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Former Ring Of Honor World Champion John ‘Xavier’ Bedoya has passed away at age 42.
The news was first reported by PWInsider, and later confirmed by friends and peers within the wrestling world. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Xavier was trained by Tony DeVito prior to his debut in 1995. He was a mainstay on the New York independent scene prior to joining Ring Of Honor in 2002. He won the ROH World Championship on September 21, 2002 after defeating Lo Ki.
Xavier has had a handful of matches with WWE, working as an extra and enhancement talent. He also had two bouts as an amateur MMA fighter, but never went professional. In the later years of his career he continued to work on the independent scene, most recently working for ICW in 2016.
More recently, Xavier was scheduled to make a return to ROH, working against Jay Lethal at their Past vs. Present event in Las Vegas. That event was canceled due to the ongoing health crisis.
Following the announcement, many in the wrestling world began honoring the late wrestler.
Very sad to hear the passing of
John Xavier
Great talent good dude pic.twitter.com/PrH0FILHOk— Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) August 17, 2020
RIP Xavier. So ahead of his time and talented. Way too young.
— Pat Buck (@buckneverstops) August 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/FrankieKazarian/status/1295157862524579845?s=20
Speechless…
Rest in Paradise Xavier. Thank you for everything you’ve done for Marq and I and for this business. You will be missed ❤️#RIPX #RIPNicoleBass pic.twitter.com/xGtfHzo1BR
— Private Party (@IsiahKassidy) August 17, 2020
I got to work on many shows with Xavier. He also had a hand on paving the way for us Northeast young guys at the time. Every time I saw him, he treated me as if I was always part of the team. I’ll never forget that. RIP Xavier.
— Eddie Orengo (@EddieOrengoWWE) August 17, 2020
Man, gone way too soon.
Always so nice when he'd swing by NYC for ROH events. Unheralded and under aporeciated. Was looking forward to calling his comeback match in ROH.
Rest in Peace, Xavier. https://t.co/UH96AJh2zK
— Ian Riccaboni (@IanRiccaboni) August 16, 2020
We send our condolences to his friends and family.