6/21: Out of all the wrestling personalities I emailed regarding my WFAD website, I have received two responses thus far. One was from Brad Michaels, which I posted here. The latest is from Bobby Heenan(of all people), who had the following brief message:
Quit worrying about everyone else's problems. These guys can't be helped. Worry about yourself. Get a life.
Bobby "The Brain"
Manager of the Century
www.bobbythebrain.com
He may be right about these guys not being able to be helped. One of the best pieces of advice my mother gave me was that you can't help people unless they want to be helped. However, there's one thing we as fans have that insiders like Bobby Heenan don't have: hope.
That sounds cheesy, doesn't it? Hope. But it isn't something to laugh at. We as fans, no matter what we learn about the ins and outs of wrestling, still have the capacity to look up to these guys. We still have the ability to think of them as what we'd like to be. Insiders would call it sentimental nonsense. I call it humanity.
Don't these insiders and wrestlers have heroes themselves? How would they react to see their "heroes" throwing their lives away? We have the power to do something-so let's do it! I for one can no longer sit back and say, "There goes another one." I may fail, but at least I will die knowing that I tried.
But what I am getting at is that one of the things that leads wrestlers to seek refuge in a bottle, needle, pipe, or whatever the case may be, is the fans. The fans now are so demanding of what we do in the ring. God forbid we are hurt and arenm't 100%, the fans on the internet will bury us in a heartbeat for not being up to speed. When in fact they have no idea what we are going through. When you see a wrestler have a match, it is no one's business to critique or rate it. You don't know what they are going through.
Maybe they are under the weather, maybe having marital problems, maybe there has been a death in the family, or any other number of things. All these factors can hurt the quality of one's performance. I think it is also unfair to look at a wrestler and say "he/she's on steroids".
Do you have it on authority that those names listed are all on 'roids? Simply because they may have signs of it? That isn't full proof evidence. I think that it is in the best interest of you and your website, if you wish to have a reputable site, to remove the above mentioned information, that is not backed with fact.
Thank you for your time and attentiveness. I appreciate it. And keep up the work towards this very worthy cause. Don't take anything that I said offensively, or personally. I know you mean well. I am just telling you from my point of view, as a wrestler how I feel, and think that others will agree with my stance. I looked over the site and got very emotional thinking of all ther greats who we lost, that could still be with us today.
Anyway, thanks, and hope to hear from you soon,
BM
The decision to suspend Guerrero was made exactly one week after the El Paso, Texas native was pulled off of last Monday nights live Raw is Raw telecast from Minneapolis, Minnesota and sent home. Eddie Guerrero was originally scheduled to compete against Matt Hardy in a King of the Ring Qualifying Match on the June 4th Raw broadcast, but he was pulled off television since he was not in proper physical condition to wrestle. It has been said that Guerrero was in such poor condition that backstage officials were too alarmed to let him go out and compete in the ring.
Sources close to Eddie Guerrero have confirmed that he recently developed a serious addiction to pain killers which were prescribed to him by his physician a few weeks ago. Guerrero has been battling many injuries over the last two years, including a serious New Years' Eve accident in 1998 and, most recently, a knee injury suffered in the ring during a six man tag team match with the Hardy Boyz against X-Factor.
According to WWF representatives, this indefinite suspension from in-ring competition is to give Guerrero several weeks to check into and follow a drug rehabilitation program to fight his addiction to the pain killer medications. Guerrero will not be booked on any future WWF event cards until he successfully completes rehabilitation.
Despite the fact that Eddie Guerrero will not be seen on television over the next few weeks, it has been stated that the World Wrestling Federation is fully behind Guerrero and supports him in his battle against the prescription drug. WWFE officials have also mentioned that they will not fire Guerrero, but will, instead, completely pay for his intensive rehabilitation program to help him overcome his addiction. Guerrero will therefore be given a second chance in the WWF.
From his past experiences, dedication, and in-ring work ethic, WWF officials believe that Eddie Guerrero will overcome his problem quickly and in a very professional manner.
All of us here at The Inside Wrestling Report would like to wish Eddie Guerrero the best of luck throughout this difficult situation.
