Chuck Coates, longtime WWE/WCW enhancement talent, dies

Chuck Coates, a longtime professional wrestler who worked as enhancement talent for WWF/WWE, WCW and numerous independent promotions, has died, his wife Cynthia announced on Facebook on Sept. 8. She wrote that Coates "took his last breath on earth and his first breath in Heaven at 3:44 a.m. while I held his hand," and asked for prayers as the family navigates the days ahead. Reports on his age varied, with some outlets citing 62 and others 63.

Accounts differ on the immediate cause of death. Several wrestling news sites reported that Coates had been treated for serious heart problems after bypass surgery and had undergone four additional operations in recent weeks, and that he had overcome cancer three times during his adult life. Other reports noted that no official cause has been disclosed.

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Coates began wrestling in the 1980s and became known within the industry as a reliable enhancement talent who put over higher-profile stars. He worked matches for WWE in 1989 and 1990 and completed more than 30 enhancement matches for WCW in the early 1990s. He teamed with Helmut Hessler as the Storm Troopers in South Atlantic Pro Wrestling, a pairing that...