WWE is disgusting

[Drizzid]

After reading this article in response to the Chris Benoit tragedy the WWE needs to shut it's doors. I haven't watched wrestling since I was in like eighth grade but looking at that list of wrestlers that have died and at such a young age maybe congress should look into WWE and this steroid problem instead of baseball.

[MagnaCentipede]

As long as people will buy tickets, the circus will live on. If people choose not to give them money, the WWF will evaporate naturally.

[jonan_]

Wow! That is a crazy. I had no idea that many wrestlers had died from unnatural causes. I can still remember seeing some of those guys live when I was a kid but since I don't keep up with wrestling I had no idea that they were dead. What ever happened to The Ultimate Warrior? I didn't see him on that list.

[UnDeaD77]

Yeah, after reading that. Ish.

[Yellow-Asterisk]

Its hard for me to feel bad for pro wrestlers. Really those guys have to see a problem with the lifestyle they are trying to live. I mean, their job is getting punched in the face and thrown onto floor by huge dudes. And there is no "Hidden Danger" to steroid use. the danger is well known. It's not like these people are forced into the business. they put themselves in the situation, they took the steroids, and it came back to bite them. And for what, nothing.

[TheFeniX]

Originally Posted by Drizzid

After reading this article in response to the Chris Benoit tragedy the WWE needs to shut it's doors.

If a grown man can't put his own health and well-being before fame and fortune, then that says more about him than the WWE.

I haven't watched wrestling since I was in like eighth grade but looking at that list of wrestlers that have died and at such a young age maybe congress should look into WWE and this steroid problem instead of baseball.

Wrestlers may be athletes in the respect that they reach levels of physical performance greater than the average person, but one guy shooting "roids" isn't going to change the outcome of a fight. Besides, as recreational sporting events, I don't think either one really deserves any legislation. That should be handled by the gaming commissions. And if they won't do the right thing, maybe people should just quit watching the sport.

Originally Posted by Yellow-Asterisk

Its hard for me to feel bad for pro wrestlers. Really those guys have to see a problem with the lifestyle they are trying to live. I mean, their job is getting punched in the face and thrown onto floor by huge dudes.

While "professional wrestling" does require a lot of skill and endurance, they take nothing compared to a professional football player. The hits and tackles a football player takes are real. If you think that these guys are actually getting hit in the back of the head with a real folding chair and continuing to fight, you're mistaken.

Most injuries in wrestling are from mistakes made during the choreography, much like Jacki Chan does making his movies. The crazier the stunt is, the more likely you are to get hurt. It doesn't change the fact that it's a stunt.

And there is no "Hidden Danger" to steroid use. the danger is well known. It's not like these people are forced into the business. they put themselves in the situation, they took the steroids, and it came back to bite them. And for what, nothing.

Not "nothing." Money and fame. If they put that before their own health, then you're correct: They reap what they sow.

[ScratchMonkey]

I'm sure the sedentary life of the video gamer has its own health risks.

If those wrestlers enjoyed their brief life more for the risks they took, then more power to them.

[deathknight]

As a long-time fan of wrestling I would like to add my two cents. The big issue here isn't about the consequences of the action, it's about the life. Professional wrestlers have an aura about them, and they get to do some wonderful things like being in front of a crowd of 20,000 fans screaming and yelling and I think that is the draw of it. The problem is that WWE (the old WWF) and the now defunct WCW had complete control over a person's wrestling life. If you didn't do what they said you would basically see your career die right in front of you as they'd make you a jobber or not even let you wrestle. And it wasn't like you could quit and go work somewhere else. Or had a union. You were out of options. So if Vince McMahon said take some steroids or else, then if you want to wrestle you do that. Most of these guys don't have the intelligence or the skills to do anything else and thus feel trapped. I'm not saying it is right but there are two sides to every story.

And as for professional wrestling being less rough than pro football, that's crazy. Professional wrestling is rougher than 90%, if not more of the sports out there. The only one on par with it motorcross and that is because you are constantly bouncing for the whole race. Wrestlers travel 4 or 5 days a week, and wrestle usually 3 days a week. And most of the bumps they take are real. Alot aren't but they do dropped on a very hard mat, whipped into very stiff ropes, and other things that over time take its toll on you. And it's not like they have the best medical staff in the world taking care of them or only have a 6 month season. They wrestle all year long. And they don't have pads like football players do, or helmets.

Just my two cents, but I think that just like anything else, these men should be respected for what they do, the risks they take and the fact they work for a man who doesn't care at all about their overall welfare just so they can wrestle and make him money.

[ednos]

The only occupation without merit is the politician.

[deathknight]

Originally Posted by ednos

The only occupation without merit is the politician.

Agreed.

[sordavie]

Originally Posted by deathknight

Agreed.

Originally Posted by ednos

The only occupation without merit is the politician.

