Decka
07-01-2007, 01:22 PM
In case you hadn't heard, WWE wrestler Chris Benoit killed his family and himself last week. The actions he took were rather disturbing, killing his wife one day, his son the next, and then hanging himself with weight lifting cables about 12 hours later. In the meantime, he put bibles by their bodies and sent out text messages to friends that were out of the ordinary.
That all being said, I really don't want to talk about Benoit, but the wrestling business. I will say that I have been a fan of wrestling for a long time, and Chris Benoit seemed to be a normal guy. I followed him up when he started in ECW, through WCW, and on to the WWE. Officials say they found steroids at his home (big surprise) and are looking into the doc who prescribed them to him.
Thus, let's talk wrestling. Not "who has the championship", but let's talk who should be to blame, if anyone. There were some interesting happenings that took place after Benoit's death.
1. Before Benoit's death was announced publicly, wikipedia had an update on their site under Chris Benoit's profile saying he was dead. Investigators have traced the IP address to Stamford, CT... in case you didn't know, is where WWE headquarters is.
2. So then Benoit's death WAS announced, but the specifics were not included. The WWE cancelled their Monday Night Raw show and made it a tribute show to Benoit, showing his greatest matches and having fellow wrestlers give heart-filled commentary on how great of a man Chris was.
3. Next came the specifics- murder, suicide, steroids... WWE immediately issued a statement saying steroids had NOTHING to do with Benoit's death, even though it would be impossible to know so soon. They also took down all memorabilia and pretty much erased Benoit from their company. The WWE is a well-oiled machine, and they came out strong in denial.
4. Vince McMahon was on a morning talk show, can't remember what one, but was asked about that WWE statement. They asked how they could be absolutely sure that it wasn't steroids, and Vince said they don't know, and the reporter further questioned then why would you put out such an absolute statement when you don't know. Vince, the politician and business man that he is, backed his way out, said all the right things, and that was that. He stated that the WWE had a "wellness policy" in which they do blood/urine tests for steroids.
So, me being the wrestling fan and knowing the history, allow me to let you in on a few things.
- It is well documented from wrestlers who have quit the company that steroid use happens in the WWE. All you have to do is look on the TV and see these 22 year old guys who weigh 270 and are solid, chisled muscle and you really don't need a drug test. Joanie Laurer, formally known as "Chyna" in the WWE, was on a talk show this week and stated in very careful words that everyone knows "certain behaviors" that go on and that she has witnessed it first hand.
- It is also a sad fact that these wrestlers are on the road 365 days a year, and constantly are taking a pounding with no time to heal. Painkillers and steroids are sometimes NEEDED just to bear the pain.
- Steroids have been linked to several deaths over the years, and many recently. 2005-Eddie Guerrero died of heart failure, 2002- "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig died of a heart condition and his father verified that it was probably from steroid use, 2001- "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith died from heart conditions. The list goes back through the Ultimate Warrior, Chris Candido.. Many wrestlers have died before they were 40.
- There HAVE been actions taken recently on steroid-use but they have mainly been slaps on the wrist. Randy Orton, one of the WWE's golden boys, has failed drug tests on multiple occasions. It has cost him "pushes", or promotions in the pecking order of wrestling, but he still has a job, and is quite popular and up the ladder today. "The masterpiece" Chris Masters was nailed for steroids, and was suspended for a few months in which he lost about 50 pounds. However, he is back in the company and is also doing quite well.
So with all that being said.. Is this the wrestler's fault? Or is Vince Mcmahon, the businessman, using them for his own personal gain and not looking out for their well-being? Vince knows that if there weren't steroids, his product wouldn't be as attractive. It's a good bet that Vince himself has taken steroids, the man is a monster. It seems to me to be that Vince knows the nature of the business, and is just closing his eyes so that his wrestlers can keep doing what they do and make him money. However, with Baseball being investigated for steroid use, Congress may have to step in if wrestlers keep dying at the age of 40.
The thing that keeps Vince and his corporate empire safe is that wrestling is NOT a sport, it's entertainment. Therefore, sanctioned drug tests do not apply. These guys aren't TRYING to win, they are stuntmen who willfully take pain in order to make a fake fight look as real as possible. So until Congress steps in and says what we all already know, it seems Vince will continue to get away with this abuse.
The excuse for Benoit's case has been "roid rage".. however, that would include a short outburst of violence. This was not the case. Benoit took his actions over a span of 60 hours, staying in the house while his wife's corpse was upstairs. Benoit must have been suffering from severe psychological trauma and depression, which are both associated as well with steroids. Of course it is his body, and he chose to take them. However, the pressure that Vince McMahon puts on his athletes to look like genetically mutated, lab-synthesized gladiators needs to be taken into account too.
