WWF Star Paralyzed

12/25/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

World Wrestling Federation star Darren Drozdov -- a tattooed, body-pierced wrestler known simply as "The Droz" -- is paralyzed below the waist after fracturing his neck during a match on Tuesday at New York's Nassau Coliseum. It marked the second pro wrestling tragedy in five months; on May 23, Owen "The Blue Blazer" Hart died in a 90-ft. plummet during a Kansas City stunt. Drozdov, 30, underwent three hours of surgery Wednesday to relieve pressure on his damaged neck. The 6'4", 270-pounder was wrestling against D'Lo Brown when the accident occurred. "It's way too early to say whether or not he'll regain use of his legs," Dr. Laurence Mermelstein, an orthopedic surgeon at the Nassau County Medical Center, told the Associated Press. Drozdov suffered two fractured discs in the mishap.

• A WWF star of the '60s died Wednesday. See PASSAGES.