RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Sports and Wrestling Chris Benoit and family found dead

--The funeral for Nancy and Daniel Benoit just ended. It was a simple service. There was a lot of local media, and some national media there. The media was not allowed inside. Among those who attended and this probably isn't a complete list, were Jim Ross, Dave Penzer, Bill Otten, Fit Finlay, Hack Myers, Alex Porteau, Marc Mero, Dean Malenko, Penny Durham and Vickie Guerrero. Ross spoke after the funeral to the media saying, "This is not a steroid issue. That horse has got to be put in the barn and unsaddled. It's not a steroid issue. It's a domestic issue. But more than anything, it's a tragedy because a mohter and little boy are dead."

--The biggest media target for comments as he left was Fit Finlay. What a bad idea last night turned out to be for him and actually, I thought he was lucky because Marc Mero and Bryan Alvarez have so much personal respect for him they could have made him look far worse. Well, also because there were times he opened himself up so badly and Alvarez wasn't on at those moments since the producers wanted Mero vs. Fit. But in the end, Nancy Grace made Fit look terrible. Fit needed a lot more than not knowing the policy he was defending and "only five deaths under our watch" (I presume Nancy & Daniel Benoit's deaths don't count because they weren't contracted employees, like the plethora of young deaths of guys who picked up or worsened habits under the watch who died in their 40s) and "we put smiles on faces" to go on a show like that. I felt sorry for him, but it was another example of everything wrong with how wrestling is handling this situation.

I can't comment on Mr. Kennedy's appearance on FNC because I didn't see it and won't until tonight. I did see Jon Stewart on O'Reilly, and as much as everyone in the profession will knock him because he hasn't been a major star in a long time, I thought he was very honest, which puts him well ahead of most who have been on these shows.

For the same thing, just a different day. Whether it's Kennedy, Finlay, or anyone else, instead of denying there is a problem, because three dead bodies speak that there is a problem, every WWE performer going public should spend far more time talking about a solution. Instead, they'll knock Nancy Grace, who was completely clueless on day one, and after only two plus weeks, has more depth of thought on this story and its true ramifications than any WWE contracted performer who has written or spoke publicly. They'll knock Marc Mero because he wasn't a big star (immaterial) or has an agenda. Who doesn't have an agenda in wrestling? Nobody publicly touches Konnan, who is essentially saying the same things, because it's easier to say Mero hasn't been in the business in years and is out of touch than say that about Konnan. I'm sure he's got an agenda, just like John Cena has an agenda and everyone has an agenda. I'm looking for positive improvements, not hiding (such as WWE taking its Wellness policy off its web site or the McMahon family's disappearing act in public when the media folks actually started learning the story after an embarrassing start), or name calling

Again, why can nobody in WWE say what Dana White said after the Benoit murders. We want to work with all the governmental agencies when it comes to outside testing because after what happened. We don't want steroids in our sport. That was the most horrible crime I've heard of in a long time.

I'm not saying outside agency athletic commission testing is even a partial solution, but the fact WWE--and TNA--won't say anything of the sort advocating or coming up with any improvements after three weeks is telling. Defending the drug policy is futile at this point. It's failure was proven by Benoit having steroids in his home and huge quantities prescribed to him the entire year while being tested. Attempts to use the policy as proof things are fine doesn't work. If things were fine and the policy works, explain the contradiction.

The big problem here is the wrestling industry. They are not to blame for the Benoit murders. They are to blame for their attitude on the Benoit murders. I hate saying this, but while wrestlers are far more honest in general than baseball and football players when it comes to personal use of steroids (in most cases, there are exceptions), many (not all) are coming across as incapable of any depth of thought, and having zero balls or backbone. Instead of working within every means necessary to give suggestions to clean up problems, they are more concerned with protecting the business than saving future lives. They haven't even made the most simple of correlations. In the long run, saving lives is protecting the business. In fact, with every single WWE appearance on television, has one wrestler spoken up with a suggestion on how they can lower the death rate in the future? Or have they attempted, in most cases futilely, to deny what is obvious to anyone with eyesight and half a brain?

I'm begging one WWE wrestler on their blogs or in a public forum to make suggestions to clean up the industry that are viable. Not just WWE. The industry. Whether it be a change of standards of what a star is supposed to look like, schedule that would be more beneficial, or something. If I read one more "personal choice," thing, I want to ask every Mr. Personal choice these questions:

1) Whose personal choice was it to make Bobby Lashley and Dave Bautista two of the company's three most pushed stars. I'm not accusing them of steroids. At least in the case of Dave, the fans took him over the top after HHH handpicked him to be a future star. Why? Great in-ring? Great speaking? But in his case, he got over and drew money and did earn his spot, but what message does that send to 80% of the roster who work better and talk better? As for Lashley, that was Vince's personal choice. All year from within the organization it's been the constant talk of how the fans don't buy Lashley at the level we are pushing him. And did the push lessen? No, it accelerated. Was it because his promos have gotten better? Was it because he outworks the rest of the roster? What trait does Lashley have that one would look at him and say he's a headliner?

2) What personal choice did Nancy and Daniel Benoit make?

Instead of saying the profession isn't to blame, and it both is and isn't, stop being so defensive and address what can be done to make things better and save lives. I have not pushed for athletic commission regulation of pro wrestling for many years, probably not since the early 90s. However, I've seen what has happened in California with MMA and while I don't agree with every commission decision, they have done an excellent job on the drug issue. Armando Garcia has said he would test WWE wrestlers, and I'm sure the same would go for TNA if they ever came, for free, to help WWE. If the business has changed and we want to do everything possible to prevent problems, who will be the first person in WWE to say, "We welcome outside testing." Don't argue "We're not a sport." If nobody was dying, there is no issue. Wrestling, in the big picture, is more real than MMA or boxing, not less, because the body count of superstars is the ultimate reality. Don't argue "it's only five guys who died under out watch," when 40-year-old Chris Benoit had how many of his closest friend this Earth in recent years and every close friend of his that I've spoken with believes that played a part in his mental collapse.

