Rampant abuse of steroids and prescription meds coupled with a high incidence of brain trauma will do that. Within 20 years you'll see much the same with MMA fighters, I'd imagine.
Weak argument is weak. I mean, seriously. (flabbergasted pause) Really? You see, there was never really an era when the Globetrotters said, "What we do is in complete seriousness." I never did understand how anyone could give a **** about pro "wrestling", let alone be "shocked" and "entertained" by it. I did watch "The Dukes of Hazzard" and the like every week, and that killed enough of my brain cells as a child.
LOL, can't believe someone actually pulled out the "wrestling is fake" card. Are there really people who think wrestling fans don't already know that? Anyway, it's really sad to see what kind of shape all the wrestlers you loved as a kid are in today. The ones who are still alive, that is.
I'm aware of all of that. Just saying that in any other "industry", "company" or "activity" that was featuring this many deaths, you'd think some sort of regulatory agency would step in and put a harsh stop to any potential future casualties. Out of all the things that are regulated in this country for the name of "safety", this has to start moving up the ranks and can't be simply "ignored" as a series of random bad personal choices.
They had a similar problem to other athletically driven entertainment forms in the years before stringent testing. The NFL comes to mind, with the modern understanding of rampant steroid abuse and drug use, as well as concussion related problems in later life. For the concussion issue, I know that most "head dropping" moves have been banned in WWE. The only piledriver allowed is Undertaker's Tombstone. Chair shots are also not allowed to be taken in the head directly unless the hands are up. Someone recently was suspended for taking a head shot, but off the top of my head I can't remember who it was. I want to say it was at a house show. Regarding drugs, the WWE, like the NFL started to self-regulate within the last decade or so, and that warded off any legal regulation. They apparently have a pretty strict drug testing program now. Some wrestlers have been forced to leave the company for this reason. Jeff Hardy is an obvious case as he flaunts his drug use, or he used to. Kurt Angle was rumored to be a big prescription pain pill abuser as well, and reportedly left so he wouldn't have to stop, although that was before the current wellness policy was in effect. They've suspended or fired performers over the last decade due to recurring drug issues as well. Here's a comprehensive list I found since the current Wellness Program was instituted in 2007: D.H. Smith (real name Harry Smith) – WWE announced on November 2, 2007 that Smith had been suspended for 30 days for his first Wellness Policy violation. Smith served his suspension and returned at the December 17, 2007 RAW taping. Chris Masters (real name Chris Mordetzky) – WWE announced on November 2, 2007 that Masters had been suspended from the company for 60 days following his second Wellness Policy violation. Before his suspension ended he was released from World Wrestling Entertainment. Derrick Linkin (real name Derrick Neikirk) – WWE announced on January 16, 2008 that developmental worker Neikirk had been suspended for violating the WWE Wellness Policy. Neikirk has since been released from his WWE developmental contract. Chett the Jet (real name Neil Bzibziak) – WWE announced on January 16, 2008 that developmental worker Bzibziak had been suspended for violating the WWE Wellness Policy. Bzibziak returned from his suspension at an FCW show on 2/19. He was later released from his WWE developmental contract. Jeff Hardy – WWE announced on March 11, 2008 that Hardy had been suspended for 60 days following his second WWE Wellness Policy violation. Hardy dropped the WWE Intercontinental Championship on Raw the night before (March 10th) to Chris Jericho and was replaced in the main event of weekend Raw house shows by Jericho. Hardy was scheduled to compete in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXIV but was removed from the card following his suspension. Hardy made his return to WWE on the May 12th edition of Raw in a match where he defeated Umaga with a three count. Manu (real name Afa Anoa’i, Jr.) – WWE announced on March 20, 2008 that developmental worker Afa Jr. had been suspended for 30 days for violating the WWE Wellness Policy. Afa was believed to have been suspended not because he failed an actual Wellness Test but for trying to manipulate the test by not actually giving a real sample from his body. William Regal (real name Darren Matthews) – WWE announced on May 20, 2008 that Regal had been suspended for 60 days for his second WWE Wellness Policy violation. The night before on Raw (May 19th), Regal lost a “win or be fired” match against Ken Kennedy. Regal made his return on the July 28th edition of Raw from Washington, D.C. as he lost a match against the reigning World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk. Jimmy Wang Yang (real name James Carson Yun) – WWE announced on June 9, 2008 that Wang Yang had been suspended for 30 days for his first WWE Wellness Policy violation. The last time that he worked for WWE before the suspension was in a dark match at the SmackDown/ECW tapings on June 7th in Fresno, California. Yang returned to WWE at the June 15th SmackDown taping in Charlotte, North Carolina in a match where he lost to Brian Kendrick. Dolph Ziggler (real name Nick Nemeth) – WWE announced on October 10, 2008 that Dolph Ziggler had been