The wrestling world is mourning the loss of independent wrestler Billy Reil who has passed away at the young age of 44.
News of Reil’s passing was shared by PW Insider, who was informed of his death on April 29, by his family. Reil was dealing with a lot of health issues in the year leading up to his death.
Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Reil’s wrestling inspiration came from watching WWF events at The Spectrum in the 1980s. Once ECW came to prominence in Philly, Reil began hanging out at the ECW arena and made contact with several in the industry. He would make his in-ring debut in 1995 and would compete for Jersey All-Pro Wrestling as well as several independent territories.
Outside the ring, Reil was a classically trained actor and starred in low-budget films including Purgatory and The Pit. In 2002, Reil was highlighted in the South Philly Review after he spotted a man on rollerblades attempting to mug Reil’s 61-year-old neighbor. Reil led his house and tackled the man and was able to recover the woman’s purse.
Tributes to Billy Reil
On social media, many names in wrestling paid tribute to Reil. GCW’s Brett Lauderdale spoke about Reil but said that his was a “cautionary tale.”
Sorry to hear about the passing of Billy Reil. Unfortunately, I can't say Im surprised.
He was a funny guy and as "South Philly" as it gets. He was a childhood friend of Trent Acid & they broke into the biz together. Billy had potential at one time.
A cautionary tale.
RIP Billy pic.twitter.com/wbQ3qLSK5u— brett lauderdale (@Lauderdale11) April 29, 2024
Sonjay Dutt said that he hopes Reil finally finds peace.
RIP to Billy Reil. May he finally find peace.
— SONJAY (@sonjaydutterson) April 29, 2024
Dave Meltzer was sad to learn of Reil’s passing and described him as a “real character.”
Sorry to her about the death of Billy "Highlight" Reil. A real character, that's for sure.
— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) April 29, 2024
We at SE Scoops would like to offer our condolences to Reil’s family and friends at this sad time.