CTXRussomark Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 It was touched upon in the 'minor news items' thread, but I've always wondered what the story is with WWE-sponsored rehab. Essentially, why do WWE pay for the rehab of so many wrestlers who aren't on their books? I'm sure I've read recently about the likes of Maven, Sunny and many others, some of whom even fell foul of the company, having their rehab paid for by WWE. Plus, it's not like they're cleaning these guys up with a view to bring them back, so why do they shell out? Guilt? Obligation? It's not like they plaster it all over their website for PR. They may not actively promote it but it gives them an immediate point of defense whenever any negative publicity comes their way. Any time the death toll is brought up thesedays you can guarantee the Wellness Policy and the sponsored rehab will be the first things mentioned. And in the case of the recent Scott Hall documentary it manages to paint the company in an extremely good light even when connected to such a negative story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted August 1, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 1, 2012 (edited) WWE paid for X-Pac and Scott Hall's rehab out of Triple H and Vince's personal accounts a few years before Benoit or Eddie died, though. They occasionally did their pals a turn if need be, but yeah their current policy is all a public relations thing. If they didn't feel they had to, they probably wouldn't. Â WWE Celebrity Rehab for the Network would be awesome. There's one for the Network. Edited August 1, 2012 by The_BarbarIAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members bAzTNM#1 Posted August 1, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 1, 2012 (edited) Don't know exactly where to put this, but I was looking at a local Glasgow regional newspaper just there and it was advertising Alexandra Park's "Fun Day" and it mentioned that a wrestling show would be happening right in the middle of the park. Event was last Saturday there supposedly. Anybody know what promotion it was and whereabouts in the park it was held? Â Thanks! Edited August 1, 2012 by bAzTNM#1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vamp Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 It was touched upon in the 'minor news items' thread, but I've always wondered what the story is with WWE-sponsored rehab. Essentially, why do WWE pay for the rehab of so many wrestlers who aren't on their books? I'm sure I've read recently about the likes of Maven, Sunny and many others, some of whom even fell foul of the company, having their rehab paid for by WWE. Plus, it's not like they're cleaning these guys up with a view to bring them back, so why do they shell out? Guilt? Obligation? It's not like they plaster it all over their website for PR. Â I'm going to be less cynical than others. Vince McMahon, for all his supposed faults, seems a hell of a lot like a really enthusiastic family man to me.One of his trusted, and obviously quite loved, employees murdered his family. I don't think the WWE's response was entirely a PR move, I think you have to have the feeling that the company was pretty shocked by it all. They probably don't want to see any more friends (and lots of former allumni do seem to stay in touch) go the same way as Benoit. I really do think that without the competition the WWE see themselves as a family now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonworden Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Why did Sid leave the WWF in 97? His Wikipedia page doesnt say why, so it was just two months after headlining Mania, and he was gone. Why? Also, why wasnt he picked up by WCW for a whole two years? I assume it was because of the AA incident, but did AA have much stroke back then? Combined with the fact that it happened 4 years ago (a lifetime in wreatling), who had it in for Sid back then. Hogan? Bischoff? He must have had much bigger enemies than AA to not get signed in 97.    On an unrelated note, Ive been watching the Clash of the Champions comp, and have a question. What the hell happened to Lex Luger? My knowledge of early 90's WCW is poor, so how did Luger go from the guy in the match against Flair in 1990, to (two and a half years later) be The Narcissist, and never having a good match again? Even factoring in he was wrestling Flair, he still put in one hell of a shift in the match, and after it finished, I was wondering at what point did he turn from that guy, to the Luger I remember from the 90's. Was it the WWF switch, or did it happen at the end of his WCW run? Luger had plenty of good matches after his return to WCW from the WWF. 97 in particular was a class year for Big Lex.  It is true Luger had plenty of good matches in 1997 of WCW. The problem with Luger was though that he got tired of wrestling in 1991 and only began wrestling in the WWF when the WBF collapsed and they needed to get there money from him. According to Wrestlecrap among other things I have read he realised he could get the same pop doing much less in the ring and essentially became lazy especially in his WWF run and post 1997 WCW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Ronnie Posted August 2, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 2, 2012 It was touched upon in the 'minor news items' thread, but I've always wondered what the story is with WWE-sponsored rehab. Essentially, why do WWE pay for the rehab of so many wrestlers who aren't on their books? I'm sure I've read recently about the likes of Maven, Sunny and many others, some of whom even fell foul of the company, having their rehab paid for by WWE. Plus, it's not like they're cleaning these guys up with a view to bring them back, so why do they shell out? Guilt? Obligation? It's not like they plaster it all over their website for PR. I'm still sticking with what I wrote in the other thread. Vince could always have chosen to pay for people he cares for to attend rehab (and has done so in the past) but there was no need to extend it to all people who have had a cup of coffee in the wrestling industry. Even people whom he hates (Nailz, for example) have access to the system should they choose to.  Vince made it very clear in his Waxman testimony that he feels no responsibility for the choices of others - and even if you're someone who thinks he ought to with regards to his own wrestlers (and I don't), why should he for people that he's never heard of, or people who spent five minutes in WWE but decades elsewhere? It doesn't make sense for him to do that, except that the deaths of Guerrero and Benoit put his firm in a very vulnerable position and he needed to adopt a defence to deflect some of the flak that was going to come his way. "I'm not responsible for anything but I don't want anyone in the wrestling industry who has these problems to go without treatment so will pay for it" paints a pretty good picture.  