The MeeThinks Saturday Spectacular 07.21.07

Rock & Roll.

(note: the super-cool column banner should, barring any other wrestler tragedies, be back in action for next week’s column. This week is loaded with heavy stuff and what should be the last of the Benoit fallout — for a while, at least — so it should be back to business as usual come next Saturday. I hope!).

Benoit Family Toxicology Results Revealed
Former WWE Champ Had Ten Times Normal Testosterone Levels

Every major media outlet and their brother has been spinning, sensationalizing, and reporting on this story since the toxicology results were revealed during a press conference held Tuesday afternoon. Surprisingly, while all of the vultures and spin doctors from BOTH sides of the spectrum were doing their best to present *their* version of the story as the “official” one, the Internet Movie Database, a simple movie website, was actually the most succint and “balanced” in their coverage of this story — a one-paragraph summary of the press conference and its findings. The following appeared on Wednesday on IMDb’s daily stuio briefing:

Late wrestling star Chris Benoit had 10 times the normal level of testosterone in his body when he murdered his wife and son in June, according to investigators. The WWE fighter, 40, asphyxiated his wife Nancy and son Daniel on June 22 and 23 respectively, before hanging himself a day later at the family’s home in Georgia. On Tuesday, the Georgia Bureau Of Investigation confirmed that Benoit’s body contained testosterone, which he injected shortly before he died, the painkiller hydrocodone and anti-anxiety drug Xanax. However, Georgia’s most senior medical examiner, Dr. Kris Sperry, pointed out there was no evidence to prove steroids in Benoit’s system contributed to Nancy and seven-year-old Daniel’s deaths. Sperry said, “An elevation of that ratio does not translate into something abnormal in a person’s thought process or behavior.” Daniel had been sedated with Xanax, while Nancy had Xanax, hydrocodone and another painkiller hydromorphone in her system. Benoit’s physician, Dr. Phil Astin, has been charged with improperly prescribing drugs, including Percocet, Xanax, Lorcet and Vicoprofen between April 2004 and September 2005.

Well, there you have it then.

Inevitably, this has lead to all sorts of arguments as to whether or not the Benoit murders are the result of “roid rage.” The short answer? “Yes and no.” There is absolutely zero question that the guy had, in fact, been consuming copious amounts of SOME form of steroid — as evidenced by the testosterone in his tox report and the prescriptions found in his house. But then again, even though testosterone is, most certainly, *A* steroid… as Dr. Sperry noted, there is no reason to believe testosterone translates to full on “must kill wife and kid — but make sure to sedate kid first” behavior, and so you can see why both sides have a certain degree of plausible deniability to their respective claims.

That said —

The tests most certainly confirm that Benoit *was* on crazy amounts of testosterone at the time of his death. WWE isn’t releasing Benoit’s earlier test results to the public — and really, you can’t blame them for that as no matter WHAT they reveal people are gonna’ say WWE did the wrong thing — but so long as they (and Dr. Black, who oversees these tests) can say they tested for these sorts of things, and that Benoit passed his last test even if his levels were in the suspect range of more-than-4:1-but-less-than-10:1 (which they probably were) because he had a viable doctor’s note to account for the discrepancy (which again, is very likely)… legally speaking, they’re in the clear — even if they’ve already been convicted in the court of public opinion — and the burden then falls on the prescribing doctor to account for his role in this medical-anomaly-turned-family-tragedy.

All in all?

WWE’s gonna’ get beat up for this, and understandably so since it was one of “their guys” who’s at the front and center of this entire affair, not to mention that WWE is currently the biggest game in town when it comes to pro wrestling. But the bottom line? WWE didn’t kill Nancy Benoit and her seven-year-old son. Dr. Phil Astin didn’t either, nor did “the business,” “the drugs,” “the road,” “the stress,” “Johnny Grunge’s passing,” “Eddie Guerrero’s death,” or whatever else folks will trot out to explain away this most complicated and profound of tragedies. Yes, all of those things may well have played their part in shaping or shattering the mental state of the man responsible for this atrocity — but the simple, sad, and unavoidable truth to the matter is that Chris Benoit alone killed Nancy Benoit and his seven-year-old-son, Daniel. And disturbed, despondent, deranged or depressed though he may well have been — Chris Benoit alone is still responsible for his own actions.