suspended for 30 days for his first WWE Wellness Policy violation. He was last seen on WWE television on the 10/6 edition of Raw where he tried to introduce himself to Mark Henry, Kane, & Tony Atlas in a backstage segment. Umaga (real name Eddie Fatu) – Umaga was abruptly released from his WWE contract on June 8, 2009. WWE later revealed it was Wellness-related and while it was his second violation, he was terminated for refusing to enter a rehabilitation program. Rey Mysterio (real name Oscar Gutiérrez) – WWE announced on Thursday, August 27, 2009 that effective Wednesday, September 2, 2009 that Rey Mysterio will be suspended for 30 days for his first WWE Wellness Policy violation. Mysterio’s suspension was delayed because at the time of the suspension he was the current WWE Intercontinental Champion and they had to get the belt off of him. Carlito (real name Carlos Colon) – WWE announced on Friday, May 21, 2010 that Carlito had been released from his WWE contract because of his first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy and his refusal to enter a rehabilitation facility. We were told Carlito showed up “unfit” to perform at the at the 5/17 WWE Raw taping from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Sin Cara (real name Luis Ignascio) – WWE announced on July 18, 2011 that Cara had been suspended for his first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy. It was later learned that Cara tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug that he was injecting. Cara failed the test in June but was given a grace period by WWE officials because he claimed to have a prescription for the drug. When Cara couldn’t produce a prescription, he was suspended. He returned to WWE at the 8/9 Smackdown taping, indicating that his suspension actually began a couple of weeks before it was announced and he worked for free to explain his absence in storyline (he was written off in an injury angle at WWE Money in the Bank on July 17th). Mike Chioda – WWE announced on August 15, 2011 that senior referee Mike Chioda had been suspended for his first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy. Chioda is the first WWE referee to be suspended since the company began publicly announcing suspensions on November 1, 2007. Chioda returned to WWE in September 2011. Darren Young (real name Fred Rosser) – WWE announced on Thursday, October 6, 2011 that Darren Young had been suspended for 30 days effective Wednesday, October 5, 2011 for his first violation of the company’s Wellness Policy. It was later learned that Young was suspended for smoking synthetic mar1juana. Heath Slater (real name Heath Miller) – WWE announced on Monday, October 17, 2011 that Heath Slater had been suspended for 30 days effective immediately for his first violation of the company’s Wellness Policy. It was later learned that Slater was suspended for smoking Spice, a brand of synthetic mar1juana. Evan Bourne (real name Matthew Korklan) – WWE announced on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 that Evan Bourne had been suspended for 30 days effective immediately for his first violation of the company’s Wellness Policy. It was later learned that Bourne was suspended for smoking Spice, a brand of synthetic mar1juana. R-Truth (real name Ron Killings) – WWE announced on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 that R-Truth had been suspended for 30 days for his fist violation of the company’s Wellness Policy. Truth was seen smoking Spice at a party with Evan Bourne but his suspension was delayed. Truth was booked in the Survivor Series main event but was written off of TV the following Monday. Evan Bourne (real name Matthew Korklan) – WWE announced on Tuesday, January 17,2012 that Evan Bourne had been suspended for 60 days effective immediately for his second violation of the company’s Wellness Policy. It was later revealed that Bourne had tested positive for smoking Spice, a brand of synthetic mar1juana. This was his second suspension for the same substance. Rey Mysterio (real name Oscar Gutiérrez) - WWE announced on Thursday, April 26, 2012 that Rey Mysterio had been suspended for 60 days for his second violation of the company’s Wellness Policy. Mysterio was tested on February 13, 2012 and reportedly tested positive for amphetamines. He blamed the positive test on a nasal spray he had a prescription for and the timing raised major questions. Chris Jericho (real name Christopher Irvine) – WWE announced on Friday, May 25, 2012 that Jericho had been suspended for 30 days for desecrating the Brazilian flag at a WWE live event in São Paulo on May 24. Jericho returned on the June 25th episode of Raw Supershow. Randy Orton – WWE announced on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 that Orton had been suspended for 60 days for his second violation of the WWE Wellness Policy. We detailed how it was his fifth suspension in WWE. We heard the positive test was caused by elevated testosterone levels due to Dianabol. We also heard he had traces of mar1juana in his system. Ricardo Rodriguez (real name Jesús Rodríguez) – WWE announced on Tuesday, July 2, 2013 that Ricardo Rodriguez, real name Jesús Rodríguez, has been suspended for 30 days for his first violation of the company’s Wellness Policy. Rodriguez was notably absent from the July 1st episode of Monday Night Raw here Dolph Ziggler’s “attack” on him from the June 28th episode of Smackdown was used as the kayfabe explanation. Rodriguez returned on the August 5, 2013 episode of Monday Night Raw from Green Bay, Wisconsin as Alberto Del Rio’s ring announcer.