3) Don't tell me about how clean the locker room is. Publicly when Eddy Guerrero died, one guy after another went on television to brag about how Eddy had been clean for years. And I don't know who knew what, but Eddy and I did have mutual very good friends who were constantly monitoring him because they knew he was always at risk. Eddy himself told me that every single day was a struggle fighting his addictions. And by wrestling standards, Eddy may or may not have been clean, but by real world standards, significant usage of pain medication, steroids and GH is not clean. When Fit Finlay went on TV last night and told Mero that there's no proof steroids played a part in Guerrero's death, they needed an advocate who has at least kept up with the business enough to know that Guerrero's death certificate specifically points to steroids as a major contributing cause of his death. If Finlay didn't know that, the company is at fault for not preparing him and allowing him to open himself up to that degree. If he did know, then he's at fault for trying to lie. I believe it's the former. The first time I heard the defense that those old guys don't know and it's a new breed of wrestlers was in the early 90s when Jim Duggan tried to say there were no more steroids in wrestling and it had changed from the days of Superstar Graham and Bruno Sammartino, who were saying there was a steroid problem.

When Nancy Gracie screams on television about the indictment and Dr. Astin prescribing 700 pills in one day, the name in the indictment who he prescribed to was a WWE wrestler. Keep in mind, this is just one doctor located in Carrollton, GA, with a hoard of wrestlers as clients. Why do wrestlers living hours away, in fact, one living hundreds of miles away and another living thousands of miles away, regularly see a doctor in Carrollton, GA? Why did Benoit get the quantity of drugs he did? Listen, if more of the locker room is clean today than eight years ago, that's positive. But don't tell me with that evidence the problems have suddenly vanished and we no longer have to be concerned. Not after three deaths three weeks ago.

This is not a blame game. I don't blame anyone specifically other than Chris Benoit. I blame the environment and ultimately the people who made the decisions that led to this, not for murder, but for inaction. That's the people who ingested, the doctors who prescribed it to be buddies with wrestlers and the profession that has made some cosmetic changes, perhaps even some real changes, but has never once addressed the real issue of hirings, firings and pushes based on physique. Exactly how much punishment and how often, is healthy for an average person in the profession to take without a large percentage succumbing to addictive chemical help? Will WWE and TNA work together and fund a study regarding the deaths of wrestlers, including talking to the coroners who pulled these overly enlarged hearts out of one person or another, to find what consistent patterns we can find, what caused them, and most importantly, what can be doing to avoid it as much as possible in the future. Don't come up with "well, they didn't die under our watch," when the habits that killed them were done under your watch. Don't send out spineless wrestlers who claim Eddy Guerrero's problems were all in WCW, or, like Steve Blackman, who will say he's seen massive steroid use in wrestling, but only in Stampede Wrestling, never in WWF. We all know by the time their bodies expired from those habits many were in their 40s, and no longer under contract. Does anyone realize how bad that comes across to any thinking person?

Marc Mero is facing a heart valve replacement. It may or may not have been due to the steps he took to be a pro wrestler. Konnan is facing a kidney replacement, and nearly died last year. That was due to the steps he took both to be and to stay a pro wrestler. I knew Konnan at 25, and when it came to this issue, he was a far more intelligent version of Mr. Kennedy. For all I know, he may have gone on TV in Mexico and said he never did steroids. But he took steroids to be a star. He took pain pills to keep up the schedule. Made big money and didn't particularly think that much of the guys who wanted to make money who were doing the same things to be like him, and would never make a dime. He thought he was invincible and at 28, once told me and Art Barr that he didn't care if he lived past 35, because he was living a great life and we will all die of something. Some people get old and senile. Some people get older and wiser and learn. And I remember Art saying he had a three-year-old and he wanted to be there to watch him grow up. And I remember talking to the coroner several times after Art died and he was stumped. He couldn't figure out what killed him. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't have anywhere close to enough pain medication in him to be fatal, although he did have some. The coroner told me, "If I didn't know any better, his insides look exactly like a teenager from Washington who died from steroids." And then he said, "But that's impossible, because his father and brother told me that Art never took steroids."

With the benefit of the same hindsight, when today's wrestlers are on the scrap heap, and the company is no longer paying for their operations even though their health problems continue or worsen, many of them, facing mounting medical bills that kill your savings even if you were prudent during their career, will go on talk shows after the next death. And a whole new group of 30-year-old wrestlers who either don't know history or are able to somehow ignore it, and 48-year-old producers who actually do have full benefits packages that the rest of their brethren don't have, or fathers and uncles of guys wanting to break in who don't want to ire Stephanie McMahon and HHH, will kiss ass and claim those people were never really stars, are bitter, old and that there is no problem because they haven't even been in a locker room in eight years, and never address the guy who was in the locker room in the past week saying the same thing. And they'll try and tell people it's not the same business it was even two years ago.

And I'll save this column and write it again. It's not like I haven't written it 30 times before.

Wrestling should be a great industry. It should put smiles on faces. Hell, 80% of the time I've watched Fit Finlay wrestle this past year has been fun. And to me, who may know the industry a little better, by and large, my opinion is it is filled with sheep, cowards and people who in the end are so afraid of what they deep down know is the truth that they will not-so-gladly sacrifice families. In the end, they are avoiding what they think they are doing, which is actually protecting their business.

