Sean Christopher Haire, a former mixed martial arts fighter and professional wrestler, reportedly died Monday at his home in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
No cause of death has yet to be revealed to the general public, but the news of Haire’s passing was confirmed by an obituary posted on Tributes.com.
He was 43 years old.
MMA and professional wrestling fans will most likely remember Haire by his stage name, Sean O’Haire. He spent six years competing in World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship Wrestling and the independent circuit.
A graduate of the WCW Power Plant, Haire won tag team gold multiple times as a member of the Natural Born Killers faction. He then went on a three-year stint in the WWE after the promotion bought out WCW in 2001.
Brock Lesnar is often heralded as the first major WWE star to crossover into MMA, but Haire had him beat by three years. He made the jump in September 2004, stopping his first two opponents in the first round.
After dropping his third bout to Min-Soo Kim, Haire was offered a bout against Eric Esch at Pride 32. He was ultimately defeated in the first round by TKO, but he would go on to win his next couple of fights for the Champions Quest promotion.
Along with competing in MMA, Haire also dabbled in the world of professional kickboxing. He wasn’t nearly as successful in that craft as he was in MMA, losing all four of his K-1 bouts by knockout.
Former WWE and WCW wrestler Billy Kidman sent out a tweet Tuesday honoring his fallen brother.
According to the obituary, Haire is survived by a sister and three brothers. Stay tuned to Bleacher Report as more news becomes available on this developing story.
Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
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