Having only been a wrestling fan for 4 years, I was not aware that the great Shawn Michaels had ever been known for any problems in this area. Yes, I'd seen the rumors a few months ago on so many so-called "newsboards" around the 'Net about HBK not being "in condition" to work a RAW or Smackdown show. But Bob's mention of HBK (and his use of somas, a powerful muscle relaxer used in both therapeutic and recreational purposes) in this most recent column of his finally lent some credibility to these rumblings. That's indeed too bad about HBK especially with his family and all. Not to mention that right now, in my opinion, the WWF could use another big-name main eventer, to take nothing away from Benoit & Jericho.
I just wonder too, though - especially after seeing the 6/11/2001 RAW main event: more & more seemingly is demanded of these wrestlers to do stuff like Benoit and Angle did. Here are undoubtedly two of the best WRESTLERS EVER in the business - yet they're doing moonsaults and headbutts from around 15 ft. off the mat! If that's not amazing enough, consider that this was on a weekly TV show - not even on a pay-per-view! What in the heck...??
Certainly, wrestlers can get horribly injured (or even killed) simply in doing very routine moves and in very seemingly-subtle ways, just like HHH's quadricep tear, and that it's always been that way. But with such demands and ever-increasing high risk moves and more "hardcore" and "no-DQ" matches, it seems the stakes are higher than before. Whose fault is this, though? Is it the WWF's - is it the fans' - is it the wrestlers themselves trying to outdo each other - maybe all 3 categories? Is it any wonder wrestlers take painkillers to get them through?
I'm not condoning drug abuse by any means, but it seems the pro wrestlers are in an ever-increasing Catch-22 situation in their profession to keep the $$ flowing, the ratings up, and the butts in seats, while at the same time staying healthy, focused, and trouble-free.
Whenever I hear the damn "boring!" chants in a pure technical match or during a match's more technical moments, it again reminds me how many fans have an attention span the length of a gnat and/or a very immature attitude and narrow tastes in their "wrestling" preferences. I haven't noticed it quite as much in the past few months - maybe the fans are getting wiser and a little more mature again (not "smarter") to enjoy a more variety - MAYBE - and that I do like. Regardless, I just think that part of the problem may be OUR fault as fans - especially those among us who missed the points of good storytelling when ECW was at its best and only remember the blood & weapons - perhaps a big part in all the horrid backyard wrestling and the problems inherent. We demand more high risks and the like - the suits give it to us to make more money.
The bottom line is I feel so badly for the guys who are struggling with these type of problems. I simply admire and appreciate the wrestlers because of what they go through to entertain us. In many ways, they literally lay their lives on the line for us each and every day of their careers, gambling with all they hold precious. Having worked closely with Ohio Valley Wrestling the past two years, I know now as a first-hand witness that being a professional wrestler is one of the most difficult ways to make a living, and my thoughts and prayers are with all those who makes their living in this manner - inside the squared circle. ---Miss Pamela
AS I SEE IT
Bob Magee
Pro Wrestling: Between the Sheets
PWBTS 2000
First, it was Brian James(Armstrong)/Road Dogg, who worked a Sunday Night Heat taping, in his own words: "messed up". He told Vince McMahon and Bruce Pritchard that he needed time off, due to a divorce he was going through. He was indefinitely suspended, then fired by the WWF shortly afterward. This incident followed two other occasions where James had been suspended and sent to rehabilitation.
Since James's termination by the WWF, there have been incidents where he has no-showed independent shows, and exhibited erratic behavior at one other show following which he was arrested.
Brian Christopher Lawler/Grandmaster Sexay was caught two weeks ago at the US-Canadian border with methamphethamine, marijuana and cocaine while traveling from Sunday Night HEAT in New York to the Monday Night RAW in Calgary.
He was fired by the WWF, due to the nature of the drugs and the fact that he was caught with these drugs crossing the US-Canadian border; not because of who his famous father is....even according to a statement that Lawler himself made on the situation.
