Post by HMARK Center on Jun 28, 2007 22:27:25 GMT -5
So here we sit, a few days removed from you-know-what, and we've heard all kinds of different things from medical experts, wrestlers, journalists, and even a few talking heads who don't know a damn thing about "the business".
However, most of that talk can be confined to the countless Benoit threads stickied up top. Right now, I'd like to focus on something that I think has the potential to be the bigger issue that stems from all of this.
Eddie Guerrero's death in 2005 shone a light on what a dangerous wrestling lifestyle can do to a man. Eddie, loved and respected by nearly all of his peers and by fans, had been clean and sober for multiple years before his fatal heart failure. Eddie's death was clearly brought on by years of drug abuse and over-exertion, leading to an enlarged heart.
WWE offered a glimmer of hope after Eddie's tragedy: they instituted the "Wellness Program", which promised random drug testing, both for steroids and painkillers, among other drugs, as well as cardio evaluations of all the wrestlers in an attempt to cut down on the amount of heart problems that had become so prevalent among wrestlers.
Looking back, the results of the program have been a mixed bag. While we've seen guys like Test and Masters caught red-handed, we've also heard how the WWE allows for a certain "level" of steroids to be found in their wrestlers' systems, beyond what would be considered normal levels for a person taking them medicinally. We've also noticed how absolutely no upper card wrestlers have been taken to task over drugs, despite some evidence that some are using.
That isn't even at the heart of this issue, however. While Eddie's death was a tragedy, it was nevertheless a much simpler death to deal with. One was able to draw a direct line between poor choices Eddie had made in his life and the dire consequences that eventually claimed that very life.
However, the tragedy of Chris Benoit and his family brings on much, much deeper and more complex issues than simply that of drugs and cardio health. What Benoit's death really brings to light is just how dangerous and unstable the life of a professional wrestler truly can be, and the irreparable harm it can do to a wrestlers' family.
Road Warrior Animal wrote a blog entry during the last couple of days called "Chris Benoit: Victim of the Industry". While seeing Benoit being called a "victim" while the news of how brutal Nancy and Daniel's deaths were is still fresh in our minds seems like poor word choice, I submit that there is some truth to it in a more general sense.
Let's face facts: WWE contracted wrestlers have a harder road life than athletes in just about any other major sport or company. They go around the world, wrestling at least 200 days a year (sometimes working more than a match a day), pay for all their own expenses (cars, hotels, etc.), doing promotional work and appearances during many of the days they're not wrestling, and rarely getting enough time together to even get home for a holiday. All the while, they do this without full medical benefits, job security, or any actual rights to refuse an offer made by their higher-ups, or to file grievances with some kind of governing body if they feel that they've been wronged or hurt in some way. Hell, they sometimes don't even get to keep gimmicks and characters of their own creation once they sign on to the WWE.
They are also told how to behave in public, with WWE officials telling them to abide by a dress code, and to stay in character, something that can't be a simple task for someone with a character like Nick Dinsmore's, for example.
This is a very, very unforgiving, brutal lifestyle. Athletes in "real" sports (for lack of a better term) certainly travel a lot, but are given days off, have players' unions to fall back on, and can file grievances or go on strike when they feel owners have overstepped their bounds. Even people working middle class, blue collar, physical jobs (i.e. construction, law enforcement, et. al.) have the same rights, albeit on a smaller pay scale.
When you get down to it, wrestling has only operated in this manner for the past 20-25 years or so. Before then, while wrestlers certainly worked a LOT of dates a year, they were at least mostly confined to working within defined territories (Northeast, Midwest, Calgary, Florida, etc.), meaning they didn't have to wrestle in Georgia one day, and book a flight to Italy the next. 20-25 years ago is also around the time that steroids became more popularized in the industry, forever changing the way the wrestling viewing public was expected to view and judge a wrestlers' physique.
Well, we're currently seeing the fruits of this style of business: wrestler after wrestler from the 80's and 90's continues to die on a seemingly regular basis, most from heart failure and other symptoms of over-exhaustion and drug abuse.
In an ideal world, we'd be able to say "Well, these men/women chose that path for themselves. They should be held accountable for choosing to take the substances that killed them, or for leading the lifestyles that wore down their health."
