SummerSlam 89 headliner and No Holds Barred star Tom ‘Tiny’ Lister, best known to wrestling fans as Zeus, has passed away at the age of 62, according to a report on TMZ.
Law enforcement officers received a call Thursday around 3pm to attend Lister’s apartment, where he was pronounced dead at the scene. There is no further information as to the cause of death at this time.
The 6’5″ actor played the antagonist to Hulk Hogan’s character Rip Thomas in the WWF-produced action movie No Holds Barred in 1989 and their rivalry shifted from the big screen to WWF rings later that year.
Zeus teamed with Macho Man Randy Savage to face off against Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake in the blockbuster main event of SummerSlam 1989, which performed well at the box office.
The rematch took place inside of a steel cage in December on PPV as part of No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie where Hogan finally vanquished his nemesis for good.
Although wresting history could have been very different – as Hogan vs. Zeus was at one point slated to headline WrestleMania VI.
He returned to the ring for an appearance at WCW UnCensored 1996 where he and a squadron of heels that included Ric Flair and Arn Anderson took on Hogan and Savage inside of a Doomsday Cage.
Away from wrestling, Lister also starred in notable movies such as The Fifth Element, The Dark Knight and Friday.
ITRWrestling.com and everyone here at Inside The Ropes offer our condolensces to Lister’s family and friends at this sad time.