A Disturbing Trend

Today the world found out that Chris Benoit, a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star is dead. Benoit, 40 was found in his rural Atlanta, Georgia home along with his wife and seven year old son. Police reported that Benoit strangled his wife and suffocated his seven year old son (placing Bibles by their bodies) before hanging himself from a weight machine in his weight room. Investigators have yet to decipher why Benoit acted the way he did, but they did find anabolic steroids in the house, which have the potential to cause something known as “roid rage” amongst other issues.

Benoit, a former World Heavyweight Champion was one of the most popular wrestlers in the WWE and was even scheduled to wrestle Sunday at a PPV event, but he called off, citing “personal reasons.” Needless to say, we will probably never know what was going through his mind when he committed this heinous act. Yet, one has to notice the disturbing trend amongst professional wrestlers, specifically the countless names that have died far too young.

Professional wrestling is a tough business, by far the most taxing of any professional sport. Wrestlers are on the road over 300 days a year, not to mention the toll that the sport itself takes on their bodies. Anabolic steroid abuse, pain killer addiction, and other various drugs allow most wrestlers relief from their jobs and pain. Wrestling is a multi billion dollar sport, with viewers from all corners of the world; the risk is big, but the reward is worth the risk to many. Sadly though, many that set out to seek that reward never live to see their dreams come to fruition.

A common side effect of anabolic steroid use is heart disease. Since 1997, at least 20 professional wrestlers under the age of 50, most of which were known or confirmed anabolic steroid users died of heart related ailments. The most recent of which was Eddie Guerro (38), another popular WWE superstar who was found dead in his hotel room prior to an event due to apparent heart failure in 2005. The other frightening figure is that at least 20 more professional wrestlers have committed suicide in a variety of ways since 1997, another common issue with anabolic steroid use and stress.

Vince McMahon, chairman of WWE single handedly turned professional wrestling into the sport it is today. McMahon is known as a ruthless businessman and to many wrestlers, a callous soul who pushes his wrestlers to the limit and then some (obviously). I know that these men and women choose to wrestle; they are not forced into it. But if this disturbing trend continues, I have a feeling that professional wrestling in the U.S. and abroad may die a slow death. Government regulation may be the answer, but first, internal regulation needs to be attempted.