Posted on by bdamage1
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.
Alan ‘Beetlejuice’ Carnill
Alan Carnill was a veteran who served in the United States Navy from 1979 until his honorable discharge in 1981. After leaving the military, Carnill began training to become a professional wrestler. He wrestled under names such as Eddie Ravage and “Evil” Eddie Rochr…but gained the most popularity on the independent scene under the name of ‘Beetlejuice.’ He is not to be confused with the Beetlejuice who wrestled in the Pacific Northwest territory whose was the late, great Art Barr. Carnill’s character led a faction called the ‘Juice Patrol.’
Aside from his wrestling, Carnill was also a trainer, booker and promoter. He help create the independent promotion the IWF. He wrestled the likes of the Honky Tonk Man, Jimmy Snuka and Rick Rude. Carnill was also given an opportunity to try out as a referee for the WWF in a series of dark matches…but was not hired.
On January 25, 2004…while traveling from a wrestling show in Kansas returning home to Colorado….the car he was travelling in with his girlfriend and two other wrestlers slid on an icy path on a bridge and crashed. Carnill was thrown from the vehicle and died. He was the only one in the vehicle to die. Carnill was cremated and his ashes were scattered on the grave of his daughter who previously died at a young age from cancer. The rest of his ashes were spread over the mountains of Colorado where he lived. Alan Carnill was just 41 years old at the time of his death.