A Pennsylvania man is now facing involuntary manslaughter and other charges for the death of his girlfriend's 18-month-old toddler Bryson Shoemaker after performing a wrestling maneuver on the child.
Brandon Hoffman, while babysitting the child, did The Undertaker's finishing move "The Last Ride" on Bryson and mistakenly landed him on the floor instead of on the bed.
"The Last Ride" is a famous wrestling maneuver known to WWE fans in which The Undertaker lifts his opponents over his shoulders, reverse piggyback style, and slams them back first on the floor.
The 20-year-old man, fearing he would get into trouble, did not call 911 immediately but tried to perform CPR on the child. He finally asked his sister's boyfriend, Lonnie Stewart, to take them to Jersey Shore Hospital.
"He came to me like, 'I don't know what happened. I dropped him.' He was like real hysterical and everything," Stewart said, according to the NY Daily News.
Hospital staff said the child died from injuries on his brain and neck. He also suffered from a collapsed lung.
Authorities said Hoffman did a similar wrestling maneuver on Bryson in another instance that involved throwing the toddler on the bed, NBC News reported.
Hoffman's sister Angelina believed that what happened to Bryson was an accident. "I'm thinking this is a dream, and I'm going to wake up," she said, the NY Daily News reported.
Meanwhile, World Wrestling Entertainment said there is no justification for what Hoffman did.
"There is no excuse for a 20-year-old grown man to assault an 18-month-old child, no matter what," the company said in an official statement regarding the matter. "Using a flimsy excuse about emulating a wrestling maneuver does not absolve Brandon Hoffman of this abhorrent crime."
WWE offered its condolences to Sierra Shoemaker, Bryson's mother, WNEP reported.
Hoffman is currently in jail, with bail set at $150,000.
