This past Wednesday, the wrestling world once again lost another titan in the industry, as Canadian wrestler and promoter Eddie Osbourne, better known to the community as Cousin Eddie, passed away at the age of 43.Many within the industry have paid their respects to the former star, including Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling, whom Osbourne wrestled for during his veteran career. Among single talents who paid tribute to his legacy, "WWE Raw" star and former NXT Champion "All Ego" Ethan Page, spoke on Osbourne's brilliance and contribution not just to the Canadian independent scene, but to his overall career as well. Page credited Osbourne in his post on X [formerly known as Twitter] as being the first to allow Page to grow as an in-ring performer."I'm extremely sad to learn about the passing of Eddie Osbourne. In an industry that glorifies big names, I'd love to educate people on who Eddie was in my life," Page began. "The seed of 'Ethan Page' was planted by me, but Eddie was one of the first promoters to water it & watch it grow. Opportunity is all we look for in wrestling. Eddie provided it to so many wrestlers & most of the time, it was the wrestlers nobody wanted to give a chance.An extremely unorthodox talent with a very old school point of view. Eddie truly loved professional wrestling & gave everything he had to put on events for fans across all of Canada.Additionally, Page spoke of their shared time in the ring, and how Osbourne pulled no punches as his first official rival in the sport."I'll always be grateful for Eddie Osbourne opening doors for myself & many others. One of my first career rivals. A very giving veteran & very good example for me to follow. A legend of Canadian Independent Wrestling. My condolences to his family, friends & all of my peers on Canadian wrestling scene as a whole. Thank You Eddie [red heart emoji]," Page concluded.Having wrestled for many well recognized independent promotions across Canada, such as Big West Wrestling, Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling, Pure Wrestling Association, and Magnificent Championship Wrestling, Osbourne also played a major role behind the scenes as the owner and promoter of 365 Pro Wrestling.
