NASCAR Legend And Ex-WWE Champion, Kyle Busch, Passes Away At 41

Legendary race car driver Kyle Busch, who once held WWE gold, has passed away.

Kyle Busch was a NASCAR legend and two-time Cup Series champion who won more races across the sport’s three national series than any driver in history.

Sadly, Busch passed away on Thursday, May 21st, due to a severe illness.

NASCAR issued the following statement regarding Busch’s death.

“On behalf of the Busch family, everyone at Richard Childress Racing and all of NASCAR, we are devastated to announce the sudden and tragic passing of Kyle Busch.

Our entire NASCAR family is heartbroken by the loss of Kyle Busch. A future Hall of Famer, Kyle was a rare talent, one who comes along once in a generation. He was fierce, he was passionate, he was immensely skilled and he cared deeply about the sport and fans.”

Kyle Busch was the younger brother of NASCAR Hall of Famer Kurt Busch and is survived by his wife, Samantha, and children, Brexton and Lennix.

While the exact cause of Kyle Busch’s death is unknown, he was hospitalized earlier in the day as a result of a severe illness. It was three days before Busch was going to compete at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. No cause of death was given.

According to the Associated Press, Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details had not been disclosed by Busch’s team or family.

WWE Issues Statement About Kyle Busch’s Shocking Death

Fans of WWE will know the name Kyle Busch because he was a guest host on Monday Night Raw in 2009 and, a decade later, he was the 24/7 Champion.

On the December 2nd, 2019 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, Kyle Busch rolled up R-Truth to win the 24-7 Title, with racing legend Michael Waltrip counting the pin as the referee. The 24/7 Title was more of a comedy title in that era. Later that night, Truth won the title back from Busch, so it was not a long title reign.

A few days later, in December 2019, Kyle Busch explained to NASCAR.com how his 24/7 Title win happened.

“They heard we were coming and then set us up and said, ‘Hey, you want to be a part of the show?’ And I was like, ‘Well, all right, sure. What’ve you got in mind?’ Then they brought this up and I’m like, ‘Oh hell. This is going to be fun.’”

Following his shocking death, WWE paid tribute to Kyle Busch with this message on their website.

The former two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion made several appearances in WWE, including guest hosting Monday Night Raw in 2009, and even driving a WWE-themed car to Victory Lane in 2010.

Busch would go on to make history when he pinned R-Truth to win the 24/7 Championship in 2019, becoming the only NASCAR driver to ever win the title.

WWE extends its condolences to Kyle’s family, friends, and fans.

Just like WWE, everybody here at TJRWrestling sends our condolences to Kyle Busch’s family, friends, and fans all around the world.