seriously hope its not related to drugs.

Don't we all.

[The Pope]

RIP.

[CSL]

What the fuck? I seriously hope its not related to drugs.

It's a nice thought but 29 year old athletes don't drop dead of heart failure outside of cardiomyopathy.

[The Jayman]

RIP

[BizarroKing]

I'm assuming it was a drug related death. Painkillers maybe?

[Mike the Metal Ed]

Far too young. :( Cade and Jindrak were my favourite tag team briefly in 2003.

[IC Champion]

This can't be good for business.

[ClockShot]

A bad ticker? If it had anything to do with pills I wouldn't be surprised.

But 29 is way too young to go. R.I.P.

[Gertner]

Cade and Murdoch were my favourite tag team for a while. Was really hoping they'd return because they worked so well together. My heart goes out to his family especially his daughters.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

RIP.

[BigDaddyCool]

Guess Cryme Tyme won this feud.

[dhellova guy]

Too bad. Wrestling companies, especially the WWE, need to seriously do something about drug use in their business. These things just happen too much.

RIP Lance, may God bless your family

[Loose Cannon]

yea, it's sad, but like others are saying, "not surprised." I mean I swear every time I click to go to TPWW and see "Breaking News" I immediately think "Who died?" It's just something I have come to expect.

But 29 wayyyy to young. I guess my hopes for a Cade and Murdoch reunion are finished

[The Pope]

This will go against Linda McMahon.

[Juan]

Jesus Christ, 29 years old? RIP Lance

[NeanderCarl]

It's a shame but it's not the most surprising name to be the latest dead wrestler, based on his past issues. Silly boy. RIP.

[GD]

R.I.P. Lance Cade. He was so young :(

[Splaya]

RIP Lance, I was a fan of yours.


Sucks that he is gone, but this is going to be egg on the face of Linda McMahon. Some way some how, it will be tied to her past

[The Ravishing One]

RIP

[Afterlife]

For fuck's sake.

[Brock]

damn! i was shock! death is a shocker really..

RIP lance cade or garrison cade

[nrt4]

Linda's campaign is killed now.


R.I.P Lance Cade. His tag team work with Murdoch was great

[McLegend]

This is sad news.

[Wishbone]

damn really wasn't expecting this....... god bless his family and may he R.I.P. WWE and the wrestling business as a whole need to really start doing a better job of keeping drugs out I mean 29? that is just fucking rediculous.

[NeanderCarl]

Stop bleating about "Linda's campaign being dead because of this". If the 7,153 dead wrestlers from the past didn't stop her, this latest self-inflicted early demise won't harm her either.

Linda McMahon doesn't work for WWE anymore. Even when she did, she was only ever a figurehead authority figure anyway (rapidly installed when it looked as though Vince was off to jail, with strict instructions to let Pat Patterson run the company), as it's Vince who calls all the shots when it comes to the on-screen product. Even if you could blame every premature wrestler death on WWE, which logically you simply cannot, Linda would be one of the lesser responsible elements.

It's hardly a boost, no, but it won't be the death of her campaign by any stretch.

[Beth Phoenix Fan]

:( First wwe brings him back, never gives him a main roster spot, and releases him.(that pissed me off!!!:mad:)

now he suddenly passes on. :'(

r.i.p. :(

[Cool King]

Damn, this news actually surprised me.

I got told that a wrestler had died but I was never expecting to be told it was Lance. I always liked him and was loving it when he got paired with Jericho for a while.

29 is just a terrible age to pass away at though, especially leaving behind two young daughters.

R.I.P Lance.

[CWK]

Really sad. Gotta love how WWE handles things from the PR side. They did the same thing with Lance Cade that they did with Umaga last year, they say their condolences sure, but they manage to make sure that they put in the date they fired him. Wouldn't want anyone to think he still wrestled for them. Its sick, you don't mention or date your former employees termination when you are recognizing his death. Makes me hate WWE...

.....

Ok I'm over it now. What matches are on Smackdown tonight? Did not read spoilers.