Since the bombast machine is rolling full speed ahead, however…

Presidential Candidates to Debate Wrestling Deaths?!?
IWC, as Usual, Overreacts and Looks Stupid

You know, after the infamous “Wikipedia twist” to the Benoit story turned out to be bunk, you would THINK that any self-respecting IWC’er would second-guess themselves before falling right into the next best rumor to hit the world wide intrawebz. Sadly, this is nowhere near the case. Take, for example, this little gem of a newsbit — courtesy of Rajah.com

What do Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama think about the drugs and deaths in professional wrestling? We may find out very soon.

CNN is running commercials promoting the upcoming “YouTube Debates” among the 2008 United States presidential candidates. The questions asked of the candidates will come from user-submitted videos on Youtube. One of the questions that was featured in the commercial that will be asked of hte candidates asked about “pro wrestlers dying”.

We reported here last week that a US congressman from Florida is pushing for congressional hearings to regulate drugs in wrestling. It now looks like this issue is going straight to frontlines of the political arena.

Alright, first things first:

1) It’s “the,” and not “hte.”
2) “Front lines” is two words.
3) You’re an ass.

With the country as screwed up and divided as it is right now — immigration, stem cell research, gay marriage, gun control, abortion, war, capital punishment, alternate fuel sources, etc. — I guarantee you that fighting over a handful of dead wrestlers isn’t all that high on the priority list of those vying for the highest office in the land. Nor should it be.

Frankly, if CNN *did* air a commercial teasing a debate that would feature talk of “pro wrestlers dying,” I’m pretty sure they were just doing what they always do — sensationalizing the latest headline in order to garner a bigger rating for their next show. Regardless, *if*, by some small miracle, the YouTube debates actually do shift to talk of “pro wrestlers dying” (which I seriously doubt) — I can almost guarantee you that the issue will be addressed in a segment lasting two minutes tops, if that, as any candidate worth their salt could tell you that dead wrestlers don’t really compare to the gravity and scope of the other issues at stake in a national election.

It’s like…

“Yeah, Hillary’s a solid choice! Anti-war, pro alternative fuel source, looking to reform immigration, and a champion of education reform. But dammit, she’s against a congressional investigation of the Benoit murders. That’s it — I can’t vote for her!”

No disrespect, wrestling fans, but the US government really couldn’t give a crap about our favorite pseudo-sport passtime. Politicians will cash in on whatever’s popular and say whatever they need to in order to earn a few extra votes. But I assure you, as “big” as the dead wrestler scope is *to the wrestling community and its fans*… the rest of the world (including the US senate and beyond) simply couldn’t care less.

They’ve got other stuff to deal with — like hookers, diapers, and “all-night-lock-in-no-vote” stunts to pull, you know.

Diapers, you say?

US Senator Cops to Paying for Prostitution
Louisiana’s David Vitter Frequented Brothels & Drug Dens, Had Hookers Dress Him in Diapers

Sorry, this has absolutely nothing to do with professional wrestling whatsoever. I just thought it might be a nice way to set perspective on things, given the fact that some media types seem oh-so-fixated on pro athletes and their drug use despite the fact that there’s a bit of equally salacious high-level nonsense going on in, ya’ know, the offices of the people who shape the very laws of this nation.

See last week, US Senator David Vitter (R, Lousisiana), a married man and father of four, admitted to have spent the past several years frequenting brothels and paying prostitutes for sex and other favors (it should be noted that Vitter is a staunch opponent of gay marriage and an ardent supporter of abstinence-only education) Anyhow, at least one of the brothels Vitter frequented is under investigation for doubling as a modern-day opium den. And Vitter’s favorite trick at his D.C. “Love Shack?” Having a prostitute dress him in a diaper which he would then proceed to soil while she looked on.

