Former WWE star Droz, who was paralyzed after in-ring accident, dead at 54

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Former professional wrestler Droz, whose real name was Darren Drozdov, has died at the age of 54 of natural causes, his family said.

Droz was a WWE (formerly World Wrestling Federation) superstar, making his debut with the promotion in 1998.

However, his career was short-lived due to an in-ring accident the following year that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

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Former WWE star Droz, whose real name was Darren Drozdov, died Friday.

On Oct. 5, 1999, at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, Droz was in a match with D'Lo Brown on "WWF SmackDown!" when he landed on his head and fractured two vertebrae in his neck.

Droz was wearing a loose shirt during the match, so when Brown attempted his signature powerbomb, he was not able to gain a proper grip on the wrestler — thus, Droz was unable to execute a proper jump into the powerbomb, aiding in the incident.

Despite hours of surgery, he was left a quadriplegic. Both Droz and Brown have said it was a total accident. The incident occurred on a pre-taped show, so it was left out of the broadcast two days later, and has never been shown to the public.

Droz was paralyzed from the neck down following an in-ring accident.

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"There are no words to convey the deep sense of loss and sadness we are feeling right now…" Droz's family said in a statement. "Droz maintained a championship mindset and lived every day to the fullest even though he was unable to move from the neck down for the past 24 years. His own words sum up his relentless