[CWK]

I'm sure HBK is shaken up about this considering he trained Lance Cade in his wrestling school.

[Kane Knight]

Wow. I really don't understand why so many wrestlers are dying so young. Don't they realize they shouldn't do these drugs?
What? What are you talking about? The Wellness Program was in effect while he was wrestling.

[Biggz]

Can't blame WWE or Linda at all for this. When he got fired the first time from ODing on painkillers Vince paid for his rehab. That's why he was hired back. But can't blame Vince, Linda or the WWE on this one. He wasn't with the company when he died and it's not their responsibility to keep an eye on people not under contract. Plus we don't know what caused the failure even though it looks like drugs. Either way only person to blame is Cade himself for not taking care of his body. But as I said before it's sad to see him go I always liked his work in the ring, maybe not his characters, but he did have untapped potenetial. If he had gotten his shit together I could of seen him as WWE Champ in a few years. He will be missed.

RIP

[CWK]

Wow the press is going to have a field day with this one when it comes to Linda's campaign. Not to mention her opponents in the election. They have been bashing her the whole time about WWE's content on television, wrestler steroid/drug use, and young wrestler's dying. I'm sure sweet little Linda screamed out a big "FUCK!!!!!" when she got the news today of Lance Cade dying.

[Cool King]

http://shawnmichaelsweb.com/2010/08/13/shawn-comments-on-lance-cades-passing/

Former WWE superstar Lance Cade passed away this morning. Shawn Michaels, who trained Cade, posted this on twitter:

“aft my morning tweet I got the call about Lance. No words will b good enuff. 1 of my boys is gone. My prayers&thoughts have already been given 2 his family & will continue. Goodbye Lance I Love You. I ask that all of u would lift his family up in prayer.”


I didn't know Michaels had a Twitter account. But it's a verified account, so I guess it is actually him.

http://twitter.com/shawnmichaels_

[Nicky Fives]

unbelievable

[XL]

I thought Test was young when he went but this is insane. Is he the youngest?

Sounds

[XL]

I thought Test was young when he went but this is insane. Is he the youngest?

Sounds like it's gonna be a similar situation to how Eddie went. Heart gave up due to drug use.

[XL]

R.I.P. Lance

[Emperor Smeat]

Horrible news especially because of how young he was regardless if it was or wasn't because of pain killers or other drugs.

I might have not been much of a fan of Cade but looking back I did like his time as Jericho's lackey since it had potential to become really good in the long run. His time with Murdoch as a tag team was also good in spite of the WWE loosing interest in tag team wrestling.

[Emperor Smeat]

I thought Test was young when he went but this is insane. Is he the youngest?

Sounds like it's gonna be a similar situation to how Eddie went. Heart gave up due to drug use.

It depends if you count Charlie Hass brother, Russ Hass, who died during training/development since he was 27 years old.

Crash Holly was younger than Test by 1 year when he died at 32 but Cade now becomes the youngest.

[Kane Knight]

Can't blame WWE or Linda at all for this. When he got fired the first time from ODing on painkillers Vince paid for his rehab. That's why he was hired back. But can't blame Vince, Linda or the WWE on this one. He wasn't with the company when he died and it's not their responsibility to keep an eye on people not under contract. Plus we don't know what caused the failure even though it looks like drugs. Either way only person to blame is Cade himself for not taking care of his body. But as I said before it's sad to see him go I always liked his work in the ring, maybe not his characters, but he did have untapped potenetial. If he had gotten his shit together I could of seen him as WWE Champ in a few years. He will be missed.

RIP

I wonder what got him hooked in the first place.

It's a built in flaw in the "you can't blame WWE because he wasn't under contract" argument. WWE has never exactly been an innocent bystander in the whole "drugs in wrestling" business, and their wellness policy is a crock of shit.

Cade certainly wasn't an innocent bystander either, but I think you do him a disservice by pretending WWE can't be blamed by default.

Then again, the idea this is going to hurt Linda's campaign, or haunt WWE when even Benoit's murderous last days didn't, is fucking retarded.

