German wrestling star Bad Bones, real name John Klinger, has died at age 40, Westside Xtreme Wrestling announced.
The details surrounding his passing, including the exact time of his death, were not disclosed.
Klinger gained fame for his wrestling career in Europe and occasional stateside appearances with TNA Wrestling.
TNA Wrestling paid tribute to Klinger on X (formerly Twitter).
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John “Bad Bones” Klinger,” the wrestling promotion wrote. “TNA Wrestling offers its heartfelt condolences to his friends and family.”
Bad Bones had been wrestling for 20 years before achieving his first major success in 2007 by winning wXw’s Strong Style Tournament. Klinger went on to hold wXw’s top title, the Unified World Wrestling Championship, three times.
Tributes Pour in for John ‘Bad Bones’ Klinger
“John Klinger was one of the defining wrestlers at wXw for over a decade. He won all of the major titles at wXw and won both 16 Carat Gold and Shortcut to the Top,” the wXw promotion wrote in a post on X.
“In his almost 450 matches in the wXw ring, he always worked hard and did his best to excite his fans,” wXw added
The wXw ended their tribute with “At just 40 years old, John died far too early, shortly before his planned retirement. We wish his family and friends strength in this difficult time.”
Former WWE wrestler Flash Morgan Webster was Klinger’s final opponent and shared reflections on their last match together on social media.
“I only wrestled him 9 days ago,’ Webster wrote. ‘Was talking to him in Poland after the match about how he was gonna retire in September and was happy with what he’d achieved and was happy to step away on his own terms. Life can be so cruel. Rest in peace John.”
Corey Graves, a commentator for World Wrestling Entertainment, also honored Klinger with a tribute.
“Man, I just heard the news about John “Bad Bones” Klinger. What a gem of a human,” Graves wrote. “I had so much fun wrestling/traveling with John back in our NWE days in Europe. My condolences to all of his friends and family. Rest well, my friend.”
Fans also paid tribute to the wrestling legend. “RIP. I remember seeing him in Gut Check in 2011 when TNA was in the UK,” one fan wrote.”When I started researching German wrestling, you were the first name that popped up,” another fan added. “You paved the way for us, for German Wrestling. We can’t thank you enough.”