Eddie Guerrero came to the RAW taping on June 5th "unable to perform" due to what has variously reported to have been muscle relaxers and/or painkillers prescribed by a doctor for a recent injury. He was sent home and directed by the WWF to go to rehab (with pay).
Each and every time a wrestler is singled out, let alone dies, due to the effects of drug use, people write editorials decrying drug use. But Vince McMahon has YET to enact a comprehensive drug testing and rehabilitation policy. Neither did Eric Bischoff or Paul Heyman when their promotions were operating.
Jim Ross made comments in the Sun newspaper-owned SLAM Wrestling.com regarding the Guerrero situation:
"Anybody that's talking about it is talking about it with a total lack of sensitivity because it's newsworthy. Like it's good dirt. Oh man, this is good juicy $#@t here. This is the real stuff. This is what we love to report. This is about drugs. And I'm so disillusioned with that whole mindset."
No, Mr. Ross...I don't love to report about people like Eddie Guerrero having a drug dependency.
The Eddie Guerrero I've gotten to meet is a decent human being who cares about his friends. I remember seeing Eddie bond in a special way with the fans of ECW during 1994 and 1995.
I remember the way Eddie sat in a bar full of wrestlers and fans after a WCW show in Baltimore and prayed for Brian Hildebrand when the first word came down about Brian's cancer back in 1997.
I remember Eddie getting involved in the special night that WCW did for Brian in Knoxville...heeling along with Chris Jericho in a way that Brian, as a student of the business, especially appreciated. He also worked in the celebration of Brian's life called "Curtis Comes Home" in Pittsburgh to defray Brian's medical expenses.
So, Mr. Ross...if there was ever anyone I wanted less to report about regarding such a subject, I haven't met him.
But the fact of the matter is that we have to.
Because the WWF, and the wrestling industry as a whole over the last 20 years has acted like drug use is just a problem to manage....not solve.
When SLAM Wrestling.com asked Jim Ross in if these situations would cause the WWF to institute comprehensive drug testing, Ross answered that it would not:
"We do drug tests upon cause or we take appropriate action upon cause. We had a situation where in our view Eddie Guerrero was unfit to work and we took action. He's in therapy. I don't know what else I could do with him?"
It seems like it's necessary AGAIN to start listing the names of the victims to remind those in the business and the fans who forget all too quickly:
* David (Von Erich) Adkisson, died in February 1984 from an accidental Placidyl overdose while touring Japan.
* Mike (Von Erich) Adkisson, committed suicide on April 12, 1987 with an intentional overdose of Placidyl.
* Bruce (Buzz Sawyer) Woyan, died from a drug overdose on February 7, 1992.
* Kerry (Von Erich) Adkisson, committed suicide near the Adkisson family home in February 1993 while awaiting a jail sentence for forging prescriptions.
* Art Barr, the greatest American born luchador ever, died in November 1994 in his sleep from mixing alcohol and painkillers at age 29.
* Eddie Gilbert, died of a heart attack in February 1995 in Puerto Rico. Much as I publicized the Gilbert Memorial Weekends held for years... it's important to also mention that Eddie was very human and had a problem with using prescription painkillers and steroid use.
* Brian Pillman died in a lonely hotel room in October 1997, hours before he was to be part of a nationally televised PPV event. The cause of death was officially a "heart attack". In reality, the years of using steroids and use of prescription pain killers after his ankle was broken in a Hummer accident had more than a little to do with it.
* Louie Spicolli died on February 15, 1998 from an overdose of somas (muscle relaxers). As I've told the story before in this column, he was addicted to somas while in ECW, to the point that he could barely walk into the TraveLodge after each ECW Arena show.
* Rick Rude died in April 1999 from the effects of GHB, the date-rape drug.
* Bobby Duncum, Jr., died in February 2000 from an overdose of the painkiller Fentanyl, which can be up to 100 times stronger than morphine. Duncum had three patches at the time of his death.
Then there's the people who have survived.
In past AS I SEE IT columns, I mentioned Tommy Dreamer's painkiller use, something he admitted to publicly at a ECW CyberSlam Q&A after Louie Spicolli's death. Thank God, he got himself clean, and stayed that way. There's Steven Regal, who has been very open about his addiction to painkillers and has discussed his recovery on WWF.com.