[NeanderCarl]

WWE didn't invent wrestling, nor did they invent drugs. Both were around long before Vinnie Mac and co. had any relevance.

You can say what you want about the schedule, which to be fair is a lot lighter now than back in the day, and the bumps and bruises and injuries but:

a) WWE didn't force anybody into the wrestling business, they chose to become wrestlers under their own volition

b) these wrestlers elected to continue in the business from day one (was was likely a long time before they ever got a shot in WWE) despite the physical pain it may have caused them, be it due to money or passion.

What are WWE meant to do? Throw their arms up in the air and say "you're right! this wrestling business is fundamentally flawed. It hurts! And despite our efforts we are unable to control whether these guys take drugs or not... therefore let's simply shut up shop and close the company down"??

WWE could close their doors tomorrow, and professional wrestlers would still be doing drugs and still be dying young in the years to come. It just winds me up that WWE receive so much heat for this issue (most especially in the cases where steroids aren't a factor). It's a broken record. I fail to see what more they can honestly do. These guys are adults who make their own decisions, and no matter what their situation, they ultimately choose to fuel drug habits of their own accord. There are people in the world working under much poorer conditions than WWE wrestlers, and they aren't popping off in their 20s and 30s due to rampant drug abuse. The blame lies at the cold blue feet of those who decided to do it.

[bigslimjj]

I'm thinking after they released him the last time in April,after keeping him in developmental for so long,that he just finally gave up. Many wrestlers have either killed themselves by suicide or with drugs due to the fact they they can't get that spotlight back, or their body is in so much pain they can't go on any longer. I think both of these factors played a role in this tragic event. My actual first thought was someone should start really looking after Carlito Colon and other "Fallen" superstars before they suffer a similar fate.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>I always enjoyed Cade in his tag teams with Jindrak and Murdoch. His angle with Jericho also had potential before it got cut short.

Can't say I'm really surprised, unfortunately, but it's still really sad.

RIP Lance</font>

[Vastardikai]

I think the idea that Linda was merely a figurehead when she was installed as CEO of Titan Sports (Now WWE inc.) would be a better line of attack.

I hate to say it, but people don't care about dead wrestlers. They might care about the fact that her whole campaign is built on a half-truth at best.

[Snowden]

RIP Lance...

Hopefully one of these days,a death will actually act as a cautionary tale...

[XCaliber]

Feel really bad for his kids most of all RIP Garrison Cade.

[DAMN iNATOR]

WOW, WTF...He was only like a couple of weeks older than me, and now to come in here and find out he's dead...just...wow.

R.I.P., Lance. :(

[Droford]

Is it too early for "They should have given him a heartbreak Cade gimmick"?

[teamXtremist]

fckn sucks goodbye lance rip u will b missed

[Crazy Nick]

RIP, man that is way too young to die.

[Blitz]

Fuck. Far too young. RIP.

[Mr. Nerfect]

This actually really brought me down. I had been thinking of Lance Cade recently, and about how I would not mind seeing the WWE sign him, TNA get him and Murdoch or that new Florida promotion get their hands on him. I was thinking about how he's got a good build to him, and enough in-ring talent to back it up, and that I hoped he had his life sorted.

He was always a guy with "potential" to me. I never felt it was properly realised (even his team with Jericho). It felt like Cade would get enough chances from the WWE to make it, though. Jim Ross seemed especially high on the guy.

Here are some more details from the Wrestling Observer:

It is being reported that Lance Cade's wife Tanya noticed over the past week that Lance was not looking healthy and was apparently having trouble breathing. She called an ambulance and had Lance taken to hospital on Tuesday. At one point he passed out, but was revived in hospital. Lance asked to be released from hospital on Wednesday, then when he got home he walked out and did not return.

Harley McNaught, Lance's father, said Lance showed up at his (Harley's) workplace on Thursday looking unwell. Harley took Lance to his father's home in San Antonio, where he was found dead late last night. His wife does not believe he had been drinking.

My heart goes out to the friends and family of Lance. Especially his two daughters and step-son.