Now THAT sounds like the kind of guy I want running *my* country, alright. But nevermind that. Let’s get back to putting that microscope on those all-important shameful athletic endeavors of the past seven days, eh?

Michael Vick Implicated in Dog Fighting Ring
Sixty-plus Pitbulls, Eight Dog Carcasses Found on Premises

I know this isn’t “wrestling news,” per se — but MeeThinks it it warrants mention here for two reason, as not only is this news particularly disturbing, it might also be tremendously insightful in light of the recent media hullabaloo following the Benoit family murders.

What’s that I hear — “WWE’s Wellness initiative is a joke, riddled with double-standards?” “The company makes patsies out of lower-tier talent while turning a blind eye to the infractions of top stars!”

Hi, Michael Vick. Meet Adam “Pacman” Jones. Earlier this year, Jones, who makes $1.3 million/year, was suspended from NFL play following a series of run-ins with state and local police — none of which have yet resulted in criminal convictions. Vick, who recently signed a 10-year, $130 million contract (an average of ten times more per year than Pacman Jones), said he “had no idea” that this lucrative dogfighting ring was taking place on his property, and is scheduled for arraignment on FEDERAL charges later this summer. Yet surprise, surprise, the NFL “agreed to let Vick play as the legal process determines the facts.”

Sounds like a pretty fine double-standard to Mee.

How about —

“WWE was wrong to pull all of their Benoit merchandise and to try and ‘erase’ him from being associated with the company?”

Say hello to Nike’s “Zoom Vick V,” which the company suspended production of following the Vick indictment, saying that “there was no way to justify… putting one more shoe on the shelf” at this point. While you’re at it, head on over to NFL.com and — once you sort through the dozens of OTHER news items that are plastered all over the company’s front page — you’ll see that WWE isn’t alone in trying to distance themselves from high-profile criminals.

And, of course —

Chris Benoit was a severely depressed individual, and his final actions were as inexcusable as they were wrong. But Chris Benoit didn’t set out to profit from his crimes, nor did he try to hide what he had done, and Chris Benoit didn’t kill for sport, entertainment, or profit. He killed his family alright, make no mistake about that — but we’ve got at least a few clues that point toward sedation and remorse (the bibles, for one). Granted, *any* manner of killing is wrong… but then again, Chris Benoit didn’t throw his victims into a pit and watch from the sidelines as they were torn to pieces, nor did he electrocute, drown, beat, hang, or shoot his victims while his buddies looked on for a laugh.

Make no mistake about it —

If what they’re saying about him turns out to be true, Michael Vick’s crimes by no means mitigate those of Chris Benoit or in any way make Benoit innocent… not by a longshot. But if this Vick stuff turns out to be true (and really now, I’ll give a man the benefit of the doubt to a certain point… but come ON here… “I didn’t see all of the dead carcasses, never once saw somebody I didn’t recognize come onto the grounds of my multi-million-dollar estate, and had absolutely no idea that those sixty pitbulls on my property were being used in dog fights?!”), it most certainly proves that Chris Benoit was not the only “monster” athlete out there in the world today. Murdering loved ones before taking one’s own life is a profound, complex, and heartwrenching tragedy — and unquestionably the product of a sick and deranged individual. But killing animals in elaborate ways for entertainment, sport and profit? Some might even say (and I’d be inclined to agree) that Michael Vick is *just* as disturbed as Chris Benoit was, if not even moreso, as his crimes weren’t just the case of one “roid rage weekend” or a “snap beyond the point of no return” — but rather a longstanding pattern of criminal behavior that is as flagrant and shameless as it is perverse, and inexcusable.

Since we mentioned “monster” athletes…

Two UFC Stars Test Positive for Steroids
UFC Light Heavyweight Champ and Challenger Both Fined, Suspended

Again, this isn’t strictly “wrestling” news — but it’s pretty darned important to the wrestling community as it comes directly on the heels of a major “steroid scandal” that is currently rocking the world of professional athletics.

