Former ECW and WWE Superstar Balls Mahoney passed away yesterday at the age of 44. He died at his home in Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey, but the cause of death at this point is still unknown. He passed away one day after his birthday.
Mahoney – real name Jonathan Rechner, made his pro wrestling debut in 1987 working for the World Wrestling Council before moving to Smokey Mountain Wrestling. In 1995 he had a short stint in the then World Wrestling Federation but he made his name while working for ECW – Extreme Championship Wrestling – starting in 1997.
He wrestled for ECW until the promotion closed its doors in 2001 and in 2005 he returned to the WWE as part of the ECW brand, with his second stint with the WWE lasting around 3 years. After leaving WWE, he returned to the independent scene wrestling for several different promotions. His last match was in December 2015.