[Shaved Monkey]

Goddamnit.

Y'know I really want to be sad about this but I'm just becoming more and more apathetic over time. When are these guys going to get a clue?

[jskinnyg]

I was a big fan of his. I loved his work with Jericho for that short time and marked out when I heard they rehired him.

This news sucks. RIP.

I'm with the Schlome on this one... RIP Lance...

[Rammsteinmad]

Was never a huge fan of the guy, but he did have potential. R.I.P.

Died way too young, and sadly now his two girls will grow up with a father. :(

[Poit]

RIP :(

[FourFifty]

Rest in peace

[Kane Knight]

WWE didn't invent wrestling, nor did they invent drugs. Both were around long before Vinnie Mac and co. had any relevance.

Wow, that logic is ironclad. Let me try it!

Osama Bin Laden didn't invent terrorism, nor did he invent Islam. Both were around before al Qaeda had any relevance.

Now let me just look at the WTC, which must not have fallen...Whoops, I guess it doesn't work that way. Ah well.

[NeanderCarl]

Thousands of people die every year due to drugs. Some of them may have worked for Vince McMahon's WWE. Far more of them didn't.

WWE has an independent Wellness Policy. If the authenticity of these tests are to be called into question, then that would be as much the testing company's responsibility as WWE's.

A person has an individual choice. I honestly don't believe that WWE has ever directly influenced somebody to do drugs (as in recommended or instructed it) and i have yet to see any wrestler ever (well, except Nailz) dispute or contradict that. Have they ever indirectly influenced somebody to? I would imagine so. The "bigger you are, the harder you're pushed" philosophy over the years has probably led people to 'roids... still doesn't remove their freedom of choice though.

I think WWE does as much as it realistically should. Industries like fishing have high injury and even on-the-job mortality rates, yet don't descend into a maesltrom of drug and alcohol abuse. Probably because they earn far less and can't afford it. Of course if WWE started paying far less, they would get it in the neck just as much. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.

These wrestlers are very nicely compensated for their work, extraordinarily so for the top names, and medical costs incurred as a result of their work (surgeries etc.) are paid for by WWE... and this has been the case for many years. If they choose to work through injuries and take painkillers due to their own paranoia, that's their own lookout. The argument of 'if you take time off, you lose your spot' in the era of downside guarantees and talent drought is just a cop out. The only guy I can remember being released whilst injured is Test and he wasn't exactly main event material - he was pink slip bound before he ever broke his neck.

If a guy works for Tesco or Walmart, or the postal service, or any other company and takes drugs, is it their employers fault? Fuck no. I worked in a call centre once which had an insane drug culture, with people working whilst under the influence of coke, weed or even ecstasy on some occasions, and these guys all socialised together on weekends and would get absolutely wasted on all kinds of shit. If one of those guys keels over and dies in a few years time from heart issues caused by coke, is that the responsibility of the directors of the call centre? Of course it isn't. For a start, these guys took every effort to ensure the bosses didn't know what was going on. Nor do the directors have any influence over their life away from the job. Should that call centre have to spend a fortune installing a drug policy to protect people from themselves? I don't think they ought to. Nor would those workers accept working for a nanny employer, trying to control their personal choices.

I don't know why people seem to think WWE should play by different rules to any other employer in the world - in fact, damn it, the wrestlers aren't even employees in the first place (rightly or wrongly) - but the fact that they have installed an expensive policy and do publicly punish those who break the rules is more than they had to do.

It's a broken record, it's demonising the wrestling business and villifying the market leader for the mistakes and choices of others outside of their control.

[Kane Knight]

More superficial reasoning.

I'm not sure I want to dissect your entire post, but I'll point two things out:

The number of drug related deaths in WWE outstrips the standard market. I know apologetics are cool and all, but if we're going down that line of bullshit reasoning, when an industry has an unusually high rate of death in a specific field, it's usually an indicator of something more than "people do drugs." Not always, but it's stupid to dismiss it in the way you're doing.