Anyhow — just after his title defense in Nevada on July 7, UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Sean Sherk tested positive for Nandralone (Decadurabolin) against Hermes Franca. Sherk was fined $2500, stripped of his title, and banned from UFC competition for one year. And since talk of steroid ratios are all the rage these days, it’s worth noting that normal levels of Nandrolone range from 2 ng/mL (average person) to 6 ng/mL (for athletes engaged in rigorous activity). Sherk’s levels were 12 ng/mL — six times the norm and twice that of an average athlete.

Ivan Drago much?

Shortly after it was announced that Sherk had failed his test (and would be fined and suspended for one year), thus leading many to believe that the results of the fight would be overturned and Franca would be awarded the bout by default (not the case, as the bout was held in Nevada but the testing was done in California)… fans learned that Hermes Franca ALSO tested positive for Drostanolone, another steroid. He too was fined $2500 and suspended for one year.

What is interesting about Franca’s case is not particularly the fact that the guy did steroids (a pro athlete on drugs?! No freakin’ way!) — but rather just how eerily similar his statement on the matter was to recent quotes by current wrestlers and ex-wrestlers alike:

“About 8 weeks out from the fight, I badly injured my ankle during a training session. For the following week I had rested it, rehabbed it and tried to work around the injury. It was obvious that I could not train as required.”

“I contacted the UFC and explained my injury and how I could not possibly train to the level I thought I would need in order to be properly prepared for my fight. I asked the UFC if we could push the fight out to the following UFC with the chance that it could happen. They explained that they could not do that and that the card had been set and it isnt as easy as just moving around a fight. I totally understood their position. They asked me to keep them informed should I not be able to fight.

I had not fought for 5 months. Fighting is literally how I put food on my wife and child’s table and how I pay my bills. As a fighter though, even at this level, I live a simple life and I literally live from fight to fight. Not getting a paycheck for another few months and losing my chance to fight Sean for the title was overpowering. Fighting is the life I chose and I love it.”

As a lightweight fighter, our purses are comparatively small. The public sees the payouts. As lightweights, we do not pull down the money anything near the bigger guys. Its just the way it is. I think Sean fought and defended his title for less than $30,000. Its no ones fault, its just the market. I love the sport, I love the people in the sport.

At this point I was desperate and needed anything I could to get my injury as close to healing as possible and be able to recover from the daily training regimen I was going through. I made the shortsighted choice to hopefully accelerate the healing process and allow me to keep training. Under the pressure of literally not being able to pay next months bills I made a choice. I had to fight and did whatever I could to do so.”

–Source: MMAweekly.com

Hmm… I’m sensing a trend here:

1) Fighters (or “fighters”) don’t get paid if they don’t fight (or “fight”).

2) Promoters don’t bend over backwards to accomodate their talent.

3) Paydays for “smaller stars” at the lower level are less than those for “bigger stars” in the heavyweight ranks.

4) Many performers take shortcuts.

5) It’s mighty coincidental that two major UFC stars would suddenly get nailed for doping in the wake of the latest wrestling drug scandal, if I do say so myself. Now I’m not the type to call somebody a “fall guy,” mind you…

Draw your own conclusions, folks — but I just want to say that if you seriously think that steroids and “monster” athletes are strictly a “WWE problem” or even a “pro wrestling problem,” then you’re just fooling yourself.

Since this is a wrestling column and all… more bad news from the squared circle this week:

John Kronus Found Dead
Former ECW Tag Champ’s Body Discovered at Girlfriend’s Home

An official MeeThinks “rest in peace” to George Caiazo, the man behind the John Kronus in-ring personae. If I were being crass, I’d trot out the Junkyard Dog’s old Queen anthem and dance a modified Charleston while singing “…and another one bites the dust.” But that’d be classless, and I’m not that kind of columnist.

