Crazy Pro Wrestling Stories
In observance of Star Wars Day, we are taking a short drive into the dark side of pro wrestling. There’s a great documentary called The Dark Side of the Ring that we highly recommend checking out if you’re a fan. We covered how important the first-ever fan-free Wrestlemania was earlier this April 2020. While fans were happy to have some form of live entertainment to watch with all sports leagues currently shut down, there’s a dark side of pro wrestling that might not be talked about enough.
Today is also MCA day, one-third of the legendary hip hop group who left us far too early back on May 4th, 2012. We commemorate MCA right here as part of our Hip Hop Chronicles.
Crazy Pro Wrestling Stories – Addiction
A lot like athletes in many pro sports, addiction is commonplace in pro wrestling. Pro sports take a toll on the body, and especially in wrestling.
Jake “The Snake” Roberts
Joe Rogan did an amazing podcast with Jake “the Snake” Roberts talking about this very topic. Roberts talked a lot about how “Diamond” Dallas Page helped him get sober after Roberts had been an alcoholic for many years. Roberts said that Page gets a buzz out of helping people. The main aspect of that was doing DDP Yoga. Rogan actually cried after hearing the story of a paratrooper who couldn’t walk but ended up running by the end of the program.
But the unfortunate part of the story is that Jake the Snake is a rarity. There are far too many former pro wrestlers who either overdosed or died early in life. And many of them who don’t develop addiction problems are tortured throughout their lives with many health issues.
Davey Boy Smith – Steroids and Painkillers
Davey Boy Smith and The British Bulldog were his ring names while he competed in the World Wrestling Federation in the United States.
On 18 May 2002, Smith suffered a heart attack while on holiday in Invermere, British Columbia, with his girlfriend, Bruce Hart’s estranged wife Andrea Redding. The man was 39 years old. Although forensic scientist Julie Evans found steroids and painkillers in Smith’s system, they were not life-threatening. Smith died, instead, from natural causes associated with an enlarged heart, she concluded. In his own words, Bruce Hart said, “Davey paid the price with steroid cocktails and human growth hormones.” Two funeral services were held, one by Andrea and one by the Hart family.
Even Darker Stories of Pro Wrestling
While addiction and mental health problems are difficult enough, there’s an even darker side of pro wrestling where wrestlers take it to the extreme.
Chris Benoit: Wrester that killed his family
A high-profile case of this is Chris Benoit. Benoit murdered his wife and son and then took his own life in 2007. The two main theories of why Benoit did what he did is steroids and concussions. Wrestlers doing steroids in the 1990s and early 2000s were commonplace because wrestlers weren’t tested for doing them as much as they are now.
The other theory was that all of the concussions Benoit sustained throughout his 23-year career. Benoit took many blows to the head and his finisher was actually a flying headbutt. Those flying headbutts off the top rope probably did more damage to him than to his opponents. This eventually led to some serious brain damage for Benoit, which could have been one of the reasons he snapped.
More on LoudNewsNet:
- Best Hip Hop Albums of All Time
- Rhymesayers drops Prof and Dem Atlas Amid Accusations of Sexual Assault and Misogyny
- Meth Vs. Chef (Who’s Better?)
Keep it Loud!
Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed our short dive into the Dark Side of Pro Wrestling. This was a dark one, but as fans, it’s important for us to understand the dark side. Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok – @loundnewsnet on all platforms. Keep it locked on LoudNewsNet.com, and check back often as we continue to grow our Loud Originals section. Let us know what you’d like to see us cover. Stay safe, stay healthy Loud Fam!