Ryan Smile was a name that echoed promise and brilliance in the world of professional wrestling.
A high-flying innovator from Birmingham, Smile captivated audiences with his dynamic performances and was heralded as one of the brightest stars of the British wrestling scene.
Wrestling fans across the UK knew him for his electrifying matches in promotions like RevPro, OTT, and Attack! Pro Wrestling, where he thrilled with his fast-paced, back-and-forth style, epitomizing the golden era of BritWres in the mid-2010s.
However, Smile’s journey was far from a smooth climb to stardom. Behind the charismatic performer and his championship successes—like his crowning moment as the RevPro Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion—lay a turbulent story of personal struggles, controversial decisions, and an unyielding battle with mental health challenges.
This complex and deeply human story makes Smile’s life and legacy a poignant chapter in wrestling history.
From his meteoric rise in the ring to the hard-hitting realities that plagued his career, this article delves into the life of Ryan Smile—a man who had the potential to achieve even greater heights but whose journey was tragically cut short.
Ryan Smile Was A Future Star In Pro Wrestling
At the age of 31, Ryan Smile seemingly had the whole world ahead of him. The high-flyer from Birmingham was one of the top stars in the country, being a regular in promotions like RevPro, OTT and Attack! Pro Wrestling.
The wrestler from Birmingham was a fan-favourite, especially to the RevPro crowd. His matches always excited fans with their fast-paced back-and-forth style that defined BritWres in the mid-2000s.
Ryan Smile had great success in the ring. He won titles wherever he went, including a 490-day reign as the Kamikaze Pro Champion. However, his crowning glory was winning the RevPro Undisputed Cruiserweight Championship, a title he won in a three-way against BUSHI and Josh Bodom at RevPro/NJPW Global Wars 2017.
This was his crowning glory and a testament to Smile’s talent and work ethic. While he would lose the title just 24 days into his reign to Flash Morgan Webster, it was a testament to how highly he was viewed by the promotion.
To show how big a deal he was, we only had to look at some of the opponents he faced. In one match in RevPro, Ryan Smile teamed with Lio Rush and Swerve Strickland to take on The Elite – Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson and Matt Jackson.
To be named alongside these five AEW stars, two of which are former World Champions and two of which are arguably the greatest tag team of all time, shows you how special he was in the ring.
Lucha Forever Closing Hit Ryan Smile Hard
He also ran his own promotion, founding Lucha Forever in 2017. It was a Mexican-inspired wrestling promotion that Smile founded with Will Ospreay and the pair initially saw great success.
They booked 19 different shows under the Lucha Forever banner and they were generally well received. They were known for some fantastic dream matches, which included booking Pete Dunne against Naomichi Marufuji at Lucha Forever Ultimo Battle 2017.
Sadly, spiralling costs meant that the company dissolved one year later. Some wrestlers were not paid by the promotion for the work they did and there were claims that Ryan Smile made off with all the money after going into liquidation. Fans were also not refunded for tickets sold and Smile became somewhat of a pariah in certain wrestling circles.
The fallout of Lucha Forever hit Ryan Smile hard. His bookings quickly dried up, whether through his choice or the promoters.
Ryan Smile was also not without his controversies. He mentioned previously how he used to be brash and opinionated, rarely thinking before he spoke.
This was apparent in a number of comments made on social media and outside it. One such Tweet drew the ire of the LGBT community, when he seemed to downplay the struggles of gay, bi and lesbian people, albeit in a seemingly well-meaning manner.
Ryan Smile also caused friction between himself and wrestling promotions by cancelling bookings and failing to turn up to shows.
This was highlighted when he double-booked himself for a Kamikaze Pro Wrestling show, leading to the promotion to cut all ties with him. It was the last in a long line of grievances and the All Day Star had simply gone too far this time.
He Suffered From Depression From The Age Of 15
Throughout his life, Ryan Smile was in a constant battle with his own mental health issues. These do not excuse his more controversial moments but could have been a factor in them.
In an interview with EyeOnWrestling, Ryan Smile detailed his long-term battle with depression. This 2014 interview was six years before his eventual death but shone a light on the struggles the English star was facing.
“I’ve suffered with Depression since the age of 15, and 10 years later I’m still a sufferer of Depression. Sometimes it’s worse than others, but my childhood has played a major part on why I’m still not completely over the illness. I sought help many times, took me till I was 19 to realise I was severely Depressed and I did seek help.”
Knowing this makes the comments thrown at him during a match with Adam Brookes at York Hall for RevPro. Fans reportedly told Smile to “jump off a bridge” and booed him throughout the match due to the fallout from the Lucha Forever shut down.
This was the last straw for Smile. He never made another appearance for RevPro aside from a match one day later for Attack! Pro Wrestling, he took an eight-month break from wrestling.
He only wrestled four more matches in his career. He took three more bookings in August that year before seemingly retiring for the next year and a half.
After a period of silence, he finally addressed the controversy behind Lucha Forever on Twitter and the closure of the company. While he did not address the money he allegedly owed fans, he did mention how he walked away from the company with nothing but debt.
On March 1st 2020, Ryan Smile also apologised for any comments he made or people he let down in the past. It was an open and honest statement from a man who had been dealing with mental health issues for decades at this point and was a commendable act.
You can read the full statement in multiple Tweets here.
Ryan Smile wrestled his last match on March 4th 2020, making his comeback against a young Callum Newman at FNW Now That’s What I Call Wrestling Vol. 1. Callum Newman was the protege of his Lucha Forever partner Will Ospreay and seemed a fitting end for the controversial star’s career.
He was supposed to wrestle for TNT later that week. However,
Ryan Smile Died On The 13th of October 2020
Ryan Smile passed away on October 13th 2020 after losing his battle with mental illness.
If he was angling for a return to wrestling with his final match, he did so at the worst time possible. Just three weeks later, the entirety of Great Britain went into lockdown due to the pandemic, cancelling all wrestling events for the foreseeable future.
From that moment on, fans heard nothing from Ryan Smile until it was too late. It wasn’t until his death was reported by the wider media that fans had an update from the All Day Star.
It was reported by multiple outlets, including The Sun, that Ryan Smile had died after “losing his battle against mental health”, which would imply his death was self-inflicted.
Tributes poured in from wrestlers and fans alike. Will Ospreay professed his love for Ryan Smile and denied any rumours that he was hated backstage. Joey Janela called him “very professional”, while OTT in Ireland wrote, “His talent and contribution set the standard for what British/Irish wrestling was to become. A tragic loss RIP.”.
A year later, OTT ran a tribute show in honour of Ryan Smile. Named “Martinas Gaff Party ‘All Day Stars’. At the show, The United Empire (Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis & Will Ospreay) defeated Scotty Davis, Shota Umino & Yota Tsuji in a fantastic main event.
However, the Aerial Assassin stayed in the ring after the show and paid a heartfelt tribute to his former friend. He told stories about Ryan Smile as the crowd clapped and cheered along.
Ryan Smile’s death was a huge loss. Despite his status in wrestling at the time, he had the ability and the humility to make a comeback and make a big splash in his return to wrestling.
He will be missed by those who knew him and has shone a light on the mental health struggles faced in the wrestling business. RevPro made him their first Hall of Fame inductee following his death, a fitting end to Ryan Smile’s career in wrestling.
