Bill Simmons, known ESPN columnist decided to give his two cents about pro-wrestling the other day, whilst also sharing Roddy Piper’s initial reaction to hearing of Umaga’s passing.
Simmons is quoted as saying: “My friend Sal is friends with Roddy Piper and happened to be eating dinner with him the night Umaga, a WWE wrestler, died. When Roddy heard the news, he just started crying. His attitude was, ‘Another one… and there’s going to be more… and nobody cares.'”
It isn’t that no one cares, Piper, it’s that it’s become so common. Wrestling DOES NOT make people do drugs. If a dentist dies of a drug overdose, do people assume that dentistry is the cause? Those who die from drugs were going to anyway, no matter the job.
Look at all the old-timers, like Ric Flair. He wrestled one-hour draws, night after night, night after night, racking his body past its limit a number of times. He’s still alive. Dusty Rhodes, still alive. Harley Race, still alive. Funk, still alive, and these guys are all from the time when promoters and such REALLY didn’t care about their talent.
Ric Flair, Race, Funk, Rhodes, Bret Hart, all the greats didn’t need steroids to make their career. They relied on talent, drive, and their charisma to get the job done. Those that are lazy, and don’t want to work for what they get will take a few shots in the ass, just to get by on aesthetics alone.
Are you EVER going to hear about John Cena dying from drugs? No. Because he’s a great person who respects himself and the people who love him. Wrestling isn’t going to make him do anything he wouldn’t already do.
Shane Douglas became addicted to oxycontin through his DR, and he cut it out cold turkey, because he didn’t want to become another statistic. It’s the person that kills themselves, not their 9-5. But, that’s the American way, I guess. Blame everyone but yourselves.
Sorry for the jag, anyways. Simmons goes on to ask:
“At some point, doesn’t it become immoral to watch a sport that treats its players so badly?”
He then went on to say:
“If you think football is bad, check out pro wrestling. It might not be a real ‘sport,’ but it combines every bad thing about every other sport. Steroids, painkillers and PEDs? Hell, yeah. Repeated concussions from chair shots? Absolutely. A union that doesn’t look out for its members? There is no wrestling union, so I’m going to say yes. … The ‘sport’ is a disgrace. They eat these guys up and spit them out.”
The column is titled “The War To Settle The Score”. Which, as a wrestling historian, I know that’s a reference to the Russo/Goldberg feud from 2000. I know, my wrestling knowledge is basically endless, don’t be jealous.
If you’d like to read the full article, head on over to The War To Settle The Score.
CREDIT: James Caldwell of PW Torch.
