Harold Fitzgerald Hogue, better known by his in-ring name of Ice Train, has passed away today, as announced by Diamond Dallas Page on his Facebook page. Official reports of the cause of death have yet to be revealed.
In a heartfelt tribute to Hogue, Page wrote:
It was so Sad to hear, that one of my closest brothers is gone. Harold Houge aka H aka Ice Train aka Smooth was a warrior and one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. Our 30 year relationship was filled with laughter & brotherhood. We were always there for each other. Our families are one family. One of my fondest memories was the Christmas the two of us headed into the inner city to help many of the less fortunate families have a better Christmas. As you can see we got on our favorite Christmas outfits and headed out to spread some cheer. I’ve also included one my favorite pictures of H & my mom Sylvia at Payge’s & my wedding. I will put up a tribute video up later next week. I just don’t have the strength to do it yet. RIP my brother! You will be missed but never forgotten! Much Love & Respect DDP
Hogue’s sister, Sanya confirmed the death on Facebook: “In loving memory of our dear brother, Harold Hogue, who peacefully transitioned to his heavenly home this morning. Grateful that he was surrounded by the love of his wife, children, and siblings, both in person and virtually. He leaves a legacy of excellence in family, faith, football, professional wrestling, mentorship and protecting his little sister. Arrangement details will be shared once available.”
Hogue was born November 13, 1967, in Atlanta, Georgia. He played high school football in Detroit, Michigan, and eventually went to Central State University in Ohio. There, the 6-foot-2, 315-pound defensive tackle was a regular, and was enshrined into the school’s Hall of Fame, in 2021. Hogue was bench pressing 525 pounds in college and was called the strongest man on his whole team. Hogue was part of a #1 ranked defence while at CSU, and was given praise for the success of the defence by his defensive coordinator, Mark Fisher, due to his ability to draw blocks from many linemen due to his strength and speed, allowing for his other defensive linemen to attack more easily, as they had fewer blockers to deal with.
He first debuted with WCW in 1993, starting his wrestling career with a win. From there, Hogue continued to wrestle for WCW for another year, leaving the company for Germany’s Catch Wrestling Association (CWA) in 1994. He won the 1995 Catch Cup tournament, and then returned to WCW in order to be half of the Fire and Ice tag team that consisted of himself and Scott Norton.
The duo got together on a WCW Saturday after fighting each other to a double countout, clotheslining each other out of the ring. They shook hands and told announcer Tony Schiavone that they felt they would make a good team. Their finisher was Norton powerbombing a foe, and then Ice Train hitting his Train Wreck splash. They had a short feud with the Steiner brothers before having a falling out.
Hogue took some responsibility for the break-up in an interview with the Shining Wizards Wrestling Podcast (www.ShiningWizards.com). “I was a little bit different back then. I believe that I treated (Scott) Norton bad because, I didn’t respect his knowledge that he had, and at that time I didn’t want to be a tag team partner. I just thought I was ready to be on my own,” he said in 2021.
Hogue would then return to CWA for another year stint, before coming back to WCW, where he wrestled as part of the New Blood stable — as M.I. Smooth — from 2000-2001 before retiring.
Harold Houge, Mark Mero and Diamond Dallas Page. X photo
Marc Mero, who wrestled as Johnny B. Badd, also posted on his X account following DDP’s Facebook post. “I just heard the devastating news that our longtime friend and Wrestling Superstar Harold Houge aka Ice Train passed away. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read this and immediately called @RealDDP and he confirmed what I was seeing was in fact real. This really hits home as he was truly one of the good guys. Only 56 years young. My heart goes out to his wife and kids and his numerous fans. Heartbroken… RIP our amazing friend.”
TOP PHOTO: Ice Train with manager Teddy Long. WCW photo