WWE Hall Of Famer ‘Luscious’ Johnny Valiant Dies At 71 After Being Hit By Truck; Tributes Pour In

Johnny Valiant, a famous wrestler from the 1970s and 1980s, died Wednesday from injuries he sustained after being hit by a truck in Pennsylvania. He was 71.

‘Luscious’ Johnny Valiant Death News

The wrestler — whose real name was Thomas M. Sullivan — was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996. Valiant was killed after he reportedly ran across a high-traffic road in Ross Township and an oncoming pickup truck struck him, local televisions stations said.

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Valiant and his brother “Handsome” Jimmy won the World Tag Team Championship in 1974. Johnny and “Gentleman” Jerry Valiant captured the that same title a second time in 1979.

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Per WWE, Luscious Johnny started managing tag team champions and other famous wrestlers in the American Wrestling Association before returning to WWE in 1985. Among the well-known names he managed were Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Dino Bravo and Demolition.

Luscious eventually served as an announcer for WWE, then came back to AWA in 1989 as a manager. He then transitioned to being an actor and comdian: he starred in Law & Order and The Sopranos, among other series.

Valiant also once hosted a one-man show in New York City: An Evening with Johnny Valiant. 

Here are some tributes to Valiant — from WWE and Hulk Hogan among others — that have been posted on social media: