Drugs/Steriods/Alcahol in the Indies

[I'm The Cool One]

This is something that I've been curious about since the Benoit tragedy... WWE catches alot of flack for drugs etc. being used... But what about the indies? Are painkillers just as bad among the new breed of "indy heros" like AmDrag and Joe and the like? I mean, these guys have a much less rigorous schedule, so they don't have to destroy their bodies every night. So in that respect, the pain pills and whatnot could really not be as big in the indies. However, alot of these guys take much bigger risks and usually get hurt more often... So pain killers could be just as bad. Also, the indy guys don't really have that (debatable) pressure of having to be a bigg hoss in order to get over in their respective companies... So steroids may not be that big of a problem... however, Chris Benoit was proof that you don't really have to be HUGE in order to be on the gas. So we don't really know who is or isn't in the indies...

anyone have some insight into this?

[Rube]

It's an industry wide problem.

[Franchise]

It's a huge problem all around the industry, but it's better or worse depending on what kind of fed/how big it is. For example, you probably won't find too many guys on roids in more hardcore feds or bigger indies such as ROH (although I do know of a few that are). However, say you have a 6'8 guy in the indies who, without gassing, weighs 210...odds are, the guy's going to juice up to try to make it to a bigger fed.

[kidtamagotchi]

I would imagine that there are some wrestlers who just work shows for drugs/drug money.

[Reverend BTY]

Drugs and alcohol, probably quite a bit. Steroids, probably a bit less. But this is just a total guess.

[honsou]

mascaramarvelo said:

I would imagine that there are some wrestlers who just work shows for drugs/drug money.

I'm pretty sure this is the only reason why Trent Acid still wrestles, god is that man a train wreck

[ThereIsNoAbsurdistOnlyZuul]

I live on a diet of gin, camel tranquilizers, and rock salt. It does a body good.

[The Line]

honsou said:

mascaramarvelo said:

I would imagine that there are some wrestlers who just work shows for drugs/drug money.

I'm pretty sure this is the only reason why Trent Acid still wrestles, god is that man a train wreck

which is sad, because in 02-early 04, he looked like he could have been huge.

[sexualvanilla]

It's an industry wide problem but there seems to be really different reasons for it depending on if it's a national company or just an indy. In a big company like the WWE, there's likely a lot more pressure to get big and stay big, and not get worn down by the road and constant matches. The traveling, time away from family, and other things of that ilk seem to be the bigger reasons why drugs and alcohol abuse are rampant in the WWE, so I'd say it's more because of the lifestyle. Guys in the indies will likely be more reckless since the main goal is to get hired by the big companies, so they'll often do unnecessarily high risk bumps, which will just shorten their careers. They're doing those usually without insurance, so they'll be more inclined to work through the pain than get help, which will lead to painkiller use to get through the matches and travel. They don't get paid as much as the WWE guys, so you could see how that might cause problems. So I'd say it's pretty rampant in the indies but since the media only cares about the WWE, the indies get ignored and aren't as closely watched, so we don't hear about abuse problems in the indies nearly as much

[eDemento2099]

mascaramarvelo said:

I would imagine that there are some wrestlers who just work shows for drugs/drug money.

The same could be said for people who work typical jobs. Beyond paying your bills and putting food on the table, what more are people supposed to do with their money but invest in leisure?

[eDemento2099]

sexualvanilla said:

It's an industry wide problem but there seems to be really different reasons for it depending on if it's a national company or just an indy. In a big company like the WWE, there's likely a lot more pressure to get big and stay big, and not get worn down by the road and constant matches. The traveling, time away from family, and other things of that ilk seem to be the bigger reasons why drugs and alcohol abuse are rampant in the WWE, so I'd say it's more because of the lifestyle. Guys in the indies will likely be more reckless since the main goal is to get hired by the big companies, so they'll often do unnecessarily high risk bumps, which will just shorten their careers. They're doing those usually without insurance, so they'll be more inclined to work through the pain than get help, which will lead to painkiller use to get through the matches and travel. They don't get paid as much as the WWE guys, so you could see how that might cause problems. So I'd say it's pretty rampant in the indies but since the media only cares about the WWE, the indies get ignored and aren't as closely watched, so we don't hear about abuse problems in the indies nearly as much

That's a pretty comprehensive guess, and I have to say that I find myself thinking along the same lines. It would be nice to get a wrestler who's worked for both indies and WWE to comment, such as Lance Storm.

[Baixo Astral]

Oh, Lance Storm'll comment, I'm sure of it... he's a relentless commenting machine, it's his lifeblood.

[Andrew is Good]

thegoldenspike said:

Oh, Lance Storm'll comment, I'm sure of it... he's a relentless commenting machine, it's his lifeblood.

His opinion though is probably better then most of the "insiders".

[eDemento2099]

andrewisgood said:

thegoldenspike said:

Oh, Lance Storm'll comment, I'm sure of it... he's a relentless commenting machine, it's his lifeblood.

His opinion though is probably better then most of the "insiders".

Exactly. The only thing about asking lance is that he stayed clean of steroids the whole time he was wrestling (which deserves a healthy round of applause from each and every single one of us). I'm not sure about how he handled drugs, but I still think he'd be an indispensable resource, given how friendly he is to answering questions, and the fact that he can comment on other wrestlers he worked with while he was in the indies and the WWF.

[kongadave aka Dave Wills]

Wrestling for some is sex, drugs and rock and roll. One wrestler told me, if the carnivals were around some folks would still be biting the heads of live chickens if there wasn't any wrestling.

You know, everything in moderation, well, moderation isn't happening as much as it used to.
Well, see what happens with the indy guys. I feel for the guys making 5 and 10 bucks and taking all those crazy bumps. I hate they are in pain especially.

[AriadosMan]

If anything, there's probably a bigger drug problem in the indies than there is in the mainstream, because there's much less analysis/attention paid to people's lifestyles by the media.