Anyhow —

Most fans probably remember Kronus as one half of The Eliminators back in the original ECW. Regardless of the fact that Kronus never wrestled for Vince McMahon or World Wrestling Entertainment, the bottom line here is that his death will probably be most significant as it helps keep the media fires burning as they continue their all-out assault on WWE. And fair enough, I suppose… as even though Kronus didn’t die on their watch — as the resident “big dog” in the biz, they inevitably are looked at as the “standard bearer” in the landscape of professional wrestling.

One additional wrinkle in all of this (that’s likely to be overlooked as folks crusade against all-things-wrestling) is that after his in-ring career drew to a close, Kronus found himself doing a fair bit of work in the world of adult entertainment. Of course, we all know that the porn industry is and always has been a notorious “clean” line of work that’s always (no pun intended) “on the up-and-up”. But inevitably, since Kronus *was*, at one time or another, a professional wrestler, his death will likely be added to the list of “dead wrestlers” rather than the equally-lengthy (and perhaps even more sordid) tome of “dead porn stars.”

Wait a second — I’m sensing yet *another* trend here:

Football players…
United States Senators…
Ultimate fighters…
Professional wrestlers…
Porn stars…

What’s that? There’s a new Lindsay Lohan movie opening next week!?!

In the immortal words of Shad and JTG: “Money, money, yeah, yeah…”

In lighter news…

Randy Savage Likely for Surreal Life
Former Champ to Co-star on VH1 Reality Series

In case you missed this one:

It appears that Randy Savage will be one of the cast members on for next season’s Surreal Life on VH1. Other cast members include Dabney Coleman, Miss Cleo, Carrot Top, Phil Hellmuth, and Nikki McKibbi. VH1 has yet to confirm the cast but many celebrity gossip sites are reporting the above names.

Hell. Freakin. YES.

Randy Savage is and always has been one of the most colorful, talented and naturally charismatic (if unbalanced) performers ever to grace the squared circle. Both in and out of the ring, whenever the Macho Man hits the screen fans *knew* they’d be in for something… well… unforgettable, to say the least. I mean, who can forget such classic Savage-isms as:

“HISTORY BECKONS THE MACH-O MAN!!!”

“Thinkin, thinkin, thinkin… OOOOooooh yeeeeeeeeeeeahhhh!”

And my personal favorite,

“Elizabet! Elizabet… will you marry me?”

In any case, I am most definitely looking forward to TiVo’ing the Madness and his antics on the next season of the Surreal Life. I think the bigger question, however, is now that Savage is all but confirmed as a new VH1 personality — will we be in store for a future media-junket throwdown with fellow VH1 mainstay and the star of “Hogan Knows Best?”

Should be good times regardless.

Wrestling Society X Box Set Announced
Short-Lived Promotion Receives 4-Disc Sendoff

Whoohoo! As cheezy as WSX was, I’m quite glad to see it headed to a DVD store near Mee all the same. If the box set is under $30, it’s really a no-brainer and should be absolutely worth checking out — even if you’re one of the show’s many critics and it’s only for the “train-wreck” factor of it all.

Regardless, despite the doubters, haters and critics — I called it back in April that WSX would receive a proper DVD box set before all was said and done, because “even if the show wasn’t particularly lucrative or successful — as George senior once told Mee, ‘there’s always money in the banana stand.’ And DVD box sets are the banana stand of the 21st century.”

Good to see MTv giving we few WSX fans a chance to catch up on what all we missed. Now if only Kaiju Big Battel could land themselves a weekly television gig!

Edge Out for Four Months
“Rated R Superstar” Tears Left Pectoral, Relinquishes World Title

And the infamous “Smackdown curse” continues, with yet ANOTHER World Champion sidelined due to injury shortly after holding the blue brand’s big gold belt. In the past two years alone, world title contenders from WWE’s Friday Night program have been dropping like flies. First Batista (heck, Eddie was right next to the big gold belt when he died, too), then Mysterio, then Undertaker, a near miss with Mr. “Money in the Bank” Kennedy, and now Edge…

Yeesh.

