Benoit strangled wife, smothered son

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by Typhoid

But they choose to get into that line of work - they know they're sacrificing a life, to be on TV for 20 or so years, with a chance of being the 'next' Hogan.

Well by this logic a professional that works onskyscrapers or high voltage lines shouldn;t be afforded any protection or regulations for their health and safety? After all, their career is their choice right? Who cares if they get hurt or worse, die?

I'm not saying that Benoit is not at fault here, but there is a systemic problem in wrestling that is more related to a lack of options than anything else. If you want to be a pro wrestler and make a decent living, you have three options. 1) WWE. 2) TNA. 3) Japan. That doesn't leave for a lot of options for the up and comer trying to make a name for themselves. So things such as drugs and living through a hellish schedule become musts to get noticed.

This means that organizations can force their workers to suffer through mentally and physically unhealthy schedules. Afterall, the alternative is not practicing their trade.

My point is that wrestlers shouldn't have to do steroids, wrestle over 300 times a year and pop pain killers to do what they want/love to do. Its that lack of choices that leads to this type of abuse. Any other industry in the US with so few choices would have been regulated by the government years ago, but wrestling has always slipped by, for reasons more sadly prejudicial than legal. Wrestling is "silly", therefore wreslers are "silly" and do not need to have the same safeguards that any other dangerous industry would have.

Its just sad and wrestlers keep dying before their time. This is a list of well known that have died before the age of 50. If I were to name those that never made it to the big time, the list would go on much further.

Chris Von Erich - 21
Mike Von Erich - 23
Louie Spiccoli - 27
Art Barr - 28
Gino Hernandez - 29
Jay Youngblood - 30
Rick McGraw - 30
Joey Marella - 30
Ed Gatner - 31
Buzz Sawyer - 32
Crash Holly - 32
Kerry Von Erich - 33
D.J. Peterson - 33
Eddie Gilbert - 33
The Renegade - 33
Owen Hart - 33
Chris Candido - 33
Adrian Adonis - 34
Gary Albright - 34
Bobby Duncum Jr. - 34
Yokozuna - 34
Big Dick Dudley - 34
Brian Pillman - 35
Marianna Komlos - 35
Pitbull #2 - 36
The Wall/Malice - 36
Leroy Brown - 38
Mark Curtis - 38
Eddie Guerrero - 38
Davey Boy Smith - 39
Johnny Grunge - 39
Vivian Vachon - 40
Jeep Swenson - 40
Brady Boone - 40
Terry Gordy - 40
Bertha Faye - 40
Billy Joe Travis - 40
Chris Benoit - 40
Larry Cameron - 41
Rick Rude - 41
Randy Anderson - 41
Bruiser Brody - 42
Miss Elizabeth - 42
Big Boss Man - 42
Earthquake - 42
Mike Awesome - 42
Ray Candy - 43
Nancy Benoit (Woman) - 43
Dino Bravo - 44
Curt Hennig - 44
Bam Bam Bigelow - 45
Jerry Blackwell - 45
Junkyard Dog - 45
Hercules - 45
Andre the Giant - 46
Big John Studd - 46
Chris Adams - 46
Mike Davis - 46
Hawk - 46
Dick Murdoch - 49
Jumbo Tsuruta - 49
Rocco Rock - 49
Sherri Martel - 49

SOURCE: http://prowrestling.about.com/od/wha...lersdeaths.htm

[GameMaster]

Its funny this has yet to make it into CNN's top ten list of most popular stories.

[TheGame]

Professor S, that list is pretty very alarming for me. @_@ I know so many of those people, and some of them I didn't even know had died... That really sucks.

[Perfect Stu]

Really bizzare, killed his wife friday night, and his son saturday night/sunday morning. That's actually disturbing. I know drugs can cause people to lose their minds, but i truly feel there is always a choice involved, and so I have zero sympathy for Chris.

[Professor S]

More shocking was Ballard's revelation that The Benoit's son Daniel was found with needle marks in his arms. ESPN wrote, "The district attorney said he believed that the boy had been given growth hormones for some time because the family considered him undersized." HGH can be prescribed for children deemed hormone deficient.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2917133

Anyone else still think there isn't a SERIOUS problem in the pro wrestling community???? HE WAS JUICING HIS OWN KID.

Once again, I'm not taking any blame off of Benoit, but just look at the list. Look at it. And you tell me that there isn't more to it than personal choice. This is a business based on the trade of lives for fame, and something has to change.

[Bond]

I was watching CNN and a lot of the talking heads were speculating it may have been roid rage. I suppose in a few weeks the tests will come back and we'll know for sure if he was or wasn't on steroids.

The problem I view with wrestling is that the WWE has a monopoly. So really, it's in the company's best interest to ignore steroid use. Now, of course, steroid use was ignored in baseball and football for the longest time, but, it was eventually handled because of the advantage players get from being on steroids. That is, there are competing teams within the MLB and NFL. The problem I see with wrestling is that there is no real competition, since all of the matches are staged.

[Typhoid]

Didn't Yokozuna die because he was fat?

Well by this logic a professional that works onskyscrapers or high voltage lines shouldn;t be afforded any protection or regulations for their health and safety? After all, their career is their choice right? Who cares if they get hurt or worse, die?

And again, you took what I said too literally.

If you work on a skyscraper, you know what you have to do day in and day out to succeed. You know you cant be afraid of heights. You know there is a chance you can die. You know you can get electrocuted and fall to your death. You know you should wear protective gear, or you'll get hurt.

Wrestlers need steroids to get bigger faster. They want to get bigger faster so they make it onto WWE in their prime. They know the sacrifices. They know steroids are bad. They choose to do them. They don't have to do them. They want to. They know the risks involved with the business, they know they have to give up family time, and pretty much a personal life for it.

The point is, they know full well what the business offers - in every aspect. They know what they need to do to get there. Regardless of the fact they shouldn't have to do steroids to get to the top - they pretty much have to - to be competative, and not be just a jobber.

[Perfect Stu]

Originally Posted by Professor S

Once again, I'm not taking any blame off of Benoit, but just look at the list. Look at it. And you tell me that there isn't more to it than personal choice. This is a business based on the trade of lives for fame, and something has to change.

I hope you aren't referring to me.

[TheGame]

A serious problem in the world today is that people seem not to want to take ownership of their own decisions. Every time someone does something good its like "I did it!" but when they do something bad they look for something or someone to blame.

Its not my job to pass judgement on people. I think he made a bad decision, period...

I kinda agree with Typhoid here. Its not the WWE's fault that they want to be a wrestler, and that they're willing to take extra steps to get to the top... Yes its bad that the WWE doesn't step in as much to stop them, but in the end everyone working there are grown ass men/women capible of making their own decisions. And its thier own decisions that got them killed.

In some industries you have to sell out to get to the top.