WWE a hazard?

[wrestlingfan2]

Do we put partial or all the blame on the WWE for the recent death of Lance Cade? Obviously, many guys from WWE past have died as a result of drug use and depression. Is WWE doing enough to help these guys or do these guys even think they have a problem? I know in the past they have helped guys (Scott Hall comes to mind) get help but should they do more? Should they talk to the talent more about what's going on in their lives? It probably isn't their business but these talents work for them so in a way it is. What do you think?

 

[JT2005]

While I think that a company should do more to help it's employees, at the same time the responsibility falls on the person in the end. WWE is going to be blamed for any wrestling death just because they are the main wrestling company. I haven't seen lance cade on WWE programming for a while now anyway. WWE can talk to them and give them seminars all they want. Anybody remember why Angle left WWE? they offered rehab, he went to TNA. same with jeff hardy, RVD, and several others. WWE offers to pay for rehab for drug problems, but that is constantly ignored by the media. I feel bad about Lance Cade, but in the end, it was his own decisions that killed him, not WWE

 

[alistahr]

What they need to do is make the schedule less brutal. These guys are wrestling every week nonstop and to keep their bodies numb from all the pain, they pop pills like crazy, which is what causes most of these deaths, its no surprise wwe is the promotion with the most dead wrestlers. Some people will say, well no one's forcing them, well they know that if they bitch or show any sort of weakness, they will be let go, and this is really all the have and know what to do, not everyone is the rock and austin, most wrestlers have nothing else, and they need to work.

 

[JT2005]

the schedule does get pretty bad on these guys, i agree, and with the pressure it doesn't help. WWE could utilize all the talent it has, take some of their lower talent out more, bring a couple different big names instead of so many at once. However, I think it's the ones on the bottom of the chain that seem to have the most problems. with respect to those that have passed, most of them were at the bottom of the roster for a long time, I think htat the only way WWE is really going to help everybody is to make EVERYBODY a world champion all the time, as nice an idea as that is. WWE is a business and some of these guys aren't willing to work for it and some are just not what they think is marketable and in some cases they're right. WWE has to make money, and they do what they can with what they've got.

 

[taker4ever]

umm I thought I remember seeing that in Cade's last stint with the Company WWE put him thru Rehab and tried to help him?

Yes I think WWE is doing what they can, but at the end of the day its up to the Wrestler to say I need help and know who to call for it

 

[JohnOldSnake4]

WWE shouldn't be blamed at all for Lance Cade's death. He chose to use drugs. WWE did offer Cade rehab but ultimately Cade's drug-use was his own choice and WWE shouldn't be responsible for that.

 

[wushady]

I don't think WWE is to blame at all in his death. The cause of death was believed to be heart failure, but it still hasn't been determined if it was an OD until the autopsy comeback. Even if it was drug related which unfortunately it probably was.

I still don't blame them WWE from what I've read has paid for him to go through rehab twice. They can't watch over everyone at all times, but as soon as they find out someone needs or wants help they get it for them. Reports today say Scott Hall who was on TNA TV 2 months ago and is still on their website is in a another rehab paid by WWE.

The schedule is brutal It's a very physical sport with high risk for injury they know that when they sign their contracts. Many of them get hooked on drugs and blame it on the company. On the other hand there are plenty guys that work the same schedule, and manage to not get addicted to drugs.

WWE helps every person they can,but they can't help someone that doesn't want help. The fact that their paying for Scott Hall's rehab again while he's on TNA's roster page. Proves to me they will help anyone.

 

[ForzaItalia]

It is not really WWE's fault that a few unlucky wrestlers die each year. When you are employed by the WWE, you are making a commitment to be on the road for 90% of the year and leave everything behind you. There are no vacations (minus Taker and HHH) when you are a WWE superstar. If you want stay on top of things the easy way by doing drugs then you are only killing yourself and when WWE does offer rehab and you don't take it then you are just killing yourself even more. So, no WWE is not a hazard because everyone has a choice and sadly bad choice are sometimes made.

 

[EliteDiva]

I don't think the WWE was the suspect in this case! Lance had died from HEART failure. So Lance either drank or as Carlito assumed might've been that he had suddenly stopped taking medication or a side effect. No one can't really confirm this as true, but he did die due to heart issues.

Lance will be missed!

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

WWE normally offer rehab to the wrestlers but sometimes the wrestlers don't think they have a problem so they say no, so WWE fire them and then the wrestler maybe die or go into hospital and WWE get blamed. Why should WWE get blamed? They've tried to help the wrestlers but they've said no.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

Anyone who signs a wrestling contract with the WWE are full aware of the rigorous schedule that they have to endure. There is more to their life than we care to acknowledge a lot of the time. They wrestle about 3 or 4 times a week in either house shows, live events and the odd exhibition matches. Then they have training and appearances to make... you pretty much kiss your own time goodbye. Take into consideration that they travel between hotels, arena's, etc. It's a hard life... any one of these human beings can slip at any moment and the company knows this. I applaud John Cena for what he has done for the business, kept a clean slate and STILL has to put up with idiotic fans that chant "You suck."

