TWICE THE TRAGEDY
Victim in fatal stabbing lost wrestler sis to suicide
A man killed in a random Midtown stabbing was mourning the death of his older sister — a prominent pro-wrestler who ended her own life last year at the same age, the victim’s family told the Daily News Tuesday.
Massaro, 39, was mortally wounded Nov. 21 in a seemingly random attack outside 2 Bros Pizza on the intersection of Eighth Ave. and W. 38th St., according to authorities. A day later, Lawrence Downey, 59, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, court filings show. He was held without bail.
Manhattan prosecutors said Downey, clad in a black hooded sweatshirt and multi-colored checkered pajama pants, was caught on
CCTV stabbing Massaro before fleeing the scene. The motive is still a mystery.
According to friends and family of Massaro, he’d been in a deep state of grief after his older sister, Ashley, who was well-regarded in the world of professional wrestling, took her own life in May 2019 — three years after going public with allegations of a brutal sexual assault while she was working for the WWE.
Both Ashley and Ronnie died at age 39.
Ashley’s daughter, Alexa Massaro, told The News her uncle took her mother’s death especially hard.
“They were very close,” Alexa said. “They spent a lot of time together, so it was really hard-hitting.”
Ashley Massaro joined the WWE on a one-year contract after emerging the champion among eight finalists in the WWE Raw Diva Search.
Her memorable events with the WWE included taking part in Wrestlemania in 2007 and 2008.
In addition to her wrestling career, she made several appearances in
TV series and music videos, notably landing a Ronnie small gig on the show “Smallville” in 2007, and competing on the reality show “Survivor” that same year.
Ashley — a radio host and Playboy cover girl as well — was one of 60 WWE employees who filed a class-action negligence lawsuit against the pro-wrestling entertainment company in 2016, court filings show.
The superstar entertainer said she suffered numerous injuries on the job due to a lack of adequate training, such as multiple concussions, a fractured spine, and herniated discs.
More disturbingly, Ashley claimed WWE tried to silence her after she came forward with allegations she was drugged and sexually assaulted during a Middle East tour in 2006. She said the attack happened inside a U.S. military base, Sportscasting reported.
In an interview with The News on Tuesday, Alexa described her beloved uncle as an exceptionally creative person who created magic with his hands.
“He was such a talented person, and I’m not just saying that because he was my uncle,” she said.