Chris Benoit dead

[T_S_S_A]

Ken Kennedy has just posted this message on his official site at http://www.ken-kennedy.comPlease GOD, I'm just BEGGING for someone who has actually wrestled in a WWE ring in the past decade besides Jericho, Bret Hart, John Cena, and Ted Dibiase to come forward on one of these shows and tell the world what's really going on. For these goofs, like Lanny Poffo? UltimateWarrior? and Marc Mero???!! to repeatedly act as "experts" and "wrestler advocates" on the current situation is like having a frustrated ex-jock who rode the pine bench throughout his high school sports career give advice to Brett Favre on how to improve his game! It's ridiculous, insane, and it really makes me sick that these so called reporters like Bill O'Reilly, Nancy Grace, and Geraldo Rivera, call upon these silly bastards who are bitter and frustrated that their careers have ended to represent the WWE which of course makes all of us look like a bunch of babbling idiots who are all addicted to steroids, drugs, alcohol, etc.THINGS ARE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THEY WERE FIVE OR TEN OR TWENTY YEARS AGO! Most of the "expert", frustrated ex-wrestlers that they've had on the show came from an era where everyone wrestled every day and then went out and partied like rock stars until dawn, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, smoking cigarettes and marijuana, snorting cocaine, taking fistfuls of pills, and injecting massive amounts of steroids. They would take pills to go to sleep, snort coke or take speed to get up and do this day after day after day! This would not be even remotely tolerated in today's environment.We have a strict drug policy in place. The WWE's wellness program was designed and instituted by the same doctor who implemented the NFL and the NBA's substance abuse programs. Contrary to what somebody recently said on one of these "tabloid" shows the WWE's allowed levels are exactly the same as the NFL. (Someone, I can't recall exactly who said it, said that the WWE allowed a 10:1 Testosterone to Epitestosterone level, which is false. We have a 4:1 level exactly like the NFL and the NBA.) In fact, I knew of someone who took an over the counter supplement from GNC which he didn't know was on the banned list, which caused him to have an elevated testosterone level. This individual was suspended and fined because of it. We can't even take Ephedrine which is another legal supplement that can be bought at any gas station in the country. Since I've been with the company, I've seen the few people that did have problems with drugs either sent to rehab to try and help them overcome their addictions, (sent to one of the top rehab facilities in the country and paid for in full by the WWE) or be fired for repeat offenses.Look at the list of wrestlers who have prematurely passed away over the years, and most of them made the decision to live their lives this way. That's right, I said "made the decision" because we have this cool thing in the United States of America called "freedom of choice". I have the choice to quit my job if I don't like it, or if I feel that I'm on the road too much. I have the right to choose whether or not I want to break the law and use drugs. I have the right to choose between eating healthy food and exercising regularly and eating fast-food three times a day, not going to the gym, and becoming obese like a good majority of the citizens in this country. When will individuals be held accountable for their own actions? Will it ever happen, or will we always try and point the finger at someone else? Unfortunately as much as I respect the man, Superstar Billy Graham is ultimately responsible for the health problems he suffers from right now because of the choices he made in his career. I find it both sad and humorous that the man who many say is largely responsible for starting the whole "steroid craze" in pro-wrestling is now pointing the finger at the industry rather than blaming himself.I, like everyone else in the company, have the luxury of being able to go home almost every week, play with my dog, hang out with my girlfriend, sleep in my own bed, and eat good home cooked food. This wasn't the case with these frustrated ex-wrestlers who are trying to grasp on to FIVE more minutes of fame and recognition.I hear some of these guys talking about how the WWE doesn't have any type of benefits. I heard Johnny Grunge's widow on Nancy Grace saying that wrestling leaves you with nothing, and that two weeks after her husband was released from WCW that they lost their cars and their home. It apparently wasn't obvious to Nancy Grace, who is reportedly an extremely intelligent person, that they were obviously living outside of their means, and they weren't doing something that my parents taught me to do when I was a little kid

[Finlay]

Old Kenny boy didn't exactly miss anyone and hit the wall there did he???

[BurningHammer]

That (Kennedy's web commentary) reads like an unedited WWE press release. I hardly think Mero and Poffo were on the top of the lists when the producers of the news shows needed guests to talk about the matter. The reason they got on was due to WWE deciding not to allow any current employees on these shows, even though I would imagine some of them could have done a decent job of representing themselves and the company.

[freaky]

The reason they got on was due to WWE deciding not to allow any current employees on these shows, even though I would imagine some of them could have done a decent job of representing themselves and the company.