On the bright side (and I’m pretty sure that I’ll be one of very few folks to say this), Smackdown livened up its World title picture with a surprise champion in The Great Khali. Now sure, the guy can’t wrestle, talk, or sell an opponent’s offense — but at a time like this when WWE finds itself under intense media scrutiny for having “roided up” wrestlers all over their rosters (and, in turn, having many of those same “roided up” wrestlers “coincidentally” tearing muscles left and right as they navigate the drug/no-drug waters…) maybe Khali isn’t that bad of a choice after all. Heck, I’d even go as far as to say that The Great Khali is an AWESOME choice, for reasons kayfabe and non.

1) He’s naturally huge, which deflects any steroid allegations his way (not the case for Batista).

2) He won it in a battle royal, a match that (kayfabe) SHOULD favor a big guy.

3) He won it on Smackdown, and *not* on a big PPV — that way we didn’t spend good money to see it.

4) He’s big, ugly, mean and foreign… AND gets CRAZY boos from the mark crowd, even if it’s “for the wrong reasons.”

5) Even if he isn’t good in the ring, his record is still pretty damned impressive. He’s only lost a grand total of like THREE matches in his entire WWE career — two of ’em to Cena and one to ‘Taker. And one of ’em was disputed.

6) Injuries and the draft have left the blue brand’s roster pretty thin, and so it might not be a bad idea to let the show rest in a “holding pattern” for the next few weeks/months with a big, dominant heel champ surrounded by a few strong top-level babyfaces to “give chase” in order to help mask the lack of depth on the card.

and finally…

7) With how strongly the guy has been booked throughout his WWE tenure, whoever beats Khali is going to look like an absolute MACHINE for having done so.

If it’s not “ready-made” stars like Batista or Kane, then it’d most certainly be a hell of a launching pad for a guy on the level of the newly-revitalized Matt Hardy. Heck, even a back-from-injury Rey Mysterio title win (even if it’s 100% “unbelievable”) would definitely give the little guy a “shot in the arm” to welcome him back in a big way.

(And no, this wouldn’t be the same kind of “shot in the arm” that Mysterio apparently has been receiving, of late).

The MeeThinks Pay Per View Tracker

PPV season rolls forward this week with The Great American Bash! Last week, I killed it with a solid 5/7 for Victory Road — so let’s see if we can’t keep that momentum strong.

WWE New Year’s Revolution – N/A
TNA Final Resolution – 3/7
WWE Royal Rumble – 2/5
TNA Against All Odds – 2/9
WWE No Way Out – N/A
TNA Destination X – 4/9
WWE WrestleMania 23 – 4/8
TNA Lockdown – 7/9
WWE Backlash – 2/6
TNA Sacrifice – 5/9
WWE Judgment Day – 5/7
WWE One Night Stand – 7/8
TNA SlammiVersary – 3/8
WWE Vengeance – 8/9
TNA Victory Road – 5/7

Cumulative Total: 58/101
Percent Correct: 57.43%

Heck yeah — I’m comfortably past the half-way mark, so let’s see if I can’t push things even farther up the scale with another strong showing this week!

Sandman (Vince’s latest “curiosity”), Orton (sorry Dusty), MVP (nice try, Matt), Candice retains (too early for a switch), Umaga retains (if not, Jeff’s in for a solid push), Morrison retains (shenanigans), Khali retains (though I’d love to see Kane) and Cena retains (expect something fishy).

YouThinks Reader Mail

Eddie Maldonado gets us started:

Great article. I really think that until the WWE shows that it cares about its wrestlers, I wont be paying much attention to it any more. I think the final straw was when I heard that the loophole in the WWE wellness policy. Even if your on steroids, if you have a prescription from your primary caregiver for them, then you pass the test. That is a major loophole and the WWE knows it. I mean really, how hard would it be to find a crooked MD to write out those prescriptions. It shows me that the WWE gave itself a way to take the heat off after Eddie Guererro died, without really changing anything. It amazes me how many old wrestlers still try to stand up for the WWE. Congress needs to get in the WWE’s business, sooner than later.

