Brian Damage
Grappling with Tragedy is a series of articles that deal with unfortunate, tragic incidents that have occurred throughout the history of professional wrestling. It is unlike the ‘Wrestling with Sin’ series that deals more with the seedier side of wrestling like arrests, murders and suicides. Grappling looks more at particular tragic incidents that have in some instances altered pro wrestling in some way.
Australian Suicide
Broderick Shepherd began his career in 2008 in his native Australia at the age of 16. He wrestled for several promotions down under before making the move to Canada to further his training and career. He trained with Lance Storm and wrestled in Calgary for a bit before being scouted by Konnan in 2013 ,who offered him an opportunity to wrestle in Mexico for AAA. Shepherd agreed and donned a mask under the name ‘Australian Suicide.’
Shepherd relied on his speed and high flying skillset like his corkscrew shooting star press and standing corkscrew moonsault to become a star for AAA winning the AAA Cruiserweight title. Australian Suicide lost his mask in a mask vs mask match against Daga. While a bonafide star in Mexico, Shepherd had aspirations to becoming a star in the United States. He worked several independent groups, but his big break came when he joined the roster for Lucha Underground under the gimmick name of ‘Hexagon Black.’
Unfortunately, Shepherd joined Lucha Underground during its final season and soon returned to AAA in Mexico. As the pandemic hit, Shepherd and his wife moved to Puerto Rico. In 2021, Shepherd got an opportunity to wrestle for All Elite Wrestling under the name of ‘El Australiano.’ After just a couple of matches, AEW let him go and Shepherd and family returned to Mexico. He wrestled for a few Mexican independent groups, but was no longer competing on a full time schedule.
According to his wife, Shepherd fell down a flight of stairs, hitting his head hard in the process. He refused to seek medical attention for his injury. On March 5, 2025, Shepherd was with his family at a market in Mexico City, when he suddenly collapsed hitting his head on the pavement. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead the next day. An autopsy revealed he died from cardiac arrest. Broderick Shepherd was just 32 years old at the time of his death.
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