The Times and Democrat has an interview up with TNA World Champion Kurt Angle where he comments for the first time on the Chris Benoit tragedy, TNA's schedule vs. WWE's schedule and more. Here are some highlights:

On wrestling companies looking at their wrestlers:
"Well, I think the one thing WWE and TNA needs to do is step back and take a look and listen to the wrestlers. This is not WWE’s fault and this is not Vince McMahon’s fault. Chris Benoit was responsible for his own actions. Chris chose his own career. He chose to stick with the WWE when I am sure he could have went anywhere else, whether it be in Japan or TNA. But, Chris stuck to go with the grind."

On leaving WWE and getting off a full-time schedule:
"I chose to quit WWE. Vince McMahon wanted me to go full time, and we were butting heads. I felt I put in enough time and all the effort I could to wrestle 250 or 300 days per year, and I felt like I couldn’t do that any longer. Vince, on the other hand, with the amount of money (I was the highest paid individual last year) said I should go full-time. He needed me for all the house shows, TV -- everything."

On his jump to TNA and a smaller schedule:
"I just did not have enough in me to continue to go 300 days per year. I felt it would have gotten to the point where I would have gotten exhausted, and I probably wouldn’t be alive today. I decided to go with TNA, and they monitor me with doctors and keep me in 10 or less matches per month. So, they are keeping me alive and well and wrestling, and I appreciate that."

On how grueling a wrestling schedule can be:
"There is no sport more brutal. It is a year-round sport, and not even MMA is like that. Heck, those guys fight two or three times per year, and they get their downtime. There is nothing more grueling, and it comes to a point, for me it took six and a half years before I said, ‘Okay, I’m done.’ I felt like I wanted to be a part of a program where someone actually cared about my health."

On the last time he spoke with Chris Benoit:
"I talked to Chris, and he did not want to continue to wrestle 250 days per year. He wanted to wrestle a lot less. He was getting beat up, and I think in the end that started to get to him."

Associated Press:

The results of toxicology tests conducted on the body of former pro wrestler Chris Benoit will be revealed at a press conference Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said.

The test results are expected to shed more light on Benoit's last moments. Authorities said Benoit killed his wife and seven-year-old son in their metro Atlanta home last month, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then hanged himself on the cable of a weight machine.

Anabolic steroids were found in the Benoits' gated home, leading officials to wonder if the drugs played a role in the killings. Some experts believe steroids can cause paranoia, depression and violent outbursts known as "roid rage."

Toxicology tests have been conducted on Benoit's body to determine if steroids or other drugs were present. Blood-alcohol tests also were conducted on his body, and chemical tests were conducted on the bodies of the wife and son.

The results of the test will released by Dr. Kris Sperry, the state's chief medical examiner, said Bankhead.

Fueling the speculation that steroids may have been involved in the deaths, federal authorities charged Benoit's personal physician, Dr. Phil Astin, with improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit. He has pleaded not guilty.

Investigators office has also been raided Astin's office several times since the deaths, seizing prescription records and other medical documents.

Before he was charged, Astin told the AP he prescribed testosterone for Benoit, a longtime friend, in the past. He would not say what, if any, medications he prescribed when Benoit visited his office June 22, the day authorities believe Benoit killed his wife.

Enough Already
July 16, 2007

I am reaching a level of frustration that I doubt I have ever reached before in my life. The stress and frustration created by the Benoit tragedy and the resulting media coverage has reached dangerous proportions for me and I feel I need to vent now in an attempt to not explode later. I believe I have managed to put behind me the stress and anxiety of the actual events, but am ready to explode with frustration over what is being done after the fact, by both the business and the media as a whole.

I’ve been following as much media coverage as I can and with very few exceptions have had all that I can take. I am ready to scream “ENOUGH ALREADY!” to both the media and those representatives of this industry who seem to be more concerned with spin, denial, and damage control than addressing real issues and perhaps saving lives.

How many times are we going to hear the same people, saying the same things? I think we all get the fact that Chris Benoit was loved and respected by everyone who knew or worked with him, and that his actions that weekend were horrific and unexplainable. I’m not trying to down play what happened or how horrible it was, but continually stating how horrible and inexplicable it was accomplishes nothing. Three people are dead and the media seems content to just point fingers of blame and throw buzz words like “Roid Rage” around instead of looking for solutions. On the other hand the Industry on the whole seems content to just deny and redirect, in hopes of moving past it all.

This is what has gotten to me the most, the denial. We’ve seen countless drug-related wrestling deaths in the last 10+ years and we (me included) have always managed to grieve, accept, and move on. In the past I think we have all managed to look the other way accepting that, for the most part, drug-related deaths are self-inflicted, and those who died had made their own choices and suffered their own fates. That doesn’t wash anymore! Two very innocent people are dead (Nancy and Daniel) and drugs in the wrestling business were at least, to some extent, a contributing factor. We can’t look the other way any more, attitudes about drugs and drug use in this industry have to change and they have to change now, before more people die.

This industry does have a drug problem and people need to start admitting it and addressing the problem at hand. I’m not saying that WWE is at fault here or that it’s roster consists of nothing but a bunch of drug crazed pill addicts and steroid monsters, but WWE’s constant spin that they, “Put smiles on people’s faces” and that they focus on and promote “Entertainment” not “Size” is a bit hard for me to stomach. I was so disappointed with The Larry King show with Cena and Jericho. Yes, WWE does put smiles on people’s faces, and yes they will promote entertainment in addition to size, but neither of those statements have much to do with anything except changing the subject and avoiding the issue.