Probably not Flair though, considering how Kanyon tied him up in knots on Howard Stern a while back.

[BurningHammer]

I'm thinking more along the lines of Regal, HHH (gotta protect the missus' inheritance after all) and a few others.

[TheBigBoot]

What about JBL?

 

*Thinking from WWE's point of view here*

 

He can talk, has a world of media experience, is known for being loyal to the company and was friends with Benoit (so much like Jericho he could give the human picture of Benoit, whilst at the same time he'd tow the company line on drug testing). Also unlike Cena or Hunter if/when the host asks him if he'd used steroids and he denied it the viewing public wouldn't be as suspicious.

 

I agree Regal would be good as well for much the same reasons.

Edited July 12, 2007 by TheBigBoot

[Dirty Eddie]

No, I don't think he looked different from SummerSlam '92 but the fact is that was only a couple of months earlier - if I thought it was THAT drastic I would have said "compare to SummerSlam that year when he was MASSIVE by comparison". However, if you look at Hart from even The Hart Foundation's final run as a tag team, to Bret's days as WWF champion there is a difference.

Regardless of who is or isn't on steroids, growth hormone, etc. (and I'd be surprized if the majority haven't tried them at some point) the fact is that the vast majority of guys have gotten bigger for their main event pushes.

That point has nothing to do with who was or wasn't on drugs of any kind. I will however say that the years in which the Hitman was at his lightest also coincide with the years of the steroid scandals (towards the end of his run he bulked up again a bit: I make no claim that that was in anyway "unnatural" just that he did get bigger once again). Was the fact that McMahon wanted to put the title on someone who looked like more of an athlete than a bodybuilder a coincidence? I don't think so.

You clearly stated that The Hitman looked different to his 88/89 look (where he had a much larger upper body), but Loligan ignored that and starting putting words in your mouth, much like he did when I countered his points.When Edge came back from his serious injury a year or two ago he was huge, and it seems that after Eddie died he got wise and just said "screw it, no more juice for me".

[Bix]

HBK won't be far off the 200lbs mark either I would imagine.

What? He looks like an AIDS patient.

With comments like that, is it really any wonder WWE thinks it's guys need to be a certain size?

I didn't mean it like that at all.There's a difference between Shawn Michaels and someone like Brian Kendrick. Michaels actually looks sickly, Kendrick just looks small.

How does Michaels look sickly? Now that is crazy talk my friend. Have you seen Michaels up close in person? He looks like he has one of the healthiest, most natural physiques in the whole of the WWE. Now Lashley..............HE looks sickly!!!

He looks like Kirk from Gilmore Girls with a cancer-inducing tan and creepy white lips.

[TheBigBoot]

No, I don't think he looked different from SummerSlam '92 but the fact is that was only a couple of months earlier - if I thought it was THAT drastic I would have said "compare to SummerSlam that year when he was MASSIVE by comparison". However, if you look at Hart from even The Hart Foundation's final run as a tag team, to Bret's days as WWF champion there is a difference.

Regardless of who is or isn't on steroids, growth hormone, etc. (and I'd be surprized if the majority haven't tried them at some point) the fact is that the vast majority of guys have gotten bigger for their main event pushes.

That point has nothing to do with who was or wasn't on drugs of any kind. I will however say that the years in which the Hitman was at his lightest also coincide with the years of the steroid scandals (towards the end of his run he bulked up again a bit: I make no claim that that was in anyway "unnatural" just that he did get bigger once again). Was the fact that McMahon wanted to put the title on someone who looked like more of an athlete than a bodybuilder a coincidence? I don't think so.

You clearly stated that The Hitman looked different to his 88/89 look (where he had a much larger upper body), but Loligan ignored that and starting putting words in your mouth, much like he did when I countered his points.When Edge came back from his serious injury a year or two ago he was huge, and it seems that after Eddie died he got wise and just said "screw it, no more juice for me".

Ah yes, I wasn't sure exactly what point Loligan was on about / arguing with. It seems it was one he created himself.

[TheBigBoot]

Please GOD, I'm just BEGGING for someone who has actually wrestled in a WWE ring in the past decade besides Jericho, Bret Hart, John Cena, and Ted Dibiase to come forward on one of these shows and tell the world what's really going on.

Dr. Shawn Stasiak (who certainly did wrestle in the WWE this decade - in fact he was signed TWICE withing the last ten years):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atdTxp0PoTA&NR=1 Edited July 12, 2007 by TheBigBoot

[Finlay]

HBK won't be far off the 200lbs mark either I would imagine.

