WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long has opened up for the first time about the tragic loss of his son, Antione. On a deeply emotional episode of his podcast, Wrestling’s Road Trip After Hours, Long detailed the heartbreaking discovery and expressed gratitude to those who have supported him through the painful time.
“He passed, I believe, last Thursday. We found him Friday,” Long revealed to co-host Mac Davis. “He was in his home and he was unresponsive… He was laying on his bed, still had his clothes on and everything. One of his friends came there and found him in the house… Nothing we can do, it’s God’s call.”
Long noted that he is still awaiting official autopsy results to determine what happened.
Long took a heartfelt moment to thank his many friends in WWE and the wrestling world who reached out to him.
“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 spoke on behalf of herself and Triple H. Thank you so much, Stephanie.”
He also gave special thanks to Herb Simmons, Nick Patrick, and Robert Gibson for their continued support.
Long addressed that the news of his son’s passing was reported online before he had the chance to share it himself.
“The main thing is, I didn’t give them permission. They never contacted me… What they did put out was nice, I appreciate that. But now I don’t see them anymore on Instagram. I guess they must have quit following me or something.”
Despite the somber tone of the show, Long also gave predictions for the upcoming WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event:
– Randy Orton to defeat Drew McIntyre
– Seth Rollins to defeat LA Knight
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 also shared a touching memory from 1998, the first time he met Vince McMahon during his time as a referee.
“He looked and he spotted me, and he stopped… he came over, shook my hand, and welcomed me into the WWF.”
Teddy Long concluded by announcing that he will be stepping away from podcast duties and public appearances in July to be with family and manage his son’s affairs.
“Thank you to everyone who’s shown love — it means everything right now.”
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for updates and exclusive interviews from across the wrestling world.
