The first matches listed for Jeff “Cannonball” Guerriero were in 2010. He crossed my personal radar about five years later when he was working with GCW and CZW, and I enjoyed his work when I still had time to keep up with independent promotions and dabble in modern deathmatches. The last thing I remember seeing him on was a Dropkick Depression fundraiser show prior to the start of the pandemic.
Cannonball didn’t sit out much of 2020, but I regrettably lost track of him as he continued wrestling in New
Jersey. That included a lot of success in H2O Wrestling, including two World and two Tag title runs. That ended in early 2025 when Guerriero was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is the same affliction AEW’s Rebel’s been diagnosed with, and we’re all familiar with her wrestling-wide campaign to call attention to education, research and treatment for people with ALS.
Last September, Joey Janela held an event for Guerriero called Cannonball Fest. A fundraising raffle included some cool gifts from a couple former World champions, with Cody Rhodes sending the robe he wore at Bad Blood and Darby Allin a pair of shoes he wore on his Everest climb:
So he may not have been familiar to as many of us as someone like Ben “PAC” Satterley was, or Andy “The Butcher” Williams, but it certainly seems a lot of people in pro wrestling loved him. We’re beginning to see that in reactions to news today (Oct. 8) from Guerriero’s wife, former indie wrestler Tera Calaway, that he died early this morning:
Yesterday night into this morning, I put on Dirty Work on the tv to help lighten the mood of a rough day. Norm Macdonald and Artie Lange in a Bob Saget directed comedy movie. Jeff’s favorite movie with two of the three comedians he thought were the funniest men on the planet- Norm and Don Rickles. All it was missing was Tom Green. When Norm passed away in 2021, Jeff said that the funniest man on the planet was gone. He was wrong.
Less than an hour after the end of the movie on Thursday, October 8th, 2026 at 2am is the day the funniest man on the planet has gone.
Jeff Guerriero, the funniest, wittiest, most charismatic man I have ever had the privilege of knowing let alone get to marry, spend 10 years with, and create a little clone of in our son Milo, has passed away after his battle with ALS. His impact on his friends, his community, and the world is endless. Jeff Guerriero and Jeff Cannonball will live forever.
I will mourn him for every single day of my life while honoring him by raising a son he would be so incredibly proud of and make sure he knows how amazing his father was. My soul and heart are broken beyond repair.
I love you Jeff. 10 years was not enough, but they are years I will cherish forever. In every timeline, in every universe, in every life, I would do all of this over again as long as it meant I got that time with you.
The bit about Dirty Work being his favorite movie is great, and Cannonball’s acknowledgment of Norm MacDonald’s genius (and Don Rickles’, too) is a sign he was a man of great comedic tastes. We also got more proof of Cannonball’s good taste — along with a sampling of his own comedy chops, despite ALS’s rapid progression — from our own loominous in The Feed earlier:
His friends and colleagues are also memorializing Jeff “Cannonball” Guerriero on social media:
Warhorse:
I’m gonna miss you so much bubba. Years ago I did a solo drive to Jersey All Pro, and you guys let me crash at your place for the weekend. We were basically strangers but you guys went out of your way to make me feel right at home. I will never forget the drive to Beyond and how Jeff was flooring it the whole time, and when I asked if he was worried about cops, he whipped out this gold card and said “Don’t worry, I fot this”.
You were so loved by all of us, and we will never forget you. RIP Jeff Cannonball, there will never be another like you
Matt Mako:
Jeff was always a shining light in any locker room we shared. Was super nice to me from the first moment we meant and was always a pleasure to be around.
RIP Jeff.
Cannonball forever.
Another of the good people in pro wrestling gone way too soon, and another reminder to try to appreciate today as best you can. R.I.P. Jeff Cannonball. We’re not sure about memorial plans, but Sam just announced that their non-profit serving children of terminally ill parents, The Guerriero Project, was granted tax-exempt status… so we’re sure Jeff wouldn’t hate it if you made a donation.
