Pete Rose dead aged 83: WWE Hall of Famer and baseball legend who famously dressed up as a CHICKEN to attack Kane dies
WWE Hall of Famer and baseball legend Pete Rose has died aged 83.
Rose is Major League Baseball’s all-time record holder for hits and a three-time World Series winner.
But he also had memorable cameos in the WWE – leading to a Hall of Fame induction in 2004.
Rose sadly passed away in Las Vegas but a cause of death has not yet been determined.
The American started his baseball career in 1963 and went onto become a 17-time All-Star in 21 seasons.
But he was given a lifetime ban in 1989 for betting on baseball games in which he had been involved as player or manager.
It denied him the chance of ever being chosen for MLB’s Hall of Fame.
Over a decade after his baseball retirement, Rose became a popular figure within the WWE and shared a feud with Kane.
He was a guest announcer at WrestleMania 14 in 1998 for the match between The Undertaker and Kane.
Rose was hit with a tombstone piledriver by Kane – one of the most iconic WWE moments involving a celebrity.
The next year at WrestleMania 15, Rose tried to attack Kane by disguising himself as the San Diego Chicken.
He was again on the end of a tombstone piledriver with the rivalry extending another year to WrestleMania 16.
Rose tried to attack Kane from behind with a baseball bat only to get a chokeslam and a stink face from Rikishi.
The baseball great returned to WWE in 2010 – six years after Kane inducted him into the Hall of Fame – to host of Monday Night Raw.
Rose became the first celebrity inducted with the likes of Mike Tyson, Snoop Dogg and Donald Trump to follow.
Following his death, WWE said in a statement: “For fans of WWE, he created another extraordinary legacy with some of the most memorable celebrity appearances of all time.
“Rose’s appearances at WrestleMania 14, WrestleMania 15, and WrestleMania 2000 are classic moments that stand among the celebrity highlights of WWE’s annual spectacular.”