Some of you may know this, some of you may not, but I've been a wresting fan (off & on) for the past 22 years. I've seen quite a bit of the good (Roddy Piper smashing a coconut off of Jimmy Snuka's head, Marty Jannetty going through The Barbershop's glass, Hulk Hogan joining the nWo) along with the bad (the Red Rooster, Gobbledygooker, Big Bossman tricking The Big Show into eating his dog, Mae Young's pregnancy). Along the way I've come to the realization that I didn't watch it just for the storylines, but for the athleticism in the ring. The script could only tell part of the story, the action in the ring could paint an entirely different story.
This is how I became a fan of "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit. He, along with two of my other favorites over the years (Dynamite Kid & Dean Malenko), were awesome in the ring, but they really had no "mic skills". So in order to get over with the crowd they would have to bust their ass in the ring. So while wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and John Cena could get over because of their gimmick, Benoit had to get over with his work ethic.
Last night around 8 o'clock I was trying to find something to watch. As I was flipping around I saw on USA that they were doing a little montage of Chris Benoit. I haven't watched wrestling in months, but since it was him I thought I'd check it out. So the highlights go off and at the end is just a picture of him with "Chris Benoit 1967-2007" underneath. I was just like "HOLY SHIT!" Didn't see that one coming at all. Vince McMahon was in the center of a ring in an empty arena. He announced that Monday Night Raw was canceled...that Benoit, his wife Nancy (also known as Woman from WCW back in the day), and their son were found dead in their home today...and that there was an investigation going on. Needless to say, I watched the show.
Today there are reports that Benoit killed his family over the weekend, then committed suicide on Monday. Whether that's true or not, his death is just another in a long line of pre-mature wrestler deaths. Whether by accident (Owen Hart), murder (Bruiser Brody), drugs (insert a lot of wrestlers here), or suicide (Benoit)...wrestling, for whatever reason, has a high rate of young deaths. Just imagine if all of these wrestlers (you'll see a list in a few minutes) were all from the NFL. Do you know how much outrage there would be? The government would be so far up their ass it wouldn't be funny. But since it's wrestling they just turn the other cheek. That's preposterous!
Why are there so many deaths in wrestling and not the other sports? Some say it's b/c the other sports have unions and they protect the player. That's partially true. I believe that's because wrestlers get almost no time off. They're constantly on the road, going from town to town, and have to be in top condition. There is no off season to rest their bodies or heal injuries. Some deal with the pain, others have to resort to pain killers. Those pain killers become addicting and that can lead to a lot of trouble (heart disease, depression, overdose, etc). If they could break wrestling up into seasons. The WWE currently has three "brands" (RAW, Smackdown, and ECW) that tour at the same time. They could have two brands and just have one tour at a time. This will give the wrestlers some time to heal/spend time with their families, but it will also give the fans a product to watch.
Anyway, here is a list of some wrestlers that have died prematurely (under the age of 45) since I've started watching wrestling (1985) along with how old they were and how they died (keep in mind there are more, but these are the more well known wrestlers):
Mike Von Erich (Suicide, 23)
Adrian Adonis (Auto Accident, 34)
Bruiser Brody (Stabbed, 42)
Chris Von Erich (Suicide, 21)
Buzz Sawyer (Dies at Apartment, 32)
Kerry Von Erich (Suicide, 33)
Dino Bravo (Drive-By Shooting, 44)
Eddie Gilbert (Heart Attack, 33)
Brian Pillman (Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease, 35)
Louie Spiccoli (Carisopridol Overdose, 45)
Junkyard Dog (Auto Accident, 45)
The Renegade (Suicide, 23)
Rick Rude (Heart Attack, 41)
Owen Hart (Accidental Fall, 33)
Bobby Duncum Jr. (Drug Overdose, 34)
"Yokozuna" Rodney Anoia (Heart Attack, 34)
Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy (Heart Attack, 40)
Alex "Big Dick Dudley" Rizzo (Unknown, 34)
"British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith (Heart Attack, 39)
"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig (Drug Overdose, 44)
"Miss Elizabeth" Heulette (Drug Overdose, 42)
Mike "Crash Holly" Lockwood Asphyxiation 32
Jerry "The Wall/Malice" Tuite (Heart Attack, 36)
Hercules Hernandez (Heart Attack, 45)
Ray "Big Boss Man" Traylor (Heart Attack, 42)
Chris Candido (Blood Clot after Surgery, 33)
Eddie Guerrero (Heart Failure, 38)
Mike "Johnny Grunge" Durham (Complications from Sleep Apnea, 39)
John "Earthquake" Tenta (Bladder Cancer, 42)
Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow (Drug Overdose, 45)
Mike Awesome (Suicide, 42)
Chris Benoit (Suicide?, 40)
"Woman" Nancy Daus (Murdered, 42)
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1 comment:
It's a messed up story, both Benoit and all the others who died young. I didn't realize that Miss Elizabeth died. In an attempt to lighten the mood I will share my favorite piece of wrestling memorabilia. A signed 2x4 by "Hacksaw" Jim Dugan. Classic.
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