WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long opened up for the first time about the recent and tragic passing of his son, Antione. On a difficult episode of his Wrestling’s Road Trip After Hours podcast, a heartbroken Long shared the details of what happened and thanked the many people from the wrestling community who have reached out to offer their support.
“Waiting on the Autopsy”
Long explained to his co-host Mac Davis how his son was discovered. “He passed, I believe, last Thursday. We found him Friday,” Long began. “He was in his home and he was unresponsive. So basically, I’m waiting on the autopsy to let us kind of know what really happened. And he was laying on his bed, still had his clothes on and everything, and one of his friends came there and found him in the house… nothing we can do is God’s call.”
He then took the time to personally thank the many friends and colleagues from WWE who have reached out to him during this difficult time. “A lot of people acknowledge that, and text me and stuff from the WWE. And I want to say those names now too, so to let them know, you know how much I appreciate it,” he said. “Mark Henry was one of them. Bruce Prichard, Michael Hayes, The Godfather, Eric Bischoff, Natalya, Ron Simmons, JBL, and Stephanie McMahon, she reached out and she spoke on behalf of her and Triple H… So thank you so much Stephanie.” He also gave a special mention to Herb Simmons, Nick Patrick and Robert Gibson for their support.
On The News Breaking Early
The conversation also touched on how the news was first reported by a wrestling site without the family’s permission, which created a difficult situation. “The news was not posted by Teddy or myself, somebody else found out,” co-host Mac Davis explained. Long added, “The main thing is, I didn’t give them permission. They never contacted me. You know, it’s really strange. I’m really not angry at them. What they did put out was nice. I appreciate that, thank you so much. But they must have a little bit of guilt or somewhere, because now I don’t see them no more on Instagram. I guess they must have quit following me or something.”
A Look at the WWE Weekend
Before the difficult conversation, Long also offered his predictions for the upcoming WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. He predicted Randy Orton would defeat Drew McIntyre, and that Seth Rollins would be victorious over LA Knight. For the main event, he suggested that if Goldberg wins the World Heavyweight Championship from Gunther, it won’t be a one-off. “I think they’ll get a little bit of a run out of Goldberg. I think he’ll be around for a while,” Long said.
He also shared a story about his first-ever conversation with Vince McMahon, which happened in 1998 when he was a referee. “He looked and he spotted me, and he stopped, and he saw me, and he came over and he shook my hand and welcomed me into the WWF,” Long recalled.
Teddy Long concluded the show by stating he would be taking time off in July to be with his family and handle his son’s affairs.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Road Trip After Hours with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