In my opinion WWE needs to stand up and say, “Yes, drugs are a problem in our industry” and admit that they now realize that their wellness program isn’t doing enough. I truly believe that they implemented that program with good intentions yet they seem to defend it with half-truths and obfuscation. I think this business has been stuck in the old Kay Fabe era of wrestling so long that everyone still spins and denies out of habit. Steroids and pain pill addictions are a very real problem in pro-wrestling as they are in society as a whole, yet no one wants to admit what at this point should be painfully obvious. Now is not the time for denial or even blame placement. Now is the time for change. Now is the time for cleaning up this business, and saving lives. The status quo isn’t working; people are dying.

Lance Evers

From AssociatedPress.com:

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday that steroids and other drugs were found in the body of pro wrestler Chris Benoit, and prescription drugs were also found in the bodies of his wife and son.

Also found in Benoit were the drugs Xanax and hydrocodone, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI said Benoit was negative for blood alcohol.

The statement said Nancy Benoit had Xanax, hydrocodone and hydromporphone in her body.

The son, Daniel Benoit had Xanax in his system, the statement said. The GBI said it could not perform tests for steroids or human growth hormones on the son because of lack of adequate amount of urine.

Xanax is an anti-anxiety drug. Hydrocodone is a painkiller.

The statement was released just before an afternoon news conference.

The test results were expected to shed more light on Benoit's last moments. Authorities said Benoit killed his wife and 7-year-old son in their metro Atlanta home last month, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then hanged himself on the cable of a weight machine.

Anabolic steroids were found in the Benoits' gated home, leading officials to wonder if the drugs played a role in the killings. Some experts believe steroids can cause paranoia, depression and violent outbursts known as "roid rage."

Toxicology tests were conducted on Benoit's body to determine if steroids or other drugs were present. Blood-alcohol tests also were conducted on his body, and chemical tests were conducted on the bodies of the wife and son.

Federal authorities have charged Benoit's personal physician, Dr. Phil Astin, with improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit. He has pleaded not guilty.

Investigators office has also been raided Astin's office several times since the deaths, seizing prescription records and other medical documents.

Before he was charged, Astin told the AP he prescribed testosterone for Benoit, a longtime friend, in the past. He would not say what, if any, medications he prescribed when Benoit visited his office June 22, the day authorities believe Benoit killed his wife.

Chris Benoit was positive for Xanex at 50 micrograms per liter. Hydrocodone 45 micrograms per liter. Theraputic range and not toxic. Chris Benoit's urine tested positive for the steroid testosterone at 207 micrograms per liter. The elevated level in the urine. No other steroids found in his urine. GHB was not found in any 3 of the individuals.

Nancy Benoit had 3 different drugs in her system. Hydrocodone (Mortab, Morset at 120 micrograms per liter. Hydromorphone directly from the brakedown. Xanex at 23 micrograms per liter. All 3 drugs are at a theraputic level - not toxic levels. The body was decomposing at the time of the toxicology report and that could have affected the drug levels. Blood 0.184. Not possible to say if any or all of the

Daniel's blood tested positive for Xanex at 100 micrograms per liter. Elevated. Not a drug that would be given to a child. Based upon this finding, it is their opinion that Daniel was sedated by Xanex at the time of his death.
post

The much anticipated toxicology report in the Chris, Nancy and Daniel Benoit case were revealed in a press conference broadcast at 2:30pm. Here is a live report on the press conference, as shown on Fox News Channel:

The DA asserts at the beginning of the press conference that the general belief is that the case was indeed a murder/suicide. He then introduces Kris Sperry, a medical examiner, to reveal the toxicology reports.

They found painkillers (hydrocodone, i.e., vicodin), painkiller byproducts, and Xanax at a non-lethal, therapeutic level in Nancy Benoit's body, but her body's decomposition makes it tough to know if they were of an advanced level at the time of death. She had a Blood Alcohol Level of .184 but the decomposition makes it tough to know if she was intoxicated at the time of death.

Daniel Benoit had Xanax in his system, so it is believed it was used as a sedative before he was murdered.

Testosterone was found at an extremely high level (59:1 T/E ratio) in Chris Benoit's system, implying that he had been taken testosterone recently, which could have been used to treat testicular insufficiency. No other steroids (such as anabolic steroids typically used in bodybuilding) or GHB were found in Chris' system, while painkillers and Xanax (also in Nancy's system) were found within therapeutic levels in Chris. There is no link between the drugs in Benoit's system and an abnormal mood swing that could cause a tragedy such as this one.

The Medical Examiner states that these toxicology findings shed no light on the case other than to indicate that Daniel Benoit was sedated before he was killed.

World Wrestling Entertainment Issues Statement
July 17, 2007

STAMFORD, Conn., July 17, 2007 - WWE understands that the toxicology reports for Chris Benoit indicate that he tested positive for testosterone and negative for anabolic steroids. On Mr. Benoit's last drug test in April 2007 administered by Aegis Labs, he tested negative for anabolic steroids and for testosterone. Given the toxicology report of GBI released today, it would appear that Mr. Benoit took testosterone sometime after his April 2007 test and the time he died. WWE understands that his dealings with Dr. Astin are currently being investigated, and WWE has no knowledge of whether Dr. Astin prescribed testosterone for Mr. Benoit at some point after the April 2007 tests.

For over 20 years, the WWE has been demonstrating our concern for the well being of our contracted athletes, instituting drug testing in 1987 leading up to our current Wellness Program which began on February 27, 2006, administered by Dr. David L. Black of Aegis Sciences Corporation - one of the world's foremost drug testing authorities.