Then there are those people with drug issues many are still wondering about....such as Shawn Michaels who was to return to the WWF...until a backstage incident in April 2000, where he was said to be "disruptive".
Another example is the incident I reported on (and personally witnessed)in a previous AS I SEE IT... regarding the ECW worker handing out percosets at the door of the Stadium Holiday Inn hotel bar like they were candy in front of fans, bar employees, and security guards. This then well-known worker has largely disappeared from the wrestling business.
There are still more cases...like the one of the independent wrestler, (known for previous drug/alcohol use) who came up to a worker "in the office" at a small indy show who had some sort of stomach medicine. The wrestler came out of the locker room, looked at the office worker taking the pills...and said: "What do those do to you?". Those of us standing there were uncomfortably silent. Even he stopped and took a step back and realized just what he'd said.
It's hardly news to anyone reading this that too many wrestlers think they're immortal. They think they can use painkillers or muscle relaxers to ease the pain of working night after night...or use various growth-enhancing substances to get big and stay big....or use any one of a dozen other "recreational" drugs... and think that nothing will happen to them. It's always someone else it happens to.
Mick Foley talked in Foley Is Good about the drug use he'd seen. While Foley talked about past steroid and crack use in wrestling, the drug Foley sounded most concerned about was prescription drug use. He explained why he avoided use of pain killers, even when the use might have been warranted... because he'd seen all too many times how easily those painkillers and muscle relaxers could become addictive.
Let's face it. There's always some unscrupulous bastard who will help feed the addictions of wrestlers for a price. Just because doctors wear white coats doesn't mean they aren't drug pushers.
Then there's the even MORE unscrupulous bastards who run wrestling promotions, KNOW about these glorified drug pushers, KNOW about these performers, and the physical and emotional pain they feel from working in the ring and traveling out of it...and refuse to do what is necessary to rid their companies of the drug use that results.
With all of these recent incidents, I keep waiting again for another wrestler's obituary... which unfortunately will come all too soon, unless the wrestling industry is willing to get serious.
It's true that the WWF has assisted some workers on an informal, case-by-case basis, including Davey Boy Smith, Steven Regal, and in the Guerrero situation.
But unless Vince McMahon and the WWF are willing to institute mandatory random drug testing for all workers for growth-enhancing, pain-killing, and major addictive and recreational drugs; create an formal Employee Assistance program for his workers; and deal with some hard choices that may result - across the board... the list of wrestlers who are addicted...and who die... will grow longer and longer.
While the idea of mandatory drug testing made me uncomfortable for years, the fact of the matter is that the issue isn't one of civil liberties any longer...not within the wrestling industry. The issue is keeping talented performers and human beings alive. That's the bottom line. What has been done over the last 20 years within wrestling isn't working.
If Vince McMahon doesn't care about doing drug testing as a decent human being or an enlightened employer, maybe he should do it to prevent what will happen to his business if he doesn't.
If the Parents Television Council can raise the hell that they have just because of content issues - real or imagined... imagine what happens the next time a well-known performer dies.
The political extremists will then have a real issue to attack professional wrestling with. One can imagine L. Brent Bozell and the PTC almost salivating at the opportunity. If they're willing to use dead children to further their ideological agendas, they'd certainly be willing to use dead wrestlers to do the same.
Following such a death, I can easily imagine many more mainstream advertisers scrambling away as fast as they legally can...the media having a field day... and government agencies breathing down the neck of the wrestling industry. The days when Phil Mushnick and L. Brent Bozell were the worst enemies that wrestling had will be memories of the past.
It's up to the wrestling business, once and for all, to decide if it will get serious about drug abuse. It's time for them to decide if they give a damn about their employees. It's time for wrestling to decide if it gives a damn about itself and its long-term future.
And it's time for all of us to say a prayer for Eddie Guerrero...that he gets and keeps himself clean...and comes back to entertain all of us...and to live...
Until next time...
