Wrestlers and Drug Use

[badnewzxl]

This has been eating at me for over a year and I posted a thread on another forum that led to some really interesting discussion. It was a couple of months back that I watched an episode of Chair Shot Reality and Josh "the Pencil-lipped Pussy" Isendouche had the audacity to take a shot at the late, great Eddy Guerrero about Eddie's past drug use. Isenpussy said something along the lines of having no respect for Eddie bc Eddie killed his own body with drugs. Not only did I think it was tasteless, but hypocritical also (I'll explain why in just a second). Then, on another (actually SEVERAL) episode of CSR, Smark "Moo Moo" Madden called Jeff Hardy a junky and drug addict.

This is why I feel comments such as these from FANS of pro wrestling are hypocritical and (for lack of a better term) BULLSHIT: we celebrate wrestlers for going out to the ring and destroying their bodies for our enjoyment; then, in the same breath, condemn them for destroying their bodies for their OWN enjoyment. We all know what drugs and alcohol can do to us if we abuse them, but the decision is a PERSONAL one IMO. I'm not saying Jeff Hardy should have been allowed to wrestle at Victory Road; he def shouldn't have. What I'm saying is that if you're telling Trent Acid, Jake Roberts, Scott Hall, or the Hardys that they should stop being "selfish" and destroying their bodies just for their own enjoyment, how can you then ask them to step into the ring and destroy their bodies for YOUR enjoyment? How many wrestlers have died of an overdose? How many wrestlers have died due to the injuries they sustained in the ring? How many from a mixture of the two?

I'm not trying to point fingers at anyone specific and I hope everyone can be open and honest here without getting too upset or excited, and I'd really like to hear some new takes on the subject.

 

[Canadian_SXE]

Not everybody that is a wrestler is also a drug addict. CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Lance Storm, are three guys I can name of the top of my head that have wrestled thousands of matches all over the world, and have not had to resort to drugs and alcohol because of it. Jeff Hardy is a junky and a drug addict. There is no denying it. Eddie Guerrero may still be alive if it wasn't for his past drug and steroid abuse. Again no denying that. But, to say that we as fans don't have a right to call out guys on their idiocy is pretty idiotic right there. Those guys should stop being selfish, except for Acid who already payed the price since he is now dead. When you are advertised for a show and your in the main event and then you are so fucked up you have a 90 second main event, that is being selfish because you would rather get high and fucked up instead of trying to get yourself clean. When you are given your first title in 10 years in the case of Scott Hall, then you screw it up and your partners because you wanted to get behind a wheel drunk, that is being selfish, not only to the fans but to your partner who gets screwed out of a title because of your stupidity. Wrestlers should be held accountable for their actions or nothing will be done about it and they will continue to be addicts and alcoholics and drug abusers.

 

[Carpathian Florist]

Wrestlers aren't another race, they're people as well.
If they want to do drugs, alcohol or anything else then it is their own choice if they do so. It is also the company's choice whether they should be fired, forced into help or left to their own devices.
No one has the right to tell anyone how to live their lives. Just because people steal PPV streams and post 40 times a day on a wrestling forum doesn't mean they own any of the wrestlers they enjoy watching and criticising.

 

[Big Papa Santo]

Wrestlers aren't another race, they're people as well.

Its just like with celebrity's, when you see someone like Lindsay Lohan who's second home is a jail-cell, you think about how horrible of a person that she is, but who are you to decide her choices? if she wants to screw up her life then let her, which also applys with wrestlers, if they want to screw up their careers just to get high, then let them, because no matter how much we criticize them with things like "jeff hardy is a pot-head", do you really think that is going to affect their choice?, i just read an article about Tyson Tomko(Tomko) and how he robbed a drug-store at gun-point.......thats right Christians former bodyguard, now resorting to robbing drug-stores, so its sad to see a wrestler drug addiction go that far, or in the case of someone like Eddie Guerrero, where it ends up killing them in the long-haul.

 

[shpromo]

hi, i want to share something about this with you. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton participated in an interview with Phoenix, Arizona based rock station 98KUPD promoting this week’s SmackDown tapings. Highlights from the interview are as follows.