We believe our Wellness Program is at the very least comparable to those of professional sports and is a program that will benefit WWE Superstars for generations to come.

-30-
The statement has

Anyone understand this properly?
Not sure if I am reading this properly, but it doesnt sound like the drugs in Benoits system were particularily abnormal/high levels.

From what I read, only Daniel appeared to have particularily high levels!

--The funeral for Nancy and Daniel Benoit just ended. It was a simple service. There was a lot of local media, and some national media there. The media was not allowed inside. Among those who attended and this probably isn't a complete list, were Jim Ross, Dave Penzer, Bill Otten, Fit Finlay, Hack Myers, Alex Porteau, Marc Mero, Dean Malenko, Penny Durham and Vickie Guerrero. Ross spoke after the funeral to the media saying, "This is not a steroid issue. That horse has got to be put in the barn and unsaddled. It's not a steroid issue. It's a domestic issue. But more than anything, it's a tragedy because a mohter and little boy are dead."

--The biggest media target for comments as he left was Fit Finlay. What a bad idea last night turned out to be for him and actually, I thought he was lucky because Marc Mero and Bryan Alvarez have so much personal respect for him they could have made him look far worse. Well, also because there were times he opened himself up so badly and Alvarez wasn't on at those moments since the producers wanted Mero vs. Fit. But in the end, Nancy Grace made Fit look terrible. Fit needed a lot more than not knowing the policy he was defending and "only five deaths under our watch" (I presume Nancy & Daniel Benoit's deaths don't count because they weren't contracted employees, like the plethora of young deaths of guys who picked up or worsened habits under the watch who died in their 40s) and "we put smiles on faces" to go on a show like that. I felt sorry for him, but it was another example of everything wrong with how wrestling is handling this situation.

I can't comment on Mr. Kennedy's appearance on FNC because I didn't see it and won't until tonight. I did see Jon Stewart on O'Reilly, and as much as everyone in the profession will knock him because he hasn't been a major star in a long time, I thought he was very honest, which puts him well ahead of most who have been on these shows.

For the same thing, just a different day. Whether it's Kennedy, Finlay, or anyone else, instead of denying there is a problem, because three dead bodies speak that there is a problem, every WWE performer going public should spend far more time talking about a solution. Instead, they'll knock Nancy Grace, who was completely clueless on day one, and after only two plus weeks, has more depth of thought on this story and its true ramifications than any WWE contracted performer who has written or spoke publicly. They'll knock Marc Mero because he wasn't a big star (immaterial) or has an agenda. Who doesn't have an agenda in wrestling? Nobody publicly touches Konnan, who is essentially saying the same things, because it's easier to say Mero hasn't been in the business in years and is out of touch than say that about Konnan. I'm sure he's got an agenda, just like John Cena has an agenda and everyone has an agenda. I'm looking for positive improvements, not hiding (such as WWE taking its Wellness policy off its web site or the McMahon family's disappearing act in public when the media folks actually started learning the story after an embarrassing start), or name calling

Again, why can nobody in WWE say what Dana White said after the Benoit murders. We want to work with all the governmental agencies when it comes to outside testing because after what happened. We don't want steroids in our sport. That was the most horrible crime I've heard of in a long time.

I'm not saying outside agency athletic commission testing is even a partial solution, but the fact WWE--and TNA--won't say anything of the sort advocating or coming up with any improvements after three weeks is telling. Defending the drug policy is futile at this point. It's failure was proven by Benoit having steroids in his home and huge quantities prescribed to him the entire year while being tested. Attempts to use the policy as proof things are fine doesn't work. If things were fine and the policy works, explain the contradiction.

The big problem here is the wrestling industry. They are not to blame for the Benoit murders. They are to blame for their attitude on the Benoit murders. I hate saying this, but while wrestlers are far more honest in general than baseball and football players when it comes to personal use of steroids (in most cases, there are exceptions), many (not all) are coming across as incapable of any depth of thought, and having zero balls or backbone. Instead of working within every means necessary to give suggestions to clean up problems, they are more concerned with protecting the business than saving future lives. They haven't even made the most simple of correlations. In the long run, saving lives is protecting the business. In fact, with every single WWE appearance on television, has one wrestler spoken up with a suggestion on how they can lower the death rate in the future? Or have they attempted, in most cases futilely, to deny what is obvious to anyone with eyesight and half a brain?

I'm begging one WWE wrestler on their blogs or in a public forum to make suggestions to clean up the industry that are viable. Not just WWE. The industry. Whether it be a change of standards of what a star is supposed to look like, schedule that would be more beneficial, or something. If I read one more "personal choice," thing, I want to ask every Mr. Personal choice these questions:

1) Whose personal choice was it to make Bobby Lashley and Dave Bautista two of the company's three most pushed stars. I'm not accusing them of steroids. At least in the case of Dave, the fans took him over the top after HHH handpicked him to be a future star. Why? Great in-ring? Great speaking? But in his case, he got over and drew money and did earn his spot, but what message does that send to 80% of the roster who work better and talk better? As for Lashley, that was Vince's personal choice. All year from within the organization it's been the constant talk of how the fans don't buy Lashley at the level we are pushing him. And did the push lessen? No, it accelerated. Was it because his promos have gotten better? Was it because he outworks the rest of the roster? What trait does Lashley have that one would look at him and say he's a headliner?

2) What personal choice did Nancy and Daniel Benoit make?

Instead of saying the profession isn't to blame, and it both is and isn't, stop being so defensive and address what can be done to make things better and save lives. I have not pushed for athletic commission regulation of pro wrestling for many years, probably not since the early 90s. However, I've seen what has happened in California with MMA and while I don't agree with every commission decision, they have done an excellent job on the drug issue. Armando Garcia has said he would test WWE wrestlers, and I'm sure the same would go for TNA if they ever came, for free, to help WWE. If the business has changed and we want to do everything possible to prevent problems, who will be the first person in WWE to say, "We welcome outside testing." Don't argue "We're not a sport." If nobody was dying, there is no issue. Wrestling, in the big picture, is more real than MMA or boxing, not less, because the body count of superstars is the ultimate reality. Don't argue "it's only five guys who died under out watch," when 40-year-old Chris Benoit had how many of his closest friend this Earth in recent years and every close friend of his that I've spoken with believes that played a part in his mental collapse.

3) Don't tell me about how clean the locker room is. Publicly when Eddy Guerrero died, one guy after another went on television to brag about how Eddy had been clean for years. And I don't know who knew what, but Eddy and I did have mutual very good friends who were constantly monitoring him because they knew he was always at risk. Eddy himself told me that every single day was a struggle fighting his addictions. And by wrestling standards, Eddy may or may not have been clean, but by real world standards, significant usage of pain medication, steroids and GH is not clean. When Fit Finlay went on TV last night and told Mero that there's no proof steroids played a part in Guerrero's death, they needed an advocate who has at least kept up with the business enough to know that Guerrero's death certificate specifically points to steroids as a major contributing cause of his death. If Finlay didn't know that, the company is at fault for not preparing him and allowing him to open himself up to that degree. If he did know, then he's at fault for trying to lie. I believe it's the former. The first time I heard the defense that those old guys don't know and it's a new breed of wrestlers was in the early 90s when Jim Duggan tried to say there were no more steroids in wrestling and it had changed from the days of Superstar Graham and Bruno Sammartino, who were saying there was a steroid problem.

When Nancy Gracie screams on television about the indictment and Dr. Astin prescribing 700 pills in one day, the name in the indictment who he prescribed to was a WWE wrestler. Keep in mind, this is just one doctor located in Carrollton, GA, with a hoard of wrestlers as clients. Why do wrestlers living hours away, in fact, one living hundreds of miles away and another living thousands of miles away, regularly see a doctor in Carrollton, GA? Why did Benoit get the quantity of drugs he did? Listen, if more of the locker room is clean today than eight years ago, that's positive. But don't tell me with that evidence the problems have suddenly vanished and we no longer have to be concerned. Not after three deaths three weeks ago.

This is not a blame game. I don't blame anyone specifically other than Chris Benoit. I blame the environment and ultimately the people who made the decisions that led to this, not for murder, but for inaction. That's the people who ingested, the doctors who prescribed it to be buddies with wrestlers and the profession that has made some cosmetic changes, perhaps even some real changes, but has never once addressed the real issue of hirings, firings and pushes based on physique. Exactly how much punishment and how often, is healthy for an average person in the profession to take without a large percentage succumbing to addictive chemical help? Will WWE and TNA work together and fund a study regarding the deaths of wrestlers, including talking to the coroners who pulled these overly enlarged hearts out of one person or another, to find what consistent patterns we can find, what caused them, and most importantly, what can be doing to avoid it as much as possible in the future. Don't come up with "well, they didn't die under our watch," when the habits that killed them were done under your watch. Don't send out spineless wrestlers who claim Eddy Guerrero's problems were all in WCW, or, like Steve Blackman, who will say he's seen massive steroid use in wrestling, but only in Stampede Wrestling, never in WWF. We all know by the time their bodies expired from those habits many were in their 40s, and no longer under contract. Does anyone realize how bad that comes across to any thinking person?

Marc Mero is facing a heart valve replacement. It may or may not have been due to the steps he took to be a pro wrestler. Konnan is facing a kidney replacement, and nearly died last year. That was due to the steps he took both to be and to stay a pro wrestler. I knew Konnan at 25, and when it came to this issue, he was a far more intelligent version of Mr. Kennedy. For all I know, he may have gone on TV in Mexico and said he never did steroids. But he took steroids to be a star. He took pain pills to keep up the schedule. Made big money and didn't particularly think that much of the guys who wanted to make money who were doing the same things to be like him, and would never make a dime. He thought he was invincible and at 28, once told me and Art Barr that he didn't care if he lived past 35, because he was living a great life and we will all die of something. Some people get old and senile. Some people get older and wiser and learn. And I remember Art saying he had a three-year-old and he wanted to be there to watch him grow up. And I remember talking to the coroner several times after Art died and he was stumped. He couldn't figure out what killed him. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't have anywhere close to enough pain medication in him to be fatal, although he did have some. The coroner told me, "If I didn't know any better, his insides look exactly like a teenager from Washington who died from steroids." And then he said, "But that's impossible, because his father and brother told me that Art never took steroids."

With the benefit of the same hindsight, when today's wrestlers are on the scrap heap, and the company is no longer paying for their operations even though their health problems continue or worsen, many of them, facing mounting medical bills that kill your savings even if you were prudent during their career, will go on talk shows after the next death. And a whole new group of 30-year-old wrestlers who either don't know history or are able to somehow ignore it, and 48-year-old producers who actually do have full benefits packages that the rest of their brethren don't have, or fathers and uncles of guys wanting to break in who don't want to ire Stephanie McMahon and HHH, will kiss ass and claim those people were never really stars, are bitter, old and that there is no problem because they haven't even been in a locker room in eight years, and never address the guy who was in the locker room in the past week saying the same thing. And they'll try and tell people it's not the same business it was even two years ago.

