When word came down that Tom Buzanoski died suddenly on Wednesday, Jan. 21, the news came as a shock to many of his friends and fans.

Buzanoski, who turned 69 in November, was a professional wrestler trained in Middlesex Township by Newton Tattrie, also known as Studio Wrestling mainstay Geeto Mongol.

Buzanoski made friends everywhere he went as professional wrestler TC Reynolds — or Tommy Patterson, American Patriot #2, California Kid, Tuco the Bounty Hunter and Doink the Clown.

“TC” may have worked for the state Department of Transportation by day, but he made friends everywhere he went as one of the most well-respected wrestlers around. It was a side job and extra fun money for Tom,” wrote Ken Jugan, aka Lord Zoltan.

According to wrestlingdata.com, Lord Zoltan was TC Reynolds’ most frequent opponent.

“I met Tom on the ‘outlaw’ circuit now known as Indy Wrestling,” he said. “Both of us had the same goal: have fun and make friends along the way. In what is not normal in pro wrestling, we developed a friendship, very uncommon in wrestling. We made the most money working together. There was just a weird chemistry that we both had. We were friends outside of wrestling and our children became friends.”

One of their last in-ring appearances together occurred on July 23, 2016, at the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance Brawl Under the Bridge in Homestead, Pa., where they teamed alongside another former Mongol — Nikolai Volkoff — to defeat The Mercenaries & Mayor Mystery.

Jugan said he is still in shock after receiving the tragic news from TC’s daughter Macey.

The memories from former colleagues came in a hurry.

“TC was a very nice man,” wrote Bill Eadie, a longtime friend and professional wrestler known as Demolition Ax and the Masked Superstar. “He always seemed happy when I was around him. Good in the ring. Had good psychological matches and was a great professional.”

“When I started in 1990 with Lord Zoltan, I met TC,” said David Younkins, another longtime friend and travel partner best known as T-Rantula. “We traveled a lot. He was Doink or Batman. He sold bootleg ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin shirts.”

Younkins said TC had a good heart.

“He would take care of the other guys,” he recalled. “They didn’t get paid as much, but he sold the merchandise and shared it. Those were good times. Everyone loved him.”

For fans of independent wrestling in Western Pennsylvania, “Doink the Clown” was a marketable gimmick that promotions from all over peddled. While the name and character are associated with the WWE, the corporation never cracked down on those using the name and it appeared on countless cards over the years.

Primarily, Western Pennsylvania Doinks were either TC Reynolds or another now-retired veteran, Peter Lucic, also known as Preston Steele.

“I first met TC at Dominic DeNucci’s camp,” he said. “We hit it off right away. When you met TC, he was easy to talk to. He asked you about your life. He was interested in your family.”

In addition to serving as dueling Doinks, TC and Steele traveled along the East Coast as the American Patriots. During the Gulf War era, The American Patriots faced off against a host of sheikh and Middle Eastern characters and the fans ate it up. TC also worked in a similar “U.S. Express” tag team with Bill Fishinger.

Lucic said TC was also a prankster, even without the clown makeup.

“He’d pull pranks” including one time in which TC had convinced fans that the 6’0,” 245-pound muscular “Ultimate Male” Preston Steele was a female impersonator.

Lucic laughed hard retelling that tale.

As for the Doinks, Lucic said they faced off in the ring just once.

“I was the heel,” he joked.

Long after Tony Marino stopped sporting the Batman cowl, TC donned the costume and wrestled as the Caped Crusader, including at least one match against Lord Zoltan in Butler back in 2005.

In 2023, TC Reynolds and Geeto Mongol, as well as several contemporaries — “The Sicilian Beast” Ken Cerminara, “Irish” Red Walsh and “Mad Dog” Tony Lutz — were inducted into the KSWA Hall of Fame.

That may have been TC’s final appearance on a wrestling card.

“He became kind of a recluse in staying out of the public eye,” continued Jugan. “We remained in contact.”

Lucic says he last communicated with TC Reynolds on Dec. 18 of last year.

“I was just checking in. We’d call or text.” Lucic, of Ohio, and TC were fans of the Cleveland Browns and would talk about their favorite team. “And we’d talk about family and kids.”