Sadly, we know it's not that simple. We've heard story after story about how different promoters would not just turn a blind eye to steroid and painkiller use, but actively instruct some of their talent to begin using them, as a means of "getting big", and to keep them on the road, so as not to hurt the all-important bottom line.
We've also seen how emotionally unstable many wrestlers from this era have become. That certainly can be tied to drug abuse, but we've heard recently about how isolated a wrestling life can be, how jarring it is to spend so much time away from loved ones, and constantly having to be on their toes to play the "political game" while on the road.
So, what's my point?
The point is, the style of business that mainstream wrestling has instituted over the last two decades, from the excessive global travel, to the 200-300 matches a year, to the intense road life, has become a proven failure. It is officially time to change.
I am not saying that the wrestling lifestyle is the number one factor in the mental destruction of Chris Benoit. I'm not saying steroids or painkillers were, or that always staying in character was, either. We don't know that.
However, to continue to avoid the plain truth, that all these ingredients put together are an utterly dangerous and potentially disastrous stew, is a slap in the face of the hard working men and women who work so hard to entertain the public on a daily basis.
Vince McMahon is currently the only man in mainstream wrestling with enough money and pull to truly change the way the business is run. If Vince decides to start treating the wrestlers more fairly, to offer them benefits, to take added responsibility in ensuring their well being, to maybe add a small "off-season" of some kind, then many, many others will be forced to follow suit.
The days of wrestlers being used as "carnival freaks" is long over. The "kayfabe era" is over. And now, on this day, as the evidence and body count continues to rise, indicating the problems and shortcomings of the current system, the days of "independent contractors" in mainstream wrestling must come to an end.
I've said that I commend Vince and his people for handling this crisis with kid's gloves, for not overstepping anything or attempting to insult anyone.
However, I will not gain an ounce more respect for McMahon until he uses his boundless authority within the industry to enact real, sweeping change. I am not "blaming" him for what happened to the Benoits, but the WWE is far past due for an appointment to look at itself in the mirror and ask, "What have we done here?"
For the sake of all the wrestlers that have died, are currently physically, mentally, or emotionally sick, or may become so in the future, please, Vince, bring your company into the 21st century, and treat these people more like human beings.
I can safely say that I will not support his company with a single cent before he does. Nor will I support any company that has the resources to do the same, yet refuses to.
However, most of that talk can be confined to the countless Benoit threads stickied up top. Right now, I'd like to focus on something that I think has the potential to be the bigger issue that stems from all of this.
Eddie Guerrero's death in 2005 shone a light on what a dangerous wrestling lifestyle can do to a man. Eddie, loved and respected by nearly all of his peers and by fans, had been clean and sober for multiple years before his fatal heart failure. Eddie's death was clearly brought on by years of drug abuse and over-exertion, leading to an enlarged heart.
WWE offered a glimmer of hope after Eddie's tragedy: they instituted the "Wellness Program", which promised random drug testing, both for steroids and painkillers, among other drugs, as well as cardio evaluations of all the wrestlers in an attempt to cut down on the amount of heart problems that had become so prevalent among wrestlers.
Looking back, the results of the program have been a mixed bag. While we've seen guys like Test and Masters caught red-handed, we've also heard how the WWE allows for a certain "level" of steroids to be found in their wrestlers' systems, beyond what would be considered normal levels for a person taking them medicinally. We've also noticed how absolutely no upper card wrestlers have been taken to task over drugs, despite some evidence that some are using.
That isn't even at the heart of this issue, however. While Eddie's death was a tragedy, it was nevertheless a much simpler death to deal with. One was able to draw a direct line between poor choices Eddie had made in his life and the dire consequences that eventually claimed that very life.
However, the tragedy of Chris Benoit and his family brings on much, much deeper and more complex issues than simply that of drugs and cardio health. What Benoit's death really brings to light is just how dangerous and unstable the life of a professional wrestler truly can be, and the irreparable harm it can do to a wrestlers' family.
Road Warrior Animal wrote a blog entry during the last couple of days called "Chris Benoit: Victim of the Industry". While seeing Benoit being called a "victim" while the news of how brutal Nancy and Daniel's deaths were is still fresh in our minds seems like poor word choice, I submit that there is some truth to it in a more general sense.
