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WWE Pays Tribute After Hulk Hogan’s Iconic Rival Passes Away

Published 12/11/2020, 12:57 AM EST

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Former WWE Superstar and actor, Tom ‘Tiny’ Lister, passed away at the age of 62. After receiving a call at around 3 pm, law enforcement officials reached Lister’s apartment, where they declared him dead.

According to his manager, Cindy Cowan, Lister had displayed symptoms of COVID-19 in the past few days. However, the disease has not yet been confirmed as the reason for his untimely demise.

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Lister had apparently been working on a film, before he canceled shooting due to his ill health.

Best known to professional wrestling fans as Zeus, Lister rose to fame with his appearance in WWF produced movie, No Holds Barred.

He played the role of a villain against the superhero of 80s professional wrestling, Hulk Hogan. The latter’s character called Rip Thomas gained cult status amongst professional wrestling fans.

Due to that, Zeus gained huge currency in the WWE and Vince McMahon booked him in the main event of SummerSlam 1989. He teamed up with the ‘Machoman’ Randy Savage against the babyface team of Brutus Beefcake and Hulk Hogan.

As per the storyline, Zeus: the human wrecking machine, was incensed at Hogan’s victory in the world of fiction. To teach the Hulkster a lesson in respect, he decided to step foot into the ring to beat Hogan at his own game.

However, Hulk Hogan was an invincible entity in the 80s, and staying true to his reputation, he demolished the 6’5″ monster.

Lister’s stint with professional wrestling and association with Hulk Hogan didn’t end here. In 1996, he appeared in World Championship Wrestling as Z-Gangsta as the part of a heel faction taking on Hulk Hogan.

WWE pays tribute to Zeus

WWE paid their condolences after the tragic demise of Lister. They put up a statement on their official website, reminiscing the many amazing moments from his career.

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Apart from his exploits in the professional wrestling world, Lister was an acclaimed actor. He is well remembered for his roles in movies like Friday and Next Friday.

Lister played the role of President Lindberg in the sci-fi action film, The Fifth Element.

In the recent past, he is remembered for his appearances in The Dark Knight and Zootopia.

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We offer our prayers and condolences to the friends and family of Tom Lister.

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Written by:

Aryan Sharma

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Aryan Sharma is a WWE and Tennis author and editor at EssentiallySports. Being a journalism graduate from Delhi University, he combines his love for creating content with an astute knowledge of almost three eras of professional wrestling. He's also a Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova fan and likes to write on the social impact of these two legends beyond their achievements on the tennis court.
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