And I'll save this column and write it again. It's not like I haven't written it 30 times before.

Wrestling should be a great industry. It should put smiles on faces. Hell, 80% of the time I've watched Fit Finlay wrestle this past year has been fun. And to me, who may know the industry a little better, by and large, my opinion is it is filled with sheep, cowards and people who in the end are so afraid of what they deep down know is the truth that they will not-so-gladly sacrifice families. In the end, they are avoiding what they think they are doing, which is actually protecting their business.

already been posted, dude.

Thats never stopped you!

"I never learned how to read..."

I miss bsams.

Dave Meltzer is reporting that former ECW World Tag Team champion John Kronus was found dead earlier today at his girlfriend's apartment in New Hampshire. Kronus held the ECW Tag Team titles with Perry Saturn as the Eliminators, and also won the tag team belts with New Jack.

Another wrestler dies!!!

Source: PWHeadlines.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Richard Decker, the attorney representing Nancy Benoit's family, spoke to Fox 5 News in Atlanta about the wrongful death lawsuit they are working on. He did not specify who the defendant(s) would be, merely saying that "Eventually we'll be filing a lawsuit and everyone will know." Decker also said the family were relived that Daniel Benoit was unconscious when he passed away.

AOL has a poll up asking people if they think steroids played a part in the Benoit tragedy, and if they think Congress should hold steroid hearings for wrestling. At present, 84% said yes to the first question and 73% said yes to the second.

Christopher Nowinski has an interview up on the Boston Globe website, discussing the impact of concussions in sports. He speaks about his personal experiences in football and wrestling, including 'a violent sleepwalking episode' when he woke up to find himself lying face down amid broken glass and upturned furniture with his scared girlfriend watching him. He also speaks of his hopes for how the concussion issue will be treated in the future, noting that "The awareness is there but changing the culture is another undertaking."

Another wrestler dies!!!

Source: PWHeadlines.com

Ostroff also notes that the wrestling show "WWE Smackdown" continues to be the stronger program in attracting young men 18-34. The recent death of WWE wrestler Chris Benoit will have little effect on the network. "He didn't appear on the "Smackdown."

July 20, 2007

I watched the Glen Beck show tonight on CNN Headline News, and Beck was talking about wrestling yet again, and one of his guests was Marc Mero. Mero has been doing a ton of interviews lately, but something he said tonight struck a chord and really pissed me off. If someone has an email address for Marc please feel free to send him a link to my rant because I would love for him to read it and perhaps even send me his thoughts on it. I will make an attempt to be professional here but I can’t guarantee I will succeed; as I mentioned I am pretty pissed off.

The comment that Marc made that got under my skin was his response to Glen Beck, when he asked what Marc was on when he was in WWE (actually Beck kept calling him Mike, but I’ll let that slide). Marc responded (I don’t have an exact quote but this should be damn close). “Mainly pain killers, because you had to, to make all the towns and deal with the punishment you inflicted on your body.” BULLSHIT!!!!! “Had to” is a F---ing excuse used all the time by guys on drugs. Marc also talked about taking steroids because he “HAD” to, to compete and get a job. Well you know what Marc, I didn’t f---ing have to. I didn’t take Steroids, or pain pills to work. EVER!!!! I respect the fact that you are trying to do a good thing here but you are doing your cause a disservice by not admitting you were part of the damn problem. You are spewing the same bullshit excuses that the boys have been spewing for years, and it is this cop out bullshit excuse of “HAVING” to do it to deal with pain or get ahead, that perpetuates the very drug problems you are trying to stop.

Let’s be honest here, and this is where I may stir a lot of heat, but I don’t care, I’m pissed off. Marc Mero was not a very talented guy. When he was in WCW he was not, what you could call an in-ring general or great worker, so why did he have a job? He had a job because he took steroids to get a job he didn’t deserve. Steroids gave him the look that the company was willing to push despite his level of ability. Now Marc Mero can defend himself as much as he wants, with if he didn’t do steroids for the spot someone else would have, but that doesn’t excuse his actions. I was a worker at that time Marc, and I was close to your size and a hell of a lot more talented, and I wasn’t doing steroids nor have I EVER. Have you ever considered that you taking steroids cost a more deserving person who wasn’t on steroids, the opportunity he deserved, and in turn then put additional pressure on them to do steroids, to get the spot they actually deserved in the first place? Thankfully I had the backbone to not cave in to steroid and drug pressures, and enough talent to still make a career for myself, but so many others didn’t.

I’m not saying Marc Mero is the only guy in the business to have done this, or that he is a bad person today because of it, but he needs to realize not admitting he was part of the problem, completely kills his credibility. This bullshit mentality of “I did steroids because I had to”, or “I took pain pills because I had to to make all the towns” is a complete load of crap. This business is tough yes, but less talented, or smaller guys who take steroids to get a job or push they don’t deserve just makes it tougher.

“Everyone else was doing it” is a bullshit excuse your Mother wouldn’t accept when you were 10, Mark, quit using it now. Not EVERYONE else was doing it and those of us who weren’t either suffered for it, or gave into the pressure and got dragged down the toilet with you. You may be trying to do a good thing here, but admit that you were part of the problem, and realize that your past actions may have pushed others into drug use, maybe even some of the people on your “Dead Wrestlers” list.

Speaking of the “Dead Wrestlers” list, I’m begging you to get an accurate one so those within the industry can’t bring up valid arguments to defend themselves. The list we keep seeing includes deaths from Breast cancer, accidents, you name it. Instead of pulling out a bogus list of 100+ people, can we not use the accurate list of 50+, is 50-60 dead people not tragic enough?