Eddie Guerrero is receiving support and help from the WWF. WWF viewers were somewhat surprised this past Monday when a scheduled Eddie Guerrero vs. Matt Hardy 'King of the Ring' qualifying match on RAW was replaced with an impromptu Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy match up.
The next day, word spread over the Internet that Guerrero was sent home from the RAW tapings after WWF officials saw him backstage and determined he was in no condition to work. Many reports labelled Guerrero's behaviour as 'belligerent' and speculated that he had become addicted to painkillers.
Jim Ross, Senior Vice President of Talent Relations for the WWF, insists reports of Guerrero being addicted to painkillers are premature and characterizes the issues facing Guerrero as a personal problem.
"Eddie Guerrero is away, he'll be off the WWF roster while he's addressing a personal problem. We wish him the very best in this situation," Ross told SLAM! Wrestling over the phone this afternoon from his office in Stanmford, CT. "We don't know what all of his drug issues are. That's why he's getting treatment. And then they'll tell us what his issues are once they are diagnosed. We're getting him the best help we can. He's sick, he has an illness and we're trying to get him cured. And if we get him cured, then hopefully he'll be back better than ever."
Ross also stressed that the WWF is supporting Guerrero in every possible way during this crisis.
"We're standing behind Eddie. He's getting his cheques so his family can support themselves while he is unable to work. We are providing the care for him, so I think we're standing solidly behind Eddie Guerrero."
Ross believes Guerrero will rebound from these problems and make a comeback.
"I have every belief he will be able to come back. I refuse to sit on the fence and say 'I don't know'. My belief is that Eddie Guerrero will kick this problem if Eddie Guerrero chooses to. If Eddie Guerrero is willing to make a commitment to get his life in order, he will beat the problem. And I have every belief that that's exactly what he's going to do. We're going to give him the best help available and the best support we can."
Ross asserts the WWF's decision to publicly support Guerrero has sent a message to the rest of the locker room that if they have a similar problem, the company will not fire them but instead go to great lengths to get them help.
"We've done that over the years. It is a correct message (we're sending). We did the same thing with Steve Regal and he successfully came through and is now one of our most viable and integral performers of our company. We're standing behind Eddie and his family during a very trying time. We're going to do all we can to make sure his family's needs are taken care of, so that there's no pressure on the family unit from that perspective so that they can focus on one thing and that's helping Eddie to get healthy again and to extend his life by addressing his problem."
"This was the first time that we had seen Eddie in this degree of condition and the very first time we saw him at this level, we shut everything down," explained Ross. "We sent him home, we made the arrangements to get him into therapy and rehab and we are standing solidly behind him and his family while he is going through treatment. We hope and pray that he will have as much success in this treatment program as he possibly can and can come back and become a productive member of our roster. That is our goal. That is what we want. Maybe he can help others going forward through this experience much like Steve Regal has helped guys in talking about this issue."
Ross takes exception with reporters, critics and fans that feel the WWF are being hypocritial in its handling of Guerrero, pointing out that Brian Christopher was recently fired over his arrest for drug possesion in Calgary.
"We've always stood behind our guys. Well, 'what about Brian Christopher' people say? Well, that's a whole different ball game. First of all, Brian Christopher was caught with illegal drugs. Eddie Guerrero's drug issues were not of that variety. Brian Christopher's deal was an entirely different matter. He was caught with illegal drugs in his possession. Eddie Guerrero was not caught with illegal drugs in his possession. How they can be one and the same is beyond me."
"Both these issues are as different as an apple and an orange," continued Ross. "The only thing they have in common is they're both very unfortunate situations but they came about with entirely different sets of circumstances. Brian Christopher was caught with illegal drugs in his possession. I don't know what else we could do but say 'Brian, we're not going to do business with you because of this'. He understood that."
Despite being ugly chapters in recent WWF history, Ross feels the company handled both situations correctly.
"I think we handled them appropriately in both situations. We're not going to tolerate the illegal stuff that Brian unfortunately got experienced with. Eddie's issues are a whole different ball game. People that are looking at them as if the were the same, I think they must be insensitive people because you've got one guy being caught for having some illegal drugs to party with and you've got another guy with a problem. They're totally different issues. Anybody with any degree of common sense can see that."
