Kevin Sullivan Dies: Pro Wrestling’s “Prince Of Darkness” Who Feuded With Hulk Hogan Was 74

Kevin Sullivan, a pro wrestler who built a persona and considerable fame in the 1980s and ’90s as a devilish villain in KISS-like make-up who battled good guys including Hulk Hogan and Dusty Rhodes, has died. He was 74.

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His death was announced today by World Wrestling Entertainment. No details were provided, but Sullivan had been in ill health in recent months.

“WWE is saddened to learn Kevin Sullivan has passed away at age 74,” the organization’s statement reads. “A unique and influential figure in sports-entertainment history, Sullivan found success both in the ring and behind the scenes with his penchant for far out ideas that pushed creative boundaries.”

The statement continues, “As a villain, Sullivan was a major rival for the ring’s most legendary heroes, including Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan and The Road Warriors. He specialized in leading dangerous factions, which included his wicked Army of Darkness, collegiate bullies The Varsity Club, and the wild Dungeon of Doom, which introduced Big Show to the wrestling world. The onetime ‘Taskmaster’ also became a creative force behind the scenes for WCW.”

Born October 26, 1949, in Boston, Sullivan was an amateur wrestler in his hometown during the 1970s, quickly turning pro under the name Johnny West.

Wrestling for various regional promotional organizations, Sullivan would by the ’80s take on the name and heel persona of The Boston Battler and, eventually, the Prince of Darkness. Taking full advantage of the decades so-called Satanic Panic, Sullivan presented himself as a cult leader and an occultist, complete with a female valet known as The Fallen Angel. Sometimes simply known as Woman, she was portrayed by Nancy Toffoloni, Sullivan’s wife at the time.

Sullivan and Toffoloni divorced in 1997. Ten years later, Nancy Toffoloni Benoit and her seven-year-old son Daniel were murdered by then-husband Chris Benoit, a pro wrestler who died by suicide after the murders.

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Sullivan and Chris Benoit were rivals in the ring during the mid-1990s. By ’97, Sullivan had devised a routine in which he heard voices from someone he called The Master. He lost a feud match with Benoit in 1997, apparently designed to allow Sullivan to pivot from ring performances to behind-the-scenes work as a wrestling booker. An on-camera storyline, in which Sullivan “lost” his valet, played by wife Toffoloni, to Benoit reflected real life: Sullivan and Toffoloni divorced in 1997 and Toffoloni married Benoit in 2000. The double murder-suicide occurred in 2007.

In May of this year, a GoFundMe page was set up for Sullivan who, according to the page, was “facing a critical medical emergency and financial crisis” following an accident he suffered while in Florida for autograph signings. He reportedly underwent surgery and suffered complications including sepsis and encephalitis.

Information on survivors was not immediately available.

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