-Eddie Maldonado

Thanks for the letter, Eddie. But like I pointed out earlier — congress simply has (or at the very least, SHOULD have) bigger fish to fry. Yeah, 100+ ex-grapplers have died far too young in the past 25 years… but in the past year, more than 1000 US soldiers were killed in Iraq. An additional 200+ people were murdered in 2007 in the capital city of Washington DC alone, and more than 3,500 pregnancies across the United States were ended by abortion EVERY DAY. Perspective, ya’ know?

Are wrestler deaths a problem, perhaps even an “epidemic?” No question. But until their numbers start closing in on the hundreds-to-thousands PER YEAR… sad as each of these cases are, nobody important is ever really going to care.

Greg Walden is up next with his thinks, which are likewise put off by the media’s handling of this “epidemic.”

Meehan,

You know something, I really tried to watch Nancy Grace on Friday, so I could see Finlay give the verbal smackdown to Marc Mero, or as was sometimes on the screen “Nero”, but that woman is so damn annoying! Almost everytime he tried to get a thought out, he would get about 10 words before she opened that black hole she calls a mouth. My favorite moment was when ol’ Johnny B. Badd himself said something about the boys or locker room, whatever, Finlay is like “You haven’t been in the WWE in the last EIGHT years, you have no idea what the locker room is like right now” and “If you choose to buy a $40,000 watch and stuff you don’t need and can’t pay for your insurance, that’s your own fault.” The only thing that would have made it better is Lil’ Bastard showing up wherever Mero was to start beating on him.

Oh, and another thing, is it me or does that list of wrestlers who have died keep growing? I think it’s gained about 40 names in the last two weeks… And like you proved with your list two weeks ago, quite a few were not working for the ‘E at the time and 35 died from causes having nothing to do with drugs. These so called “Infotainment” shows have found found one thing in this tragedy and it’s become their target. And to bring all these people who have been on to regain the last couple minutes of fading glory (and might I add a horrible way and time to do it as well…) that haven’t been in the business in quite some time, is sickening. “Hey, lets get Warrior Warrior to come on and speak about ‘roid rage! He’ll be a great interview!” Did this set any alarms off in peoples heads?

I think that the ‘E has been very smart in who they are sending to these shows and allowing to make very boisterous statments.

Cena. Well that’s a no brainer right there, put the guy who appeals to a majority of your audience and makes you a ton of money out there as one of your representatives, plus the guy can be well-spoken when he has to be, and your golden.

Finlay. 30 years of being in this business. 30 years. That’s more than some people work at a job in the ‘real’ world. Plus, again, he can be well-spoken and like you said, he’s been around both sides of the business.

Kennedy. That statement of his was spot on with everything that’s been wrong on the “Infotainment” shows the last two weeks. And come on, he’s got the power of McMahon behind him, he’s using the man’s middle name…

And I sure as hell hope that Jericho comes back to the ‘E sometime soon. He’s been another that has been “towing the company line” without actually working there…

Wow, did this kinda drag on… Anyway, love reading the report every week.

– Greg Walden

Thanks for writing, Greg. The Nancy Grace program was abysmal, and there were a LOT more problems than the woman’s voice alone (though that was quite a bear all the same).

1) “Marc Mero, who competed as “Nero” during his time with WWE…”

2) The Nancy/Daniel memorial charity contact info was flashed on the screen for LITERALLY ONE AND A HALF SECONDS. For a host as “outraged” and “saddened” by this tragedy as Nancy Grace claims to be, wouldn’t it make a little more sense to, ya’ know, pay due tribute to the victims and their charity?