What? He looks like an AIDS patient.

With comments like that, is it really any wonder WWE thinks it's guys need to be a certain size?

I didn't mean it like that at all.There's a difference between Shawn Michaels and someone like Brian Kendrick. Michaels actually looks sickly, Kendrick just looks small.

How does Michaels look sickly? Now that is crazy talk my friend. Have you seen Michaels up close in person? He looks like he has one of the healthiest, most natural physiques in the whole of the WWE. Now Lashley..............HE looks sickly!!!

He looks like Kirk from Gilmore Girls with a cancer-inducing tan and creepy white lips.

Sadly I don't know the comparison but I'd bloody like to see it

[Kenny McBride]

Kennedy's a dick. Didn't he notice that Billy Graham DOES take full personal responsibility for his condition and DOESN'T blame McMahon or WWE in any way whatsoever?

[TheBigBoot]

Please GOD, I'm just BEGGING for someone who has actually wrestled in a WWE ring in the past decade besides Jericho, Bret Hart, John Cena, and Ted Dibiase to come forward on one of these shows and tell the world what's really going on.

Dr. Shawn Stasiak (who certainly did wrestle in the WWE this decade - in fact he was signed TWICE withing the last ten years):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atdTxp0PoTA&NR=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atdTxp0PoTA&NR=1</a>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atdTxp0PoTA&NR=1/url]

Okay, five minutes of research also reveals...Brian Christopher (who made his official WWF debut ten years ago and has since been fired for drug use only to be re-hired and fired again):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytHZks-QWxIChyna (who made her WWF debut in 1997 and didn't become a full-time wrestler with the company until as recent as eight years ago and was at her most popular just SEVEN years ago) on Greta Van Susteren: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=h1tIJA_tM7w&NR=1 Road Warrior ANIMAL (thanks CheepSheep) (who had a run in WWE as recently as last year): http://youtube.com/watch?v=dlgzdyGSPJwBill DeMott and Debra (both of whom only worked for WWE in this last decade and in DeMott's case were employed until earlier THIS YEAR):http://youtube.com/watch?v=fGSlkgEuJ3sMarc Mero (who admittedly wrestled his last match in 1998 so I can give him that one) and Steve Blackman (who made his WWF debut in 2001 and was a regular until 2001) on* :1.) Scarborough Country MSNBC (1st Appearance), with Dave Meltzer: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5k2U2PmKfCU2.) Scarborough Country MSNBC (2nd Appearance), with Irv Muchnick: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ip_woGjaK1k3.) Scarborough Country MSNBC (3rd Appearance),:http://youtube.com/watch?v=PMbDRJzcwR04.) Nancy Grace: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DQleKcJZNysIt's very easy for Kennedy to say:

Most of the "expert", frustrated ex-wrestlers that they've had on the show came from an era where everyone wrestled every day and then went out and partied like rock stars until dawn, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, smoking cigarettes and marijuana, snorting cocaine, taking fistfuls of pills, and injecting massive amounts of steroids. They would take pills to go to sleep, snort coke or take speed to get up and do this day after day after day! This would not be even remotely tolerated in today's environment.

As if they are all bitter (well okay some of them are) "old-timers" who wouldn't have made it the last ten years but all of the above not only worked there in the last ten years but with the exception of Mero they all worked for the WWF/E right up until 2001 and in many cases a lot more recently than that. Blackman was even on the same panel with the guys Kennedy just praised! * Had to put numbers there to get that straight, as I was getting confused since Mero and Blackman have done so many appearances together. And I heard Mero was supposed to be part of that panel on Larry King along with Blackman again. Do they come as a "set" or something? They do make a cute couple though, especially when they argue. Edited July 12, 2007 by TheBigBoot

[WHERES LEROY]

Road Warrior Hawk (who had a run in WWE as recently as last year):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dlgzdyGSPJw

 

Wrong Road Warrior, man. He just wrestled like he was dead.

[DJ Kris]

Well I thought that was a pretty good read, maybe he shouldn't have said 10 years though, because that's going back to a time when surely the schedule was more hectic than ever (just a guess). Within the last 3-5 years would be more appropriate, or at least since Eddie's death. Personally, I'd like to see an interview with someone who was in WWE as recently as say Jericho, is not looking for a job with them and does not have an ax to grind. In other words, an unbiased fair and balanced view. Does such a person exist?I'd also like to see WWE's fantastic Wellness Policy scrutenized and proved to be of the claimed standard. By that, I don't mean sacking a referee for drug use.