Adrian McCallum, best known within professional wrestling as Lionheart, passed away overnight at the age of 36. The cause of death has yet to be officially announced but a final message on social media reads ominous in hindsight.
McCallum was a regular in the Scottish and British Wrestling scene for years. He was the reigning ICW Champion in Scotland for the WWE-affiliated promotion and had just captured the UEWA Championship on 6/16 in Glasgow, defeating Alexander Dean in a title vs. title match.
Debuting in 2003, McCallum had been with ICW since 2007 and was a regular for the promotion as well as Preston City Wrestling, where he had held their top title, among other European groups. He was a consistent regular star for the promotion, including a long feud with Jackie Pollo. He was an important figure in the European scene, one of many who helped bridge it from the scored earth period of the late 1990s and early 2000s to the booming scene it enjoys today.
McCallum launched his own promotion, Pro Wrestling Elite, out of Ayrshire in 2001, regularly bringing American stars including AJ Styles, Mickie James, The Godfather and others over for shows during their time on the independent scene, with the goal of bringing American names over for dream matches against names like Kay Lee Ray and Noam Dar before they found their own way to WWE. McCallum was also one of the top stars for Preston City Wrestling, holding their top title and was among those taking part on ITV’s World of Sports Wrestling revival that ran for one season and is still syndicated in different countries, including the United States.
At one point, McCallum announced he would retire from pro wrestling in 2012, but reconsidered, noting in interviews the decision to leave was due to some frustrations he was having at the time, finally deciding it was immature to walk away and continued on with the business
.In 2014, it was feared that McCallum would never walk again after breaking his neck taking the Styles Clash during a match with AJ Styles. He returned to the ring a year later and had been competing since, despite some strength issues on his right side.
McCallum did dabble with some American promotions when they crossed the pond as well. He competed for the ROH Championship in 2008, losing a bout to Nigel McGuinness in 2008. He’d worked for TNA on their European tours, including a match with Jeff Jarrett in Glasgow that Lionheart credited with raising his profile in the British scene and had dark matches with WWE as well in the past. McCallum had always made it clear in interviews his goal was to make it to WWE.
McCallum was also regularly training talents at the GPWA Glasgow and maintained a podcast titled “From the Heart.” McCallum would have turned 37 next month and for man
ICW issued the following statement while asking for McCallum's family to be given privacy:
We are heartbroken to learn of the tragic death of ICW World Heavyweight Champion, Adrian ‘Lionheart’ McCallum. Adrian was a mainstay of ICW and British professional wrestling. Most importantly, he was our friend. His passing leaves a huge hole in the lives of those who knew him. pic.twitter.com/qmjnZTb5Lb— ICW (@InsaneChampWres) June 19, 2019
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