Dead Wrestlers, Substance Abuse, and the Company That Leads Them There

Kevin Kelley recently wrote an exclusive article for Wrestlezone.com about the number of wrestlers that continue to die from substance abuse related causes. He suggested, admitting that his idea was implausible, that WWE should hire personal assistants to travel with their wrestlers in order to keep them from making the poor decisions that lead to substance abuse and--for some--their subsequent releases, and later their deaths. Let me make clear right now that this post is not meant to attack Kevin Kelley's idea, nor Kevin himself. I think Kevin is just as frustrated as anybody about the amazingly high number of substance related deaths in pro wrestling these days. In fact, Kevin is probably more frustrated than fans like myself, because he is in the business and has had exposure to some of the people who have died recently.

I think that maybe the only solution here is to cut to the heart of the problem. I think there would be a sizeably lesser amount of substance related deaths in wrestling...if Vince and all of the morons that work for him in the backstage stop driving the talent to drink or to do drugs. You don't have to be a"in the business" to understand that working for the WWE may not be worth it, not even for the potential millions of dollars a wrestler could make while doing so. Any educated fan, one that takes information from credible sources from "in the business" can see the correlation between the WWE and substance related deaths in the wrestling business. Vince, Johnny Ace, (that freaking moron) Kevin Dunn, and all the half-assed writers in the back who were possessed of too little talent to be hired to write for any self-respecting comic book company or television network turn potential superstars into has-beens or never-wills in their mid 20s. For a guy like Lance Cade--the most recent wrestler to die from substance related causes--who had both the size and skill to make it big in the corporate wrestling world, it must have been torture having to put up with the ridiculous Hollywood garbage that the WWE writers and bookers come up with. It's no wonder the guy started to drink so heavily. He had to be on the road for a large majority of the year, taking part in angles so ridiculous that nobody over the age of twelve could take them seriously.

Of course, WWE now pays for wrestlers to go into rehab. They are now funding Scott Hall's most recent--but probably not final--trip to rehab. Instead of trying to attack to problems after they have already begun, how about the WWE takes a more proactive approach? Is it too much to ask that they treat their wrestlers (not sports entertainers!!!) with the least bit of dignity and respect that they deserve? How about they stop playing stupid little political games in the backstage? How about they attempt to return to the ways of a wrestling business where guys could succeed as opposed to being tossed away like garbage before they've even had a fair shot?

That's what I'd recommend, but what the hell do I know? I'm just a mark right?