Let's face facts: WWE contracted wrestlers have a harder road life than athletes in just about any other major sport or company. They go around the world, wrestling at least 200 days a year (sometimes working more than a match a day), pay for all their own expenses (cars, hotels, etc.), doing promotional work and appearances during many of the days they're not wrestling, and rarely getting enough time together to even get home for a holiday. All the while, they do this without full medical benefits, job security, or any actual rights to refuse an offer made by their higher-ups, or to file grievances with some kind of governing body if they feel that they've been wronged or hurt in some way. Hell, they sometimes don't even get to keep gimmicks and characters of their own creation once they sign on to the WWE.
They are also told how to behave in public, with WWE officials telling them to abide by a dress code, and to stay in character, something that can't be a simple task for someone with a character like Nick Dinsmore's, for example.
This is a very, very unforgiving, brutal lifestyle. Athletes in "real" sports (for lack of a better term) certainly travel a lot, but are given days off, have players' unions to fall back on, and can file grievances or go on strike when they feel owners have overstepped their bounds. Even people working middle class, blue collar, physical jobs (i.e. construction, law enforcement, et. al.) have the same rights, albeit on a smaller pay scale.
When you get down to it, wrestling has only operated in this manner for the past 20-25 years or so. Before then, while wrestlers certainly worked a LOT of dates a year, they were at least mostly confined to working within defined territories (Northeast, Midwest, Calgary, Florida, etc.), meaning they didn't have to wrestle in Georgia one day, and book a flight to Italy the next. 20-25 years ago is also around the time that steroids became more popularized in the industry, forever changing the way the wrestling viewing public was expected to view and judge a wrestlers' physique.
Well, we're currently seeing the fruits of this style of business: wrestler after wrestler from the 80's and 90's continues to die on a seemingly regular basis, most from heart failure and other symptoms of over-exhaustion and drug abuse.
In an ideal world, we'd be able to say "Well, these men/women chose that path for themselves. They should be held accountable for choosing to take the substances that killed them, or for leading the lifestyles that wore down their health."
Sadly, we know it's not that simple. We've heard story after story about how different promoters would not just turn a blind eye to steroid and painkiller use, but actively instruct some of their talent to begin using them, as a means of "getting big", and to keep them on the road, so as not to hurt the all-important bottom line.
We've also seen how emotionally unstable many wrestlers from this era have become. That certainly can be tied to drug abuse, but we've heard recently about how isolated a wrestling life can be, how jarring it is to spend so much time away from loved ones, and constantly having to be on their toes to play the "political game" while on the road.
So, what's my point?
The point is, the style of business that mainstream wrestling has instituted over the last two decades, from the excessive global travel, to the 200-300 matches a year, to the intense road life, has become a proven failure. It is officially time to change.
I am not saying that the wrestling lifestyle is the number one factor in the mental destruction of Chris Benoit. I'm not saying steroids or painkillers were, or that always staying in character was, either. We don't know that.
However, to continue to avoid the plain truth, that all these ingredients put together are an utterly dangerous and potentially disastrous stew, is a slap in the face of the hard working men and women who work so hard to entertain the public on a daily basis.
Vince McMahon is currently the only man in mainstream wrestling with enough money and pull to truly change the way the business is run. If Vince decides to start treating the wrestlers more fairly, to offer them benefits, to take added responsibility in ensuring their well being, to maybe add a small "off-season" of some kind, then many, many others will be forced to follow suit.
The days of wrestlers being used as "carnival freaks" is long over. The "kayfabe era" is over. And now, on this day, as the evidence and body count continues to rise, indicating the problems and shortcomings of the current system, the days of "independent contractors" in mainstream wrestling must come to an end.
I've said that I commend Vince and his people for handling this crisis with kid's gloves, for not overstepping anything or attempting to insult anyone.
However, I will not gain an ounce more respect for McMahon until he uses his boundless authority within the industry to enact real, sweeping change. I am not "blaming" him for what happened to the Benoits, but the WWE is far past due for an appointment to look at itself in the mirror and ask, "What have we done here?"
For the sake of all the wrestlers that have died, are currently physically, mentally, or emotionally sick, or may become so in the future, please, Vince, bring your company into the 21st century, and treat these people more like human beings.
I can safely say that I will not support his company with a single cent before he does. Nor will I support any company that has the resources to do the same, yet refuses to.
