Ch!lling Timeline: WWE Legend’s Ex-Wife & Her New Boyfriend Accused of K!lling Him Just 72 Hours After Divorce🩸The case has taken a horrifying turn — and investigators say the timeline is “almost too shocking to believe.” Just three days after the divorce papers were signed, the WWE icon was d3ad… and now his ex-wife and her new boyfriend are under a cloud of explosive accusations. But it’s the disturbing sequence of events in those final 72 hours — strange messages, a secret meeting, and a chilling final phone call — that has the entire wrestling world demanding answers. k
Chilling Timeline: WWE Legend’s Ex-Wife & Her New Boyfriend Accused of Killing Him Just 72 Hours After Divorce
Former WWE NXT star Kevin Nikel, better known to fans as both Ivan Warsaw and Knuckles Madsen, was tragically shot dead in Arkansas in the early hours of June 10.
He was 41 years old.
His death came one month before WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan tragically passed away at the age of 71.
Officers were called to a home just before midnight after receiving reports of a shooting on that fateful night. Nikel was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. It was later revealed that Nikel was shot in the abdomen.
Lt. Shannon Jenkins told KNWA at the time that a man named Michael Hogue was taken into custody on probation violations and has not been charged in relation to the wrestler’s death.
It turns out that the story of Kevin Nikel being gunned down gets much worse.
Kevin Nikel’s Ex-Wife & Her New Man Allegedly Gunned Him Down Days After Divorce Was Finalized
Kevin Nikel was reportedly shot and killed in Benton County, Arkansas. He left behind his young eight-year-old son, Zac.
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His death came from a person who was very close to him. This week, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) arrested Michael Hogue and Amanda Penny on charges related to the killing of the former WWE developmental wrestler.
Hogue was charged with first-degree murder, while Penny was taken in on the charge of being an accomplice to murder in the first degree.
A former WWE professional wrestler is dead. His ex-wife and her new boyfriend have been charged with killing him three days after their divorce was finalized. Kevin Nikel competed under the name Knuckles Madsen.
In July, Nikel was found shot in the abdomen on the side of an pic.twitter.com/ErOFT1Eceb
— N’ Cuffs (@NCuffs1) November 19, 2025
His death came three days after their divorce was finalized, according to court documents seen by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. They had been married nearly 13 years.
Prior to his passing, Kevin Nikel reportedly told good people and the police that Hogue had shot him.
At a bond hearing this week, Hogue was given a bail of $750,000 due to his criminal history and the nature of the case. Penny was assigned a bail of $500,000.
Nikel had a brief spell with WWE between 2012 and 2013. He began working on the developmental territory of OVW before transitioning to NXT.