The WWE is doing all it can to prevent anything from happening. We don't know what happens on the inside and if they get people to come out to talk to the guys on the roster about their problems. All we know is that the E will stop at nothing to get their guys better and rehabbed, getting the best money can buy. But, what they are doing is more than enough. It's up to the performers to make the decision of signing with the company. It's their life and only they can live their own... WWE can influence and help you so much. If you can't cut it, best if you leave.

 

[edgehead13]

First off, great thread. Secondly, I have to agree with most everyone on a couple points. One, like many other careers, the ones involved know what they're getting into. It's a demanding job, both physically and time-wise. Anyone who claims not to know that is either full of shit or they were born yesterday. Second, and as an addict I can vouch for this, the choice ultimately comes down to the individual. I can offer you a dozen 24 hour chips to support that. What's sad is that, with a few exceptions (Benoit, Guerrero), the ones that come up dead are the, for lack of a better word, the wash-outs. Guys that have been "wished well in their future endeavors", often more than once, years before their untimely passing. Sure it's a shame, but the sad reality is that addicts either get better or die. I hate to say it, but I give the "E" credit for at least trying to help. Honestly, I'm just shocked that Jeff Hardy is still alive. Feel free to bring the hate mail for saying that

 

[Mustang Sally]

Do we put partial or all the blame on the WWE for the recent death of Lance Cade? Obviously, many guys from WWE past have died as a result of drug use and depression.

Just for the sake of balance, it might be fair to note that many of the late wrestlers worked for WWE at one time but didn't die until well after their employment ended with the company. Isn't it possible that the company's policies were at least forcing these guys to keep their drug use under some semblance of control? Then, when they left the company and worked elsewhere, their drug use increased and caused their deaths. Look at Lance Cade, Mr. Perfect, Crash Holly and others. They didn't die until after they left and while it's reasonable to speculate that their drug use while in WWE caused their downfall, we don't know for sure that it's an accurate presumption.

I have no way of knowing if this is so but neither do any of us know otherwise. Some people blame WWE for everything that goes wrong but we should consider the possibility that these guys don't get out of control until after they've left the company.

WWE a hazard? Maybe, but know that when talent doesn't like Vince's non-drug policies, they head right for Orlando and are welcomed with open arms. Ask Kurt, Jeff, RVD & Mr. Kennedy.

 

[airvar]

Let's throw a scenario out there

Your friend works for Google

Your friend has a drug problem

Google pays to put your friend through rehab

Your friend ends up back on Drugs

Google Pays to put your friend through re-hab again

Your friend ends up back on Drugs

Your friend dies

Are you going to go out and publically blame Google for his death? Obviously it was the stress of his work enviorment that caused this to happen!

The point is, the WWE may not be google - but these preformers know what they are getting into when they join the WWE.. They know the stress of the work enviorment- they are brought up through FCW- trained and prepared for what the WWE is. In the past people had every right to blame the WWE for creating a steroid happy - stressfull work enviorment that promoted drug and substance abuse. But in the last few year's the WWE has done a 180- they are the ideal company to work for.. They provide good coverage, and the fact is I know my employer wouldn't put me through rehab after I jumped to the competition.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't see why the WWE should bear even the slightest responsibility for Lance Cade's death. As has been pointed out by others already, the WWE paid for Cade to go through drug rehab on a couple of occassions. So, exactly what else were they supposed to do? If Lance Cade's death is the result of a drug overdose or came about as a result of past drug usage, then it's a tragedy overall but it's a tragedy largely of his own making rather than the WWE.

Everyone knows the WWE has a grueling schedule. It goes with the territory and anyone expecting it to be some sort of cake walk is a fool. To be a wrestler in the WWE, you have to sacrifice a lot. If you want to be a professional wrestler and actually be able to make a living doing it, then you're going to have to sacrifice a lot even if you're working on the indy scene. Constant travel, the wear and tear of matches on your body, accumulating injuries and sacrifice of a LOT of personal time is just how it goes. It was like that with most wrestlers during the territory days and, to a large degree, it's still like that. One reason why WWE wrestlers are able to make such a good living is because of this intense schedule. A lot of WWE wrestlers make more money in a month than most Americans make in a year and they earn every cent of it.

Getting back to Lance Cade, however, he wasn't even an employee of WWE. Cade hadn't been a WWE employee for nearly 2 years. I know that there are a lot of fans that love to bash the WWE for whatever reason whenever they get a chance. That's all well and good if there's actual reason to do so, but this isn't one of them.