WWE star sends heartfelt message to remember wrestling legend Lionheart
WWE Superstars and other pro wrestlers around the globe are remembering Adrian McCallum today. The UK star, also known as Lionheart, received tributes from major names in the wrestling world after tragically passing away at a young age, including The Rock. He was widely regarded as one of the most beloved and respected grapplers.
He passed away by suicide exactly 5 years ago today - on June 19, 2019, at the age of 36. Lionheart began his career in 2002, and held numerous championships for various promotions. The England-born grappler also owned the Scotland-based Pro Wrestling Elite promotion. He worked with numerous top stars over the years, including Drew McIntyre, Joe Hendry, Rob Van Dam, AJ Styles, Wade Barrett, Booker T, Gallus, Jeff Jarrett, Nigel McGuinness, PAC, and even The Honky Tonk Man, among many others.
Lionheart was also good friends with Noam Dar. The longtime rivals and partners shared the ring more than 25 times, teaming up and going at it to trade various championships. NXT's Scottish Supernova took to Instagram today to remember Lionheart 5 years after his passing.
"5 years. Love you mad patna [crown emoji]," Noam Dar wrote with the photos below.
Lionheart's final match came 3 days before his passing. He defeated Alexander Dean at ICW Fight Club to capture the European Heavyweight Championship and retain the ICW World Heavyweight Championship. The titles were vacated after his death. McCallum was posthumously inducted into ICW's Hall of Fame in 2023.
Noam Dar WWE NXT status update
Noam Dar spent this year climbing the ranks in WWE NXT after forming the Meta-Four faction with Oro Mensah, Lash Legend, and Jakara Jackson.
The Scottish Supernova has held the NXT Heritage Cup longer than anyone else, for a combined 739 days over 3 reigns. He lost the Cup to Charlie Dempsey in late February, and then began chasing Trick Williams and the NXT Championship out of anger.
One week after laying Williams out with a cheap shot and posing with the NXT Championship, Dar was found laid out backstage due to a sneak attack. A WWE trainer later ruled that Dar will be out of action indefinitely.
Former AEW and TNA star Ethan Page made his WWE debut on NXT a few weeks back by attacking Williams. He was also revealed to be the one behind the mystery attacks on Dar and Mensah. Dar has been quiet on his return, but it's expected that he will deal with Page when the time comes.