That all being said, I really don't want to talk about Benoit, but the wrestling business. I will say that I have been a fan of wrestling for a long time, and Chris Benoit seemed to be a normal guy. I followed him up when he started in ECW, through WCW, and on to the WWE. Officials say they found steroids at his home (big surprise) and are looking into the doc who prescribed them to him.
Thus, let's talk wrestling. Not "who has the championship", but let's talk who should be to blame, if anyone. There were some interesting happenings that took place after Benoit's death.
1. Before Benoit's death was announced publicly, wikipedia had an update on their site under Chris Benoit's profile saying he was dead. Investigators have traced the IP address to Stamford, CT... in case you didn't know, is where WWE headquarters is.
2. So then Benoit's death WAS announced, but the specifics were not included. The WWE cancelled their Monday Night Raw show and made it a tribute show to Benoit, showing his greatest matches and having fellow wrestlers give heart-filled commentary on how great of a man Chris was.
3. Next came the specifics- murder, suicide, steroids... WWE immediately issued a statement saying steroids had NOTHING to do with Benoit's death, even though it would be impossible to know so soon. They also took down all memorabilia and pretty much erased Benoit from their company. The WWE is a well-oiled machine, and they came out strong in denial.
4. Vince McMahon was on a morning talk show, can't remember what one, but was asked about that WWE statement. They asked how they could be absolutely sure that it wasn't steroids, and Vince said they don't know, and the reporter further questioned then why would you put out such an absolute statement when you don't know. Vince, the politician and business man that he is, backed his way out, said all the right things, and that was that. He stated that the WWE had a "wellness policy" in which they do blood/urine tests for steroids.
So, me being the wrestling fan and knowing the history, allow me to let you in on a few things.
- It is well documented from wrestlers who have quit the company that steroid use happens in the WWE. All you have to do is look on the TV and see these 22 year old guys who weigh 270 and are solid, chisled muscle and you really don't need a drug test. Joanie Laurer, formally known as "Chyna" in the WWE, was on a talk show this week and stated in very careful words that everyone knows "certain behaviors" that go on and that she has witnessed it first hand.
- It is also a sad fact that these wrestlers are on the road 365 days a year, and constantly are taking a pounding with no time to heal. Painkillers and steroids are sometimes NEEDED just to bear the pain.
- Steroids have been linked to several deaths over the years, and many recently. 2005-Eddie Guerrero died of heart failure, 2002- "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig died of a heart condition and his father verified that it was probably from steroid use, 2001- "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith died from heart conditions. The list goes back through the Ultimate Warrior, Chris Candido.. Many wrestlers have died before they were 40.
- There HAVE been actions taken recently on steroid-use but they have mainly been slaps on the wrist. Randy Orton, one of the WWE's golden boys, has failed drug tests on multiple occasions. It has cost him "pushes", or promotions in the pecking order of wrestling, but he still has a job, and is quite popular and up the ladder today. "The masterpiece" Chris Masters was nailed for steroids, and was suspended for a few months in which he lost about 50 pounds. However, he is back in the company and is also doing quite well.
So with all that being said.. Is this the wrestler's fault? Or is Vince Mcmahon, the businessman, using them for his own personal gain and not looking out for their well-being? Vince knows that if there weren't steroids, his product wouldn't be as attractive. It's a good bet that Vince himself has taken steroids, the man is a monster. It seems to me to be that Vince knows the nature of the business, and is just closing his eyes so that his wrestlers can keep doing what they do and make him money. However, with Baseball being investigated for steroid use, Congress may have to step in if wrestlers keep dying at the age of 40.
The thing that keeps Vince and his corporate empire safe is that wrestling is NOT a sport, it's entertainment. Therefore, sanctioned drug tests do not apply. These guys aren't TRYING to win, they are stuntmen who willfully take pain in order to make a fake fight look as real as possible. So until Congress steps in and says what we all already know, it seems Vince will continue to get away with this abuse.
The excuse for Benoit's case has been "roid rage".. however, that would include a short outburst of violence. This was not the case. Benoit took his actions over a span of 60 hours, staying in the house while his wife's corpse was upstairs. Benoit must have been suffering from severe psychological trauma and depression, which are both associated as well with steroids. Of course it is his body, and he chose to take them. However, the pressure that Vince McMahon puts on his athletes to look like genetically mutated, lab-synthesized gladiators needs to be taken into account too.