You know, a lot of good could come from Benoit's death...

[Kane Knight]

...If there wasn't such a focus on steroids.

I'm not saying the wrestling community shouldn't be concerned with steroids, mind.

However, what seems to have been rather lost in all this is that Benoit's brain was pretty fucked up. That's not to say steroid abuse wasn't an issue; it may have been. Drug abuse is a problem, but there is a whole picture that I wish they'd address.

Chris Benoit was, essentially a ticking Time Bomb. I doubt Benoit's the only guy who suffered brain damage, and I wonder if anyone else might be ticking away. I mean, it's possible this is a once in a lifetime deal. In fact, it's probable, but why take the chance? It's bad PR, which wrestling companies should worry about, even if they don't care about their workers' lives and wellbeing.

I'm not thinking this will become a common occurence, but honestly, I think one gruesome murder-suicide in wrestling is enough.

It would cost money to look after wrestlers, but they're already doing cardio testing. expanding these tests would probably not be cheap, but it would no doubt cost less than investor scares, PR nightmares, and Congressional investigations.

Or is this too sensible?

[The One]

Maybe one CT Scan a year? I mean it's not uncommon for people in high profile positions to get a CT Scan every year, why not make people who get hit in the head with steel chairs get one too.

[Kane Knight]

Maybe one CT Scan a year? I mean it's not uncommon for people in high profile positions to get a CT Scan every year, why not make people who get hit in the head with steel chairs get one too.

Sounds reasonable.

[Stickman]

Well I think they've really tonned down on moves that affect your head. You dont' see many straight on chair shots anymore.

[Hanso Amore]

Beniot never took many chair shots, I think its more about impact night after night with the mat, with no time to recover and heal. I mean, think of how many flying headbutts he put down.....probably 2500 at least in his career, and with no time to heal, hisshit wsh slashing around in his head killing his sanity.

[Stickman]

I never said Benoit took a lot of direct chair shots, I just think management has tonned down impact to everybody's head.

[Kane Knight]

Well I think they've really tonned down on moves that affect your head. You dont' see many straight on chair shots anymore.

Concussions still happen though. Look at Nowinski. I mean, he's not the only example, just a severe one.

Concussions are actually a pretty easy thing to get in a contact sport, even if you use protection (Like a lot of the legit ones do) or you avoid direct chair shots and the like. And, of course, in the case of a lot of lighter concussions, they're hard to tell from a headache initially. A lot of minor concussions, especially if you don't take a break, still mount up to be bad. And while cutting back on the head moves is nice, actually checking the wrestlers for injuries would be a lot better.

It's kind of like unprotected sex. Just because you stop having as much of it doesn't mean you shouldn't get screened for STDs. You're still participating in risky behaviour, even if you have limited it.

[Vastardikai]

Actually, KK, I was thinking about this when we laugh about guys like Randy Savage (Be a Man), Iron Sheik (I will make him humble!), etc.

We talk about how crazy the old timers are, and I even made a crack about how there should be a reality show. but doesn't it sound an awful lot like the Dementia we hear about old football players getting?

[Rob]

...If there wasn't such a focus on steroids.

I'm not saying the wrestling community shouldn't be concerned with steroids, mind.

However, what seems to have been rather lost in all this is that Benoit's brain was pretty fucked up. That's not to say steroid abuse wasn't an issue; it may have been. Drug abuse is a problem, but there is a whole picture that I wish they'd address.

Chris Benoit was, essentially a ticking Time Bomb. I doubt Benoit's the only guy who suffered brain damage, and I wonder if anyone else might be ticking away. I mean, it's possible this is a once in a lifetime deal. In fact, it's probable, but why take the chance? It's bad PR, which wrestling companies should worry about, even if they don't care about their workers' lives and wellbeing.

I'm not thinking this will become a common occurence, but honestly, I think one gruesome murder-suicide in wrestling is enough.

It would cost money to look after wrestlers, but they're already doing cardio testing. expanding these tests would probably not be cheap, but it would no doubt cost less than investor scares, PR nightmares, and Congressional investigations.

Or is this too sensible?

I agree with everything you said but I think the cost is far too much for it not to hurt salaries of wrestlers. You know WWE won't take the hit. Plus obviously Vince McMahon thinks the world is out to get him and will bitch about every other wrestling promoter in the world not having policies and it will probably end up putting another nail in the wrestling coffin.

[Kane Knight]

Actually, KK, I was thinking about this when we laugh about guys like Randy Savage (Be a Man), Iron Sheik (I will make him humble!), etc.

We talk about how crazy the old timers are, and I even made a crack about how there should be a reality show. but doesn't it sound an awful lot like the Dementia we hear about old football players getting?

It does. Of course, we just chalk them up as crazy. Crazy for being wrestlers.

[Outsider]

The WWE should be doing these things as a responsible employer.

Get some fucking workers rights Yanks!

In all seriousness, do athletes have access to Unions? Is there any sort of Union representation avaliable to Wrestlers?

[Theo Dious]

Actually, KK, I was thinking about this when we laugh about guys like Randy Savage (Be a Man), Iron Sheik (I will make him humble!), etc.

It's okay to make fun of Savage, Shiek, and Warrior, because they've always been crazy as fuck.

[The Fugitive]

Is the 'union' discussion going to rear it's head about?

For now, I'll just say that unless another wrestling promotion becomes successful enough to actually compete with WWE and could offer some form of security to its contracted workers, professional wrestlers will never have access to a union or a guild to protect them. Besides, one could easily make the argument that a union might be a dangerous thing to the industry.

[Kane Knight]

Unions will never happen. Period.

In fact, the only way WWE will ever care for its workers is because it doesn't want to lose face in the light of one of their employees doing something horrific, like murdering his family and killing himself.

[Outsider]

Is the 'union' discussion going to rear it's head about?

For now, I'll just say that unless another wrestling promotion becomes successful enough to actually compete with WWE and could offer some form of security to its contracted workers, professional wrestlers will never have access to a union or a guild to protect them. Besides, one could easily make the argument that a union might be a dangerous thing to the industry.

I don't think Unions would do much harm to the industry. The only big problem they could cause would be trying to increase the pay of workers in small promotions too much, but I think the individuals involved might have enough sense to know they can't afford that.

The idea of a Union is 'solidarity' (urgh, I feel dirty saying that) meaning that if you have the majority of the wrestling world involved with Unions, the WWE would just have to accept it. I know it wouldn't happen, but doesn't mean it shouldn't.

[Kane Knight]

Union work would likely affect indie feds the way Union actors have affected arthouse productions.

Insignificantly.