* Orton discussed his past issues with drug abuse, including an incident in 2006 where he overdosed, stopped breathing and his wife called an ambulance to save his life. Orton said he and his family discuss the bad choices he’s made in WWE’s upcoming DVD release, Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Predator. “I was ashamed of it for a long time, but now talking about it and getting it off my chest—when my in-laws and mom watches it, they’re going to cry. My wife talks about when I stopped breathing and the ambulance came,” Orton said.

* Orton noted his recent concussion at a live event in Spain, saying the Raw taping the day after was “the biggest blur” and that he “couldn’t focus or concentrate.” He said it was the sixth concussion he had suffered, which had WWE worried. He said it was three years since his previous concussion, and that he had suffered some “bad ones” earlier in his career.

* Orton was broached on the subject of not being able to say he’s a wrestler, but rather, a “WWE Superstar.” Orton added, “Honestly, a lot of things we’ve talked about thus far in this interview, they’d be upset with. I’m not like, ‘eff it,’ but I try to be real.”

* Orton shared a story of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson trying to get him in trouble prior to WrestleMania. Orton said he gave his opinion on The Rock during an interview with ESPN—that he wasn’t buying his return speech about returning to WWE and never leaving again. Orton said Johnson called management and claimed the WWE Superstar slammed him and Triple H in the interview. Orton feels Rock mentioned Triple H to grab their attention even though he didn’t criticize “The Game” in the interview. Orton said he had “got in trouble” and “made Vince mad” for his statements. He feels the interview was “blown out of proportion” and that Johnson should have confronted him over his remarks, rather than complaining to Vince McMahon and management.

 

[JWGunslinger]

It's a tricky sitaution, because while I think that talking bad about a wrestling legend and a personal favorite of mine in Eddie Guerrero isn't cool, the man is right that his past decisions had a hand in his demise. But he did take it to another level by insulting the man for it and that is totally uncalled for, wrestler have one of the most physically and mentally demanding jobs on the planet and to comdemn them for turning to drugs to ease the pain aint cool. As for Hardy that idiot let it interfere with his work with that Victory Road stunt just to name one and that's why it was such a big deal to me. Personally I could give a fuck if some superstar smoked weed or something to relax, I will even say that I would support it because I know how strenous their job is. However when it comes to more serious shit I do not support it and I am not ok with it, because I don't want to see wrestlers passing because of mistakes with drugs, like the above me said if it wasn't for Randy's wife saving his life the Legend Killer never would have become the Viper.

So my main point here is if a superstar wants to do a recreational drug that is not going to kill them down the line or effect their performance in the ring then by all means go for it because they have one of the toughest jobs in the world, and if you are one of the folks who would give them shit for trying to ease their pain then please try pursuing a career in wrestling and come talk to me after a year on the road with shows every week and very little down time.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Should we condemn wrestlers who abuse their bodies with drugs?

No. We should look at the reasons that so many do and look to ways to help with those reasons.

From everything I've read from other wrestlers when talking about the drug problem, is that the majority of it comes down to them simply trying to find ways to cope with the constant pain they're in physically, as well as ways to cope with the travel schedule they have.

I mentioned this in another thread on these boards, but I can easily understand why guys who are in a different city 300 days out of the year, and are getting the crap beat out of them in each city, would turn to various substances to help cope with the toll all of that causes. Then with drugs, it's very easy for them to take over and begin to control every aspect of your life. Couple all that with the rock star life these guys can lead, where all of these vices are easily accessible, and for many it's a recipe for disaster.

The wellness program that the WWE has today isn't enough, because it doesn't take into account the root cause of what starts these issues for the workers. I've long been an advocate for the WWE taking up more of a Japanese style touring schedule that would allow workers more time off to properly heal themselves and not let them get so worn down that they feel the need to resort to drugs in the first place. With separate brands, they could even do this now without impacting business. Just have the tours run apart from each other so you always have one going, but still have half the roster at home resting. With guaranteed contracts now, it isn't even a case where guys would feel the need to push themselves, because they're not getting paid per appearance anymore.

Take away the main reason so many fall into the drug trap, and you'll see the drug use drop significantly. Of course there will always be exceptions, but that's to be expected. At least we won't have this generation dying out in their 40's like the last one.