If there was a rash of otherwise healthy folks working at Wal-Mart dying of drug overdoses, it would be investigated. The correlation wouldn't prove causation, but it would not be ignored, either.

Two, WWE are beholden to their shareholders, and as a public company in a sports-related field, they're doing the bare minimum they have to do to keep themselves covered. I don't know why you think they're playing by different rules and/or we think otherwise because we can connect some potential liability to deaths.

But hey, if it eases your conscience to pretend the guys who create the environment can't control it, godspeed.

[Kane Knight]

Thousands of people die every year due to drugs. Some of them may have worked for Vince McMahon's WWE. Far more of them didn't.

Thousands of people die every year due to vehicular accidents. Some of them were driving Toyotas with faulty accelerators. Far more of them weren't. Does this excuse the deaths caused by sudden acceleration or make them irrelevant?

Well, following the logic chains you set up, yes.

I love these little logic exercises, though. I hope each of your responses begins with one. They're fun.

By the way, do you oppose the "nanny state" making safety belts an industry standard?

[Mooияakeя™]

Wow. Hope his family will be strong enough to come out of this. 29 is well young. If it is drugs, then u gotta say, there's risks, if not, this sux 100%.

[NeanderCarl]

More superficial reasoning.

I'm not sure I want to dissect your entire post, but I'll point two things out:

The number of drug related deaths in WWE outstrips the standard market. I know apologetics are cool and all, but if we're going down that line of bullshit reasoning, when an industry has an unusually high rate of death in a specific field, it's usually an indicator of something more than "people do drugs." Not always, but it's stupid to dismiss it in the way you're doing.

If there was a rash of otherwise healthy folks working at Wal-Mart dying of drug overdoses, it would be investigated. The correlation wouldn't prove causation, but it would not be ignored, either.

Two, WWE are beholden to their shareholders, and as a public company in a sports-related field, they're doing the bare minimum they have to do to keep themselves covered. I don't know why you think they're playing by different rules and/or we think otherwise because we can connect some potential liability to deaths.

But hey, if it eases your conscience to pretend the guys who create the environment can't control it, godspeed.

The reason the drug-related death rate in wrestling is higher than Wal-Mart is the same reason the drug-related death rate across the board in the entertainment industry is higher than most industries: easier access, more expendable income, cultural expectations (and a degree of simply the personality type that is attracted to partaking in it).

Wrestling has the additional factor of physical pain, leading to painkiller addiction.

But no matter how much you "dissect" my posts, or my "logic chains" or anything else, do you disagree that every wrestler in the business chose to become a wrestler (with the likely understanding that it would be painful and demanding and favours a certain physique), chose to remain in the business (despite learning of its pain and demands) and - if applicable - chose to turn to drugs (be it to improve their look or for recreational reasons)? The WWE could theoretically be the worst company to work for in the entire world, but they don't force anybody into the business and they don't force pills down anybody's throat.

The questionable working conditions of the WWE and other organisations is a seperate matter. It would be like me turning to drugs and blaming it on the recession: oh, society is shit, I can't find a job, people are scum, I have a shitty existence, therefore I'm going to take drugs to get me through it. Would Barack Obama, as leader of possibly the most influencial economy in the World, bear that responsibility? Despite me not even living in his country? (Because WWE even gets heat for guys who never - or barely - worked there.) Or is that my personal weakness, my decision? Do you blame the recession in this hypothetical scenario, or do you blame me? One was the catalyst? Sure, but only because I allowed it to be.

Wrestlers die because wrestlers take drugs; wrestlers take drugs because they decide to. There are many guys in the business who lived clean lives, lived to tell the tale, and were successful. A weak personality and a weak will are not the fault of any promoter.

[DLVH84]

Today at the AJPW show at Korakuen Hall, they had a special ceremony for Lance Cade, who was scheduled to wrestle on today's card.

[Destro 2.0]

I liked there matches with the Hardies and the street fight they had with DX on RAW was one my faves of theres. He will be missed and will never know how big he could have been and he also worked really well with Shawn Michaels

[Attitude99]

Man 29 ? That's Sad. RIP