Post by Stu on Dec 31, 2009 3:49:40 GMT -5
Former WWE wrestler JBL says he's saddened to see that many of the wrestlers from his generation have died in relation to the "wrestler lifestyle," even if Dr. Death Steve Williams's death was more related to cancer than the lifestyle.
"The circle of friends Steve and I had are almost all gone, and I am only 43 - how bad is that?" JBL said in a Facebook blog tonight. "Steve's death most likely had nothing to do with the lifestyle, but I have never seen a profession that so many die young. It is unbelievable how many have died before 50."
JBL added: "The lifestyle of a professional wrestler is a brutal lifestyle, especially when I broke in. There was no safety net for injuries."
JBL credited WWE and TNA for trying to aid the current generation of wrestlers to prevent the same mistakes from his generation, especially taking unprotected blows to the head.
"There is no telling what so many unprotected chair shots to my head have done to my brain-but hey, I wasn't too smart to begin with," he said. "I figure in my life I have taken over 50,000 'bumps' and I don't think the human body was meant to do that."
JBL also drew attention to a major pain pill addiction problem in the wrestling business.
"Pills are what has killed these guys - again, not what killed Steve, that was cancer. But everyone that has died young has had a pill problem, they just damage the heart after some time," JBL said. "Cocaine has its victims but pills are what is killing these guys. And it is from my generation."
JBL said pain pill addiction has been aided by "quack doctors" for over-prescribing medication to wrestlers. That was evident in the Chris Benoit family tragedy when Benoit's doctor, Dr. Phil Astin, was sentenced to jail for over-prescribing medication to patients.
JBL concluded his thoughts by saying he can't work in a "sterile" corporate wrestling environment, but at least WWE has tried to address health concerns, no matter the real reason WWE began monitoring the well-being of their wrestlers.
"I don't like sports entertainment, I like wrestling. But I do like the fact that wrestling has been getting cleaned up, whether out of necessity or any other reason I don't care," he said. "The sports entertainment world is something I certainly don't fit in any more, we both changed and both for the better-I hate the sterile corporate atmosphere. But my generation doesn't deserve to hold on anymore, our atmosphere was the problem that cause so many to not live to see 50."
- PWTorch
Interesting, to say the least.
"The circle of friends Steve and I had are almost all gone, and I am only 43 - how bad is that?" JBL said in a Facebook blog tonight. "Steve's death most likely had nothing to do with the lifestyle, but I have never seen a profession that so many die young. It is unbelievable how many have died before 50."
JBL added: "The lifestyle of a professional wrestler is a brutal lifestyle, especially when I broke in. There was no safety net for injuries."
JBL credited WWE and TNA for trying to aid the current generation of wrestlers to prevent the same mistakes from his generation, especially taking unprotected blows to the head.
"There is no telling what so many unprotected chair shots to my head have done to my brain-but hey, I wasn't too smart to begin with," he said. "I figure in my life I have taken over 50,000 'bumps' and I don't think the human body was meant to do that."
JBL also drew attention to a major pain pill addiction problem in the wrestling business.
"Pills are what has killed these guys - again, not what killed Steve, that was cancer. But everyone that has died young has had a pill problem, they just damage the heart after some time," JBL said. "Cocaine has its victims but pills are what is killing these guys. And it is from my generation."
JBL said pain pill addiction has been aided by "quack doctors" for over-prescribing medication to wrestlers. That was evident in the Chris Benoit family tragedy when Benoit's doctor, Dr. Phil Astin, was sentenced to jail for over-prescribing medication to patients.
JBL concluded his thoughts by saying he can't work in a "sterile" corporate wrestling environment, but at least WWE has tried to address health concerns, no matter the real reason WWE began monitoring the well-being of their wrestlers.
"I don't like sports entertainment, I like wrestling. But I do like the fact that wrestling has been getting cleaned up, whether out of necessity or any other reason I don't care," he said. "The sports entertainment world is something I certainly don't fit in any more, we both changed and both for the better-I hate the sterile corporate atmosphere. But my generation doesn't deserve to hold on anymore, our atmosphere was the problem that cause so many to not live to see 50."
- PWTorch
Interesting, to say the least.