Don Kernodle, a former NWA Tag Team Champion, passed away on Monday at the age of 71.
Kernodle teamed up with Sergeant Slaughter at the Final Conflict show in 1983, an event that is frequently viewed as one that paved the way for Starrcade. On this show, Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood defeated Don Kernodle and Slaughter to win the gold.
After the news of Kernodle’s passing became public, the NWA issued a statement on Twitter.
The National Wrestling Alliance is saddened to hear about the passing of multi-time NWA Tag Champion Don Kernodle. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
RIP Don pic.twitter.com/t7Dgd80PER— NWA (@nwa) May 18, 2021
Kernodle is also a member of the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. He also held both the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Bob Orton Jr., and the promotions’s six-man tag team titles with Nikita and Ivan Koloff.