Not true. The Harlem Globetrotters travelled as a real basketball team for a very long time. The participated in the World Professional Basketball Championships in the 30s and 40s. They didn't start to lose prominence as a real team until the NBA kicked in and started allowing African American players in the league. They had some more turns at competitive basketball in the 90s, and even played and lost to the National Champion Michigan State Spartans in 2000. They've been back and forth as a competitive and entertainment team for their entire history. Interestingly, occasionally a wrestler gets into real fighting also, like Brock Lesnar in UFC, Batista in MMA, and many many many others in the long history of professional history who were amateur or professional fighters outside of professional wrestling.
Crazy.. guy was still in great shape! We all know wrestling is scripted. He was an Icon in the wrestling world. RIP..
Also just to add to your post. I might be wrong, but my impression was that the Globetrotters had started doing more "real" games lately
Unconfirmed tweet says he collapsed while walking to his car from a hotel. Dead by the time he got to the hospital.
wrestling is scripted not fake, get in a ring sometime see how fake it feels.. they don't claim to be a sport,hence the name sports entertainment. we all know its acted, just like movies do yall stop watching those? rip warrior
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/N6LXkaAb0pk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
If all current movie stars now consistently died in their 40's and 50's due to choices they made in order to do their jobs "effectively"... i'd highly question the movie industry, and my "support" of them. It certainly isn't "fake"... as these guys do get real injuries... but is it really worth it to have guys dying eventually over something that is really just entertainment?
Heh. Here's the story: WWE's suspension of Chris Jericho over Brazilian flag incident much ado about nothing May 28, 2012|By Arda Ocal This past Thursday night, Chris Jericho found a Brazilian flag ringside at a live event in Brazil during his match against CM Punk. Jericho picked up the flag, showed it to the audience, threw it down on the ground and kicked it out of the ring. The local police, present at the event, stopped the match and demanded that Jericho give an apology or face incarceration. He did so, and the match resumed. Afterwards, it was announced on WWE.com that WWE suspended Jericho indefinitely for the incident, which later became 30 days. And Jericho's response: Chris Jericho responds to Brazil incident Page 1 of 1May 25, 2012 At a WWE Live Event in at São Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday evening, Chris Jericho reportedly denigrated the Brazilian flag during a match against WWE Champion CM Punk. Suspended for 30 days, Jericho responded to the incident in his own words. “I made a bad judgment call in the course of entertaining [WWE] fans in Brazil,” Jericho told WWE.com. “I apologized to the people in the crowd for showing disrespect.” During Jericho’s match with the WWE Champion at São Paulo’s Ginásio do Ibirapuera, the flag found its way into the ring, where Jericho crumpled it up and then kicked it. Local law enforcement stopped the bout and gave Jericho the opportunity to apologize to those in attendance or face incarceration. The former World Champion expressed his regret to the crowd and the WWE Live Event continued. Due to his actions, WWE officials suspended Jericho for 30 days. “It was a bad move,” Jericho said. “I did it with [our] fans’ entertainment in mind and I’ll accept the consequences for that.”
Do we really need to give you the massively long list of actors and musicians who have died at a young age? Come on, man. The key word is "choices". They don't all die at a young age. Some chose to do certain things to either give them an edge or to do things they wouldn't have been able to do otherwise, or just because they liked to party. Hendrix.... Morrison..... Joplin. All made choices and died young. In the same industry and the same era Mick Jagger is old as crap and still tours. Roger Daltry. Bob Dylan. The list goes on and on. Mr. Perfect..... Davey Boy Smith.... Rick Rude. All made choices and died young. Ric Flair is still kickin' around. Hulk Hogan. Iron Sheik. Billy Graham. Bruno Sammartino. Bob Backlund. Again, the list goes on and on. The WWE is responsible for the culture of its locker room. If they are policing themselves now, I don't know what else you can do short of having some neutral observer to make sure they're telling the truth. But they aren't responsible for the choices these guys make any more than Christopher Nolan is responsible for Heath Ledger's death. If there's been one instance of a promoter holding down a wrestler and forcing drugs down their throat, I'd like to hear it. "Peer pressure to perform at a certain level" is not acceptable me as a reasoning to damn an industry. For every Mickey Rourke as The Wrestler.... there is a Dallas Page.
Lol...just kind of stuck out among all the other names / actual drug suspensions. (presumably anyway)
Good lord -- check this clip from 2009. Roided out of his flipping mind (and body). Surprised he lived as long as he did. RIP. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JpoaC_XHVSY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> (And here this whole time I thought RonRon was the ultimate warrior... never knew of the entertainer.)
It was like a sore thumb. I was reading all of the suspension and his didn't even make sense. Thanks for the backstory DB.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQdjAsbOlwc <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QQdjAsbOlwc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