Before I wrap this up, I want to point out that I am not attempting to defend WWE or the Industry as a whole here. I think they should share some of the responsibility and blame for drug use in this industry. I also think for the most part Marc Mero is trying to fight a good fight, with good intentions. It just angers me when the people who started the problem or continued to perpetuate it, deny they are the biggest part of the problem, and then after reaping the rewards of their actions later claim victim status and try to dump all the responsibility on those who are likely more guilty of not stopping the problem or looking the other way than actually causing the problem in the first place. I respect Marc Mero for trying to do something good here, and this tirade should actually be directed at everyone in the industry who has used these excuses or done the drugs to get ahead, Marc’s just the guy using them on national TV and getting my attention. This was not meant as a personal attack Marc, and this was far stiffer that I originally intended, but I think my points are valid and stand by them.

TNA should send Marc Mero a thank you letter for giving me something new to rant about.

Lance Evers

Now, granted, I'm no fan of TNA's attempts to make Abyss uncool (His name is Chris? He love his mother? He wears Sting's paint? Dah!), but show some decorum Lance.

Yes, but he plays it well, and there have been much worse and more blatant rip-offs. In fact, I seem to remember a guy who's gimmick was that he was Flair, Hogan, Savage, and Warrior- all at the same time!

The latest issue of the Wrestling Observer has some more details on the Benoit toxicology reports, noting that they would not have picked up on Growth Hormones unless Benoit had taken them less than 24 hours before his death. They also wouldn't have picked up on any alcohol that he may have drunk two days earlier, when he killed Nancy, which would explain the empty bottles found in the house. Also, due to the decomposition of the body, Daniel Benoit could not be tested for steroids or for Growth Hormones, nor will it ever be proven conclusively whether or not he had Fragile X syndrome.

It was noted that Benoit was thought to have been cycling his heavy testosterone use and was merely off the cycle when WWE tested him on the 10th April. Although he passed that test, as noted in the New York Times, WWE have not released the results of the three other tests he had taken under the Wellness Policy. People within WWE, including Dr David Black, who heads their steroid testing program, are said to know full well that many wrestlers get prescriptions for 'testosterone replacement therapy' as a loophole around the company's policy. Benoit, as with countless other wrestlers, had all but ruined his body's ability to naturally produce testosterone due to several years of steroid abuse.

Meltzer also confirms that the two people receiving text messages from Benoit over the weekend of the murders were Chavo Guerrero and Darren Matthews (William Regal), and that Dave Taylor called Benoit's neighbour, Holly McFague, to see if she knew of anything strange going on next door. Furthermore, while the police have yet to find Benoit's diaries, which are believed to contain letters written to Eddie Guerrero after Eddie's death, or photos Nancy took of herself and showed to some close friends after being beaten by Benoit, they did find photos of her after beatings when she was much younger.

There are also expected to be substantial legal conflicts over the family estate. Nancy's family, the Toffolinis, want David and Megan, Benoit's children from his first marriage, fully taken care of, while Georgian law states that in such a case the entire estate would indeed go to the family of the victims. However, there is talk that some of the Benoit family may also pursue some of it.

Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 23 July 2007

Dave Meltzer has also stated there is a great deal of concern about Perry Saturn at the moment. He has been out of the wrestling scene for a while now and, as of a few years ago, was running a nightclub and working at a car lot owned by Sonny Onoo. That was the last that people heard about him. Chris Benoit was the closest friend he had from the wrestling scene, yet he did not get in touch with anybody else from the industry after Benoit's death.

Also, as the Department of Forensic Science in Alabama is running behind schedule due to budget cutbacks, Sherri Martel's toxicology reports won't be released for about a year.

Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 25 July 2007

ESPN.com is reporting that two congressmen have requested that Vince McMahon turn over records pertaining to WWE's drug testing policies. According to the web site, in a three-page letter dated today, Rep. Henry Waxman, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Tom Davis, its ranking minority member, asked Vince to provide a series of documents so congress can look into WWE's drug-testing policy.

Here are some excerpts from the letter:

"The tragic deaths of World Wrestling Entertainment star Chris Benoit and his family have raised questions about reports of widespread use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs by professional wrestlers."

"These allegations -- which include first-hand reports of steroid use by prominent former wrestlers -- have swirled around the WWE for over a decade. Investigations by journalists have described a culture of performance-enhancing drug use in professional wrestling, high fatality rates among young professional wrestlers, and an inability or unwillingness of WWE to address these problems."

"WWE has a responsibility to do everything possible to eliminate the use of performance-enhancing drugs -- or the perception of such use -- by its wrestlers."

The letter describes WWE wrestlers as "multimedia stars that have an influence on the behavior and attitudes of the nation's youth."

They state that the committee is seeking "the results of any investigations prepared [by the company] regarding the deaths, injuries, or illnesses of current or former professional wrestlers that may have been related to the use of steroids."

They also ask Vince to include "all communications between [the company] and outside entities including communications with health care professionals or law enforcement authorities, regarding allegations of drug use by wrestlers."

Yesterday WWE.com confirmed the release of Rene Dupree. He was currently working with WWE's development territory, Florida Championship Wrestling.

According to Bob Ryder of 1Wrestling.com Dupree recently completed a sixty day drug rehab treatment. Several sources indicate that he had been abusing somas during his time in Ohio Valley Wrestling earlier this year. Somas are muscle relaxants that have been talked about recently after the Benoit murder-murder-suicide.