3) In a particularly sloppy show of journalism, the screen printed an “excerpt of the WWE steroid policy,” which said that drug testing had been in place since (and I quote) “198.” Yes folks, ONE NINE EIGHT — THEY DIDN’T EVEN BOTHER TO MAKE THE DATE LOOK LIKE AN ACTUAL YEAR!!!

Half-cocked and sloppy all around, and so I for one am a lot more willing to cut folks like Cena a break for “towing the company line,” guys live Finlay a free pass for “getting angry and screwing up his facts,” and guys like Kennedy some slack for coming off equally half-cocked in his ill-advised comebacks. Two wrongs don’t make a right, mind you… but it’s pretty laughable to presume that we should hold pro wrestlers to a higher standard of factual accuracy than we hold PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS.

Speaking of the journalistic smackdown, though… Ian Migala posed a pretty good question:

If Ken Kennedy and Eric Bischoff are complaining about retired wrestlers hitting the talk show circuit, why doesn’t WWE talent do the same and clear the air? They would put forth a cooperative face and get some mainstream exposure for the talent. If they’re busy, there’s HHH and his recovering quad. I know that Cena was on Larry King with a large group of guys, but otherwise about all I see from them are posts on their personal websites. Just wondering.

Regards,

– Ian

Good question, Ian. The most obvious answer is that WWE and the wrestling business (as Lance Storm has said on a number of occassions of late) is something of an outgrowth from the old-timey “carny” days when promoters and performers alike were deeply entrenched in the “don’t break the code of silence” mindset (that’s where we get the modern-day term and notion of “kayfabe” — wrestling’s equivalent of “what happens on the screen is ‘real’, what happens behind the scenes is off-limits”). Not surprisingly, many of the wrestling types have been conditioned to “play their cards close to the chest” and not to allow themselves to bite when the media types start in with the “tough” questions.

That said, WWE has, of late, gradually been allowing a few additional performers to “make the rounds” and speak up on behalf of the company where appropriate — but they’ve gotta’ be careful as to WHO they let do the talking (don’t want guys looking like Batista saying “there are no steroids in wrestling”), WHAT they are saying (can’t let hotheads like Orton get behind a live mic), HOW they are saying it (so Lashley’s out), and WHO they’re saying it to (O’Reilly, for example, is just bad business all around).

Anyhow — you’re absolutely right that some performers (Cena, Jericho and Dibiase, in particular) have done a tremendous job in “classing up the image” while remaining (more or less) objective about what they have to say. Problem is, ANYBODY on a WWE payroll will be automatically dismissed as “just saying what he needs to keep his job,” and so it really doesn’t serve WWE all that well to trot out any more folks than they have to when they know darned well that anything their talent has to say can and will be used against them in the court of public opinion and “the-host-always-gets-the-last-word.”

Fellow Catholic U alum Chris Regal had some Thinks to share on this topic as well:

really great piece of writing buddy. this may have been one of your stronger sets of arguments, especially in a time where defending wwe is so difficult. that kennedy blog realyl is the back-breaker, becuase anyone who knows him knows his injuries and (if i remember correctly) suspension under the wellness policy. i really wish everyone didnt have to be so tight-lipped about everything so that you really could get the honesty out of wrestlers that fans (and nay-sayers) love. i know my support for kennedy (and even cena) has risen since ive seen theyre composure and presentation of the company in such a difficult time. same for jericho. these guys are articulate, informed, intelligent, and certainly not just meat-head brain-dead rasslers of peoples childhood.

in the end, as terrible as this is, it could at the very least create a new crop of stars which people are very willing to get behind due to their positive reactions to the benoit thing.

again, great work. keep it real son.

-chris

Well said, Chris — and I couldn’t agree more.

And With That… I’m Outta’ Here

That’ll do it for Mee this week, folks. Thanks again for putting up with a slew of non-wrestling news this time around, as MeeThinks there’s a great deal of perspective to be gained from being a fan of professional wrestling at a time like this. Till next week, enjoy the PPV, try not to let the media jerk you around too much, and always stay positive.

– Meehan