Shad Gaspard

Shad Gaspard
Gaspard in 2016
Born(1981-01-13)January 13, 1981
DiedMay 17, 2020(2020-05-17) (aged 39)
Spouse
Siliana Gaspard
(m. 2009)
Children1
Ring name(s)Da Beast[1]
Shad
Shad Gaspard
Billed height6 ft 7 in (201 cm)[2]
Billed weight295 lb (134 kg)[2]
Billed fromBrooklyn, New York
Trained byOhio Valley Wrestling[1]
Rocky Johnson[1]
Al Snow[1]
DeWayne Bruce[1]
Debut2003

Shad Javier Gaspard (January 13, 1981 – May 17, 2020) was an American professional wrestler and actor. He was best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under his real name, or mononymously as Shad.[3]

Gaspard signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2003, where he was assigned to their developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and was a two-time OVW Southern Tag Team Champion with JTG, as part of Cryme Tyme. In 2006, Cryme Tyme was promoted to WWE's main roster, before both Gaspard and JTG were released from the company the following year. Cryme Tyme returned to WWE in 2008, but Gaspard was released again in 2010.

After departing WWE, Gaspard pursued an acting career that included several films and television roles,[4] such as Think Like a Man Too, Get Hard, The Game, and From Dusk till Dawn: The Series. He was also the co-creator of the 2011 graphic novel Assassin & Son and provided motion capture for video games, most notably for the protagonist Kratos in the 2018 game God of War.

Gaspard drowned while trying to save his son on May 17, 2020. As a result of his heroic efforts, he was posthumously awarded the Warrior Award at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in 2022.

  1. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference OWOW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Shad Gaspard WWE". www.wwe.com.
  3. ^ "Superstars > SmackDown > Shad >Profile". WWE. Archived from the original on April 25, 2007. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
  4. ^ "WWE's Shad Gaspard dies saving his son". BBC News. May 21, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2022.