Christopher's drug arrest caught Ross totally off guard.
"Brian did not show any signs (that he had a drug problem). None of us had any indications that he did or does have a drug problem. There was never any tardiness, there was never any of him being inordinately late for work or uncooperative, no mood swings or absenteeism that one would correlate in any workplace with these sorts of issues. So it was a shock to all of us when Brian was arrested in Calgary. And he made a very, very costly mistake. A total lapse in judgement. From the use of the illegal substances, if that is indeed true, to certainly the possession of them."
In the aftermath of the arrest, Ross spoke to Christopher and offered him advice.
"Unfortunately, Brian made a mistake that cost him his job. I told him that this could be a tremendous learning experience or it could not. You've got a chance to make a turn in the road that's going to take you to good things or a turn in the road that's going to take you to bad things. You're driving. You can turn this negative into a positive if you choose to. I like Brian. I think the world of his dad. I enjoyed working with his dad, the whole nine yards. And I still like them both."
Ross feels that the pressure of living up to the family names were, perhaps, a little too much for Guerrero and Christopher to deal with.
"They both are second-generation guys. They have a lot of pressure from their fathers and other family members to live up to the expectations of the family name or legacy. I do believe both guys are good-hearted people, I do believe both guys are extremely talented."
Asked if these two incidents prompt the WWF to institute a comprehensive drug testing policy, Ross answered an emphatic 'No'.
"We do drug tests upon cause or we take appropriate action upon cause. We had a situation where in our view Eddie Guerrero was unfit to work and we took action. He's in therapy. I don't know what else I could do with him?"
Ross has followed the coverage of the Eddie Guerrero situation on the Internet closely and is troubled by reports that automatically assume he's addicted to painkillers. He's also bothered by what he describes as the 'total lack of sensitivity' exhibited by the wrestling media.
"Anybody that's talking about it is talking about it with a total lack of sensitivity because it's newsworthy. Like it's good dirt. Oh man, this is good juicy sh-t here. This is the real stuff. This is what we love to report. This is about drugs. And I'm so disillusioned with that whole mindset."
Ross also refutes claims made in the media that Christopher's dismissal is a result of the hard feelings between Jerry Lawler and the WWF after he quit the organization in February.
"That's absolutely ridiculous. I'm not going to get into all of that bullsh-t because I get dragged right back into 'oh, well it's a Lawler thing. It's a King deal'. And that's people reaching. That's people trying to maintain their importance and maintain their positioning and that's sad. That's a whole different ball game."
"Ravishing" Rick Rude, one of wrestling's most popular players in the late '80s and early '90s, died this week, with empty prescription pill bottles lying at his side.
It's not proof that behind-the-scenes drug use is a problem in pro wrestling. But it's another piece of circumstantial evidence that should have promoters thinking seriously about taking some action.
Rude -- real name, Richard Rood -- burst onto the scene in Texas, winning the American Heavyweight championship there, and went on to hold titles in both the WWF and WCW in the late '80s and early '90s.
His career in the ring ended with a severe neck injury received while wrestling in Japan. He later returned, first as a manager and commentator with ECW, then going back to WCW, where he acted as a manager for longtime friend Curt Hennig.
While details of Rood's death remain sketchy, media reports indicate that the former wrestler was found unconscious, with empty prescription pill bottles nearby.
It may be too narrow minded to suggest a direct cause and effect between Rood's death and his years in the ring. But in-shape, 40 year olds don't just die.
Steroids, painkillers and other drugs have been rumored to be as common on some wrestlers' training tables as Gatorade and Slim Jims.
One popular wrestler can't enter the ring these days without fans beginning the chant "Steriods! Steroids!"
The promotions say they drug test, but that's a classic fox and chicken coop scenario. Are we to believe the same folks making millions on a particular performer are going to ban that performer if he tests positive?
But they'd be best served to take some real anti-drug action.
Most wrestlers recently linked to health problems related to drug use have been older or minor characters.
Imagine the backlash the first time one of wrestling's superstars -- the guys showing up on MTV and movie sets -- dies from drug use.
