Comments on: Professional Wrestlers Are Apparently Crazy… Or Cursed

By: David Utter

David Utter — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:51:50 +0000

In addition to helping current wrestlers beat addiction, how about the WWE adopting Olympic-style drug testing to catch the usage before it becomes an addiction?

MMA needs to do this too. Far too many guys are getting popped in post-match drug testing, and that’s going to hurt the sport before it ever hits critical mass. The Sherk-Franca mess at UFC 73 should have been a huge wakeup call over the summer, when both guys tested positive after a championship match.

People are always going to look for an edge, especially with bigger cash prizes and lucrative contracts at stake. You know athletes look at what’s happened to people like Lyle Alzado or whoever you want to use as an example, and they think nah, that ain’t going to happen to me.

And then it does.

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:15:11 +0000

oh, I agree about McMahon fostering an atmosphere of drugs and violence, especially in the 80s and 90s but that doesn’t mean personal responsibility should be ignored either. Norris knew what he was doing was wrong and if he didn’t, he’s got bigger problems than needing a WWE-funded rehab facility.

and rasslin’ is not a sport. it’s sports ENTERTAINMENT…

By: Jim Lerza

Jim Lerza — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:49:53 +0000

So this Grade-A, World-Class scumbag is a moron to boot.

I can’t wait to hear your responses to this one, but I’ve never been one to shy away from controversy, so here goes:

The real finger of blame should be pointed at the WWE and other wrestling organizations. It is altogether pathetic and unacceptable that only amidst federal drug testing mandates and the Benoit scandal did the WWE instate a wellness program.

As a whole, the WWE should establish a rehabilitation program that helps drug-abusing athletes beat addiction and become healthy once they retire. If the WWE really wants to shed the image that most wrestlers are mentally insane, they should look after the athletes’ mental sanity. I am of firm belief that such a rehabilitation program would have benefited Mr. Norris.

Needless to say, Benoit’s reflections of the industry as a whole do not surprise me in the least. This is my main argument against classifying wrestling as a sport. An art – sure, but not a sport. In real sports, the safety of the athletes is a priority. As revealed in Benoit’s letters, his safety was never a concern of the WWE.

Perhaps if the WWE treated the athletes as humans, they might behave like humans.