*rolls eyes* Why?

[Sumluv59]

Originally Posted by deathknight

As a long-time fan of wrestling I would like to add my two cents. The big issue here isn't about the consequences of the action, it's about the life. Professional wrestlers have an aura about them, and they get to do some wonderful things like being in front of a crowd of 20,000 fans screaming and yelling and I think that is the draw of it. The problem is that WWE (the old WWF) and the now defunct WCW had complete control over a person's wrestling life. If you didn't do what they said you would basically see your career die right in front of you as they'd make you a jobber or not even let you wrestle. And it wasn't like you could quit and go work somewhere else. Or had a union. You were out of options. So if Vince McMahon said take some steroids or else, then if you want to wrestle you do that. Most of these guys don't have the intelligence or the skills to do anything else and thus feel trapped. I'm not saying it is right but there are two sides to every story.

And as for professional wrestling being less rough than pro football, that's crazy. Professional wrestling is rougher than 90%, if not more of the sports out there. The only one on par with it motorcross and that is because you are constantly bouncing for the whole race. Wrestlers travel 4 or 5 days a week, and wrestle usually 3 days a week. And most of the bumps they take are real. Alot aren't but they do dropped on a very hard mat, whipped into very stiff ropes, and other things that over time take its toll on you. And it's not like they have the best medical staff in the world taking care of them or only have a 6 month season. They wrestle all year long. And they don't have pads like football players do, or helmets.

Just my two cents, but I think that just like anything else, these men should be respected for what they do, the risks they take and the fact they work for a man who doesn't care at all about their overall welfare just so they can wrestle and make him money.

You know your WWE. I have a unique perspective of life in the WWE. I worked for TitanSports for five years. I knew the McMahon family and I still have many friends back in Stamford, CT. I didn’t know Chris Benoit. He signed well after my time. I do know from my experience that many of the wrestlers had real bad tempers and when they got mad I got out of the way. Many of the wrestlers’ truly believed they were the personas they portrayed on TV. Their temper was fueled by their outrageous work schedule, their lust for the spotlight, the drugs they voluntarily (they all sign waivers) took and some were just…well…out of their minds. The attitude was “The show must go on…no matter what.” These guys took steroids, pain killers and other illegal recreational drugs just to get into the ring and boost or maintain their popularity.

At the WWE everything was driven by money. If you didn’t perform you didn’t get paid. EVERYTHING was controlled by Vince. The psycho he plays on TV is exactly the way he is in real life. I‘ve seen him fire an employee because her stomach growled during a meeting. He will spin this incident like he’s done in the past. He’s good at it. Unlike the XFL and the World Bodybuilding Federation he knows Wrestling and how to sell it. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him exploit this tragic story and turn it into a Pay-Per-View event.

[Hambergler]

I saw this documentary "Beyond the Matt" a few years ago. it was very good. It portrayed Vince as one maniacal bast***. And makes clear that the moves are choreographed, but a lot of the hits are very real for realism sake, and so is the damage. I originally went to see it because Jake the Snake was my favorite wrestler when I was a kid and I couldn't believe he was a crack head.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0218043/

[TheFeniX]

Originally Posted by deathknight

And as for professional wrestling being less rough than pro football, that's crazy. Professional wrestling is rougher than 90%, if not more of the sports out there. The only one on par with it motorcross and that is because you are constantly bouncing for the whole race. Wrestlers travel 4 or 5 days a week, and wrestle usually 3 days a week. And most of the bumps they take are real. Alot aren't but they do dropped on a very hard mat, whipped into very stiff ropes, and other things that over time take its toll on you. And it's not like they have the best medical staff in the world taking care of them or only have a 6 month season. They wrestle all year long. And they don't have pads like football players do, or helmets.

Falling onto a spring board or taking a hit every now and then may do some damage, but it is not the same thing as two 300 lbs men running into each other at a full sprint. Pads only help to spread out the force of the impact, but all that energy has to go somewhere. And neither one of these guys spin or give-way when the hit happens.

Medical attention only goes so far when the doctor says "You need to sit this game out" and the player responds with "No, I'm playing."

See, most fans of a sport actually cheer when a star goes back into a game (or whatever) with an injury. "He's tough." "He has heart." Pfft...

Just my two cents, but I think that just like anything else, these men should be respected for what they do, the risks they take and the fact they work for a man who doesn't care at all about their overall welfare just so they can wrestle and make him money.

So.... I should respect a bunch of over-paid, spandex wearing, fake wrestlers? So they take a few lumps here and there, so what? That automatically garners them respect?

Further, why should I respect any sports star based solely on their athletic merits?

How about this: as an individual, I save my respect for people who I think actually deserve it.

[Wintermute]

Wow that's crazy news.

ABC had a better article - FOX is rubbish.