#CancelNancyGrace Trends After HLN Host Implies Deaths of Wrestlers Ultimate Warrior, Owen Hart Involved Steroids

"I don’t understand why Nancy Grace has the forum that she does to skew info," read one ticked-off tweet in response to segment focused on Ultimate Warrior's sudden death

By Natalie Finn Apr 11, 2014 12:06 AMTags
Nancy Grace, Owen HartYoutube

#CancelColbert is so last week.

Wrestling fans and general Nancy Grace non-fans were up in arms Thursday over her on-air remarks about the sudden death of WWE legend Ultimate Warrior, during which she rattled off a list of the sport's fallen that—at least she certainly appears to be implying—died young because of possible steroid use or other drug abuse.

Ultimate Warrior, born James Brian Hellwig, died Tuesday, just days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and then appearing at WrestleMania 30 on Sunday. He collapsed while he and his wife were walking to their car outside of an Arizona hotel and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Hellwig was 54.

"So many wrestlers dead," Grace said to in-studio guest Diamond Dallas Page. "Now accusations of steroids and illegal drugs swirling—take a look at wrestlers who died young," she added as a scrolling graphic displayed a list of names including Rick McGraw, 30; Buzz Sawyer, 32; and Owen Hart, 33.

Youtube

"We all used it back in the day," Page said frankly with regard to steroids, but he noted that Ultimate Warrior didn't look nearly as big as he used to be and he had just seen the man and he "looked great."

In addition to the implication about Ultimate Warrior, the inclusion on the list of Hart, who died in 1999 after a freak accident during a Pay-Per-View event, immediately sent those in the know rushing for Twitter, where #CancelNancyGrace became a national trending topic.

"I don't understand why Nancy Grace has the forum that she does to skew info. Owen Hart died from a fall not from steroids #CancelNancyGrace," tweeted Justin Henri. 

"#CancelNancyGrace because she probably thinks Abraham Lincoln died of steroid abuse," added David Wilcox.

"Sign the petition. #CancelNancyGrace#WWE," The Fans Podcast got in on the action with a link to the inevitable Change.org petition for her dismissal.

And so on. Here's a sampling: