[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by simple simon

if 33 still active Cup drivers died in the last 22 years you wouldnt demand something be done ? ......... im sure you would, as most fans likely would

thats all im saying

OH I agree with you but my point is that overall I think as a society we have become more accustomed to it and the impact is less than it was years ago.. Luckily drugs don't seem to be a big issue with NASCAR .... yet. We've had a few issues but nothing like other sports.

[LSC9901]

Just for grins I looked up NASCAR deaths. Since 1971 there have been 30 from 6 different NASCAR sanctioned series.

[Robertdjr]

I've never liked Vince McMahon, especially after he bought WCW. When the Monday Night Wars were going on, it was fun watching pro wrestling. But when he bought WCW, the fun was over. He had no more competition. He could do anything he wanted, which he did. Thus began the downward freefall of the WWE. And they'll never get out of it as long as Vince McMahon is there.
As far as steroids go, Vince McMahon is the biggest hypocrite in all of sports entertainment or sports in general. At one time, he was telling people the WWE was monitoring steroid use and would discipline anyone caught using them. Allot of the wrestlers stopped. You could tell because they were losing muscle weight. But at the same time, Vince was walking around looking like this:



He was juicing just as much, if not more, than anyone.

I don't know what's going on now, because I quit watching it.

[EmpireWF]

Frank Deford of SI.com has posted a column bringing up the high mortality rates in pro wrestlers under the age of 50 in the past 10 years. Here's the intro...

Imagine, if you will, that in the last decade 186 men who had played major league baseball died before they were 50. Imagine that in that same time 435 men who had played in the NFL likewise died before they were 50.

If this were so, Congress would probably have dropped discussing everything short of terrorism to investigate. Cable television would talk of nothing else. The sports would be decried from the pulpits.

Of course, nothing like this has happened. However, if you extrapolate the number of deaths of under-50 professional wrestlers to baseball and football, that is the equivalent mortality score: 186 major league baseball players, 435 NFL players.

[simple simon]

excellent find Empire, i seriously hope this opens some eyes and someone does some digging


ill go out on a limb and say this (maybe it isnt so much of a limb if people agree with me) ........ i bet Vince McMan (sp) could go to jail and very easily go bankrupt from civil suits ........ i think it could be proved (at least enough to convince a jury) that many wrestlers felt they actually had no choice but to take steroids ........ and for that Vince would be held liable imo

[EmpireWF]

Woah their Simon, McMahon is not on trial and won't be. He hasn't committed a crime in this regard.

The issues at hand IMO are the health of the wrestlers and the industry as a whole.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

Woah their Simon, McMahon is not on trial and won't be. He hasn't committed a crime in this regard.

i disagree ....... as i said, IF it can be proven to a jury that these wrestlers felt the had no choice, and that the drugs they took contributed to their deaths .... it is my opinion that he can be found guilty in a wrongful death suit

as i said, this is just my opinion .... could be right could be wrong

though i will say, much stranger things have happened in our courts ....... and keep in mind, you dont have to be guilty of a crime to be sued in Civil Court (burn coffee lady sued McDonald's and won)

[EmpireWF]

Nothing like that would happen though. Modern day wrestlers would have to speak out...and that's something that just isn't done in the industry.

[Robertdjr]

It's a well know fact that Vince McMahon loves BIG wrestlers. The bigger the better. Of course there's no written policy in the WWE that wrestlers have to be big, which keeps Vince cleared, but everyone knows if you juice up, you get pushed faster and further than the little guys. That is the unwritten incentive to use steroids in the WWE. The bigger you are, the more Vince loves you, and the further you'll go.

If wrestlers were ever called to testify, they could say this till they were blue in the face. But since it's their interpretation of what they think someone else wants, it's just hearsay. If Vince McMahon were ever called to testify, he'd deny there's any pressure on wrestlers to get big or use steroids, and make the point that it's only locker room talk, not written policy. He'd never condone performance enhancing drugs of any sort in his organization.

[greenbay86]

so sad to see this list. Whats goin on with the von erich family? all suicide

[EmpireWF]

Originally Posted by greenbay86

Whats goin on with the von erich family? all suicide

It's truly one of the saddest stories in pro wrestling history when you go back and look at it. Today, there's only one of the brothers who are alive (Kevin). Kerry has a daughter who's headed to WWE these days.

In short, Fritz Von Erich was a famous wrestler in the 50s-70s. He turned into a promoter in the 80s (World Class, down in Texas) and focused heavily on his boys, David, Kevin and Kerry. World Class was the hottest promotion in 1983 but due to the sad events that would unfold (not only to the Von Erichs, but several others would face problems or die young), it didn't last long.

David was perhaps the most impressive of the three and was reportedly slated to win the NWA Championship (from Ric Flair) but died during a trip to Japan in 1984, he was 25. The cause is still debated to this day (some believe it was from pills, World Class always said acute gastroenteritis).

Mike Von Erich joined his other two brothers in the ring but suffered toxic shock syndrome (a very rare disease). He died a couple of years later from a drug overdose. He was 23.

Chris Von Erich was not the athlete that his older brothers were but he became a wrestler nonetheless. He committed suicide at the age of 21 due to depression.

Kerry Von Erich (the most well known on a national basis) had problems with drugs. He was arrested (for possession I believe) and was looking at jail time. He shot himself in 1993 at the age of 33.

In 1959, the first born son, Jack died accidentally after touching an exposed wire and was electrocuted and then drowned in a puddle of snow/water.

Fritz and his wife divorced in 1992. Fritz died in 1997 due to brain/lung cancer.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by simple simon

i disagree ....... as i said, IF it can be proven to a jury that these wrestlers felt the had no choice, and that the drugs they took contributed to their deaths .... it is my opinion that he can be found guilty in a wrongful death suit

as i said, this is just my opinion .... could be right could be wrong

though i will say, much stranger things have happened in our courts ....... and keep in mind, you dont have to be guilty of a crime to be sued in Civil Court (burn coffee lady sued McDonald's and won)

Dude didn't you see Fantastic 4 rise of the Surfer?...You always have a choice...