Anyway, back to his Waxman testimony:  Vince McMahon: So again as a magnanimous gesture all we can do is reach out to some of those former guys and the people I don't even know on that list [of wrestlers who died young] and don't even know why they died, people like that, to reach out to that have put on a pair of tights and called themselves a professional wrestler. So that's all I can do is say, hey, if you have a problem we would be happy to help you and pay for all of it. In terms of things of the past, I can't control the past, guys. Nobody can control the past. The past is what it is. What I am concerned with, however, is the present, which is why we have this Wellness Policy, to make certain that our talent, while they're under contract to us, have good habits and can perform at their highest level and be well. That to me is my responsibility, and I don't take it lightly. I can't be held responsible for deaths that have nothing to do with me. I won't accept that. David Leviss: What led you to make, you the company, to make the magnanimous gesture of offering counseling services to current or former employees or contractors? [He says "counseling services" but the context is free treatment to all wrestlers and followed "And we've been told by Mrs. McMahon that you all front the cost of such counseling or treatment." McMahon acknowledged in the previous paragraph that it also applies to people who haven't worked for WWE.]  Vince McMahon: Two words. Public relations. That's it. I do not feel any sense of responsibility for anyone of whatever their age is who has passed along and has bad habits and overdoses for drugs. Sorry, I don't feel any responsibility for that. Nonetheless, that's why we're doing it. It is a magnanimous gesture.  I don't think Vince is the devil that many often make him to be at all and I'm aware that he is capable of great kindness. But I really don't think that paying for rehab for some smackhead kid that wrestled once for Backyard Wrestling Unlimited is anything that he should consider doing even if he were extraordinarily philanthropic, and I don't think that Vince believes that either. I think his Waxman testimony pretty much reflects his real feelings, that he's not responsible for poor choices by others and the free-treatment set-up owes itself to PR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted August 2, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 2, 2012 According to Wrestlecrap among other things I have read he realised he could get the same pop doing much less in the ring and essentially became lazy especially in his WWF run and post 1997 WCW. Â After Luger's 5 day title reign and realization that he was only keeping Hogan busy until the Sting programme, he must have noticed how far down the pecking order he was dropping. Being asked to put Bagwell over at Starrcade just four months after winning the title must have hurt like a Lex Flexer to the ballbag. Â He's already below Sting and DDP on the card, then with the nWo split and emergence of Goldberg he probably thought "well, they'll never push me at the top again whether I try or not, then again they'll no doubt pay me whether I try or not." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moofasa Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Was just reading an article on Sensational Sherri. It said her last appearance on tv was offering her managerial services to Robert Roode. I remember the angle with Roode ending up with Traci Brooks. But which other former managers offered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jaffa Posted August 2, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 2, 2012 Are The Rock and Brock Lesner mates in real life? Â I know it's a dumb mark question but i'd always assumed that they were on good terms seeing as Rock put Brock over so strongly at Summerslam and that they were always chummy at UFC events but Brock seemed a bit iffy over Rock's attitude in his book. Â Anyone know anything to settle my curiosity on this subject? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted August 2, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 2, 2012 (edited) Was just reading an article on Sensational Sherri. It said her last appearance on tv was offering her managerial services to Robert Roode. I remember the angle with Roode ending up with Traci Brooks. But which other former managers offered? Bobby Heenan, James Mitchell, Simon Diamond and Shane Douglas. And he picked Traci Brooks and unveiled her in the pre-game show of Bound For Glory 2006. She was such a good manager that she couldn't get him a spot on the actual PPV to unveil her services. Â Brock seemed a bit iffy over Rock's attitude in his book. That book wasn't Brock Lesnar talking, though. It was Paul Heyman writing it and basing Lesnar's "yes/no" answers around his own agenda. Look at who he buries and who he puts over. Its a book full of made up shit and wrestling style hyperbole. Lesnar should love Rock. Rock put him over in a fashion loads of other headliners wouldn't have. Â And to the best of my knowledge they are mates. That book was always going to be shit with Heyman writing it. Edited August 2, 2012 by The_BarbarIAN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kata Ha Jime Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Anyone catch "Sting's announement" on Xplosion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members WWFChilli Posted August 2, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 2, 2012 Was just reading an article on Sensational Sherri. It said her last appearance on tv was offering her managerial services to Robert Roode. I remember the angle with Roode ending up with Traci Brooks. But which other former managers offered? Bobby Heenan, James Mitchell, Simon Diamond and Shane Douglas. And he picked Traci Brooks and unveiled her in the pre-game show of Bound For Glory 2006. She was such a good manager that she couldn't get him a spot on the actual PPV to unveil her services. Â Colonel Rob Parker was another one of the managers. TNA only ever did this angle once I think, WWE did a few of these 'Mangers vying for a talent' angles though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sphinx Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Are there any more details on why WWE have stopped unblurring the WWF scratch logo? Was the ban only for 10 years? Makes sense to me ad the first WWE PPV was Judgment Day 2002 (May) and some DVDs such as Triple H: That Damn Good and The Rock: Just Bring It which came out afterwards had umblurred WWF logos. I reckon the deal must have been confirmed around July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JNLister Posted August 3, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 3, 2012 Supposedly they recently worked out a deal with the WWF because they didn't want the hassle of doing all the blurring and audio editing when they do the WWE network. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jaffa Posted August 3, 2012 Paid Members Share Posted August 3, 2012 Can anyone find me a video of the Kurt Angle interview that follows this Cena, Edge and Mysterio vs Benoit, Guererro and Angle match from Smackdown in either July or August 2002? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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