A former WWE superstar is currently in the hospital following a recent shooting incident in Oregon.
Billy Jack Haynes was a product of Stu Hart’s dungeon and began wrestling in the Pacific Northwest territory in 1982. He joined WWE in 1986 and feuded with “Macho Man” Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Championship. He also formed a tag team with Ken Patera before leaving the company in 1988.
Haynes wrestled on the independent circuit before retiring in 1996. He opened a gym in his hometown in Portland, but it failed. He was one of many former wrestlers who sued WWE over the past decade for “mistreatment” during their tenure with the company.
According to Tim Steele of KOIN in Oregon, Billy Jack Haynes is currently in the hospital, and police are waiting for him to get discharged. Haynes is suspected of having murdered his wife, Janette Becraft, on Thursday.
The 70-year-old reportedly surrendered to the police two hours after allegedly shooting his wife. He was hospitalized due to a medical issue before officers were able to book him in jail.
“It’s just a huge tragedy,” a longtime friend and neighbor told KOIN. “I was pretty decently close to both of them and loved them very much. It’s a really sad day, all around.”
Billy Jack Haynes made local headlines back in 2018 when he claimed to have witnessed two teens getting beaten to death by corrupt policemen in Arkansas back in 1987, as per The New York Post. However, his claims were never proven or confirmed by the authorities.
Billy Jack Haynes served time before becoming a WWE superstar?
Billy Jack Haynes was already 28 years old when he became a wrestler and was 32 years old when he signed with WWE. Haynes was a known tough guy in the locker room but had a reputation as a soft-spoken man, as per Uproxx.
There were rumors about Haynes possibly serving time in prison for manslaughter before he started training at Stu Hart’s famed dungeon. However, the story has not been proven true, though he has a history of doing bizarre things during and after his wrestling career.
Aside from WWE, Haynes also spent some time in NJPW and WCW in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
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WWE Superstar asked for his release BEFORE he was let go. More details HERE
