Let's jump right in. Over the last ten years or so, pro wrestling has witnessed many deaths, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Curt Hennig, Road Warrior Hawk, Umaga, Big Boss Man to name a few. With the those deaths, the media has had a field day blaming pro wrestling and drugs. And the segment ESPN did on Scott Hall didn't help.No matter how you try to defend it, people will believe what they want. Well I'm going to give you my unbiased take.
Is there drugs in wrestling? If by that you mean are there wrestlers that use drugs, then my answer is, yes. Just like there are football players, basketball players, rock stars, MMA fighters, and actors that use drugs. Now I'm not justifying it by any means, but it happens. The industry of pro wrestling should not be blamed, however. We all, for the most part, are grown ass men. Nobody, in wrestling or otherwise, has ever forced me to smoke weed, drink liquor, snort cocaine, pop pills, or shoot steroids. Anybody who has ever done such, has done by their own accord. Some wrestlers do drugs, just because, Some do it, to "fit in." Some wrestlers have legitimately taken pain pills and got hooked. Whatever the reason, we have a choice.
The media takes the extreme cases of drug and alcohol abuse and run with it. Recently with the Scott Hall story on ESPN, wrestling gets another black eye. Now I'm not saying partying and what not doesn't happen. Sometimes we party, too much. I'm guilty of that myself. I can honestly say that no promoter, booker, or matchmaker has ever told me to take steroids, take a drink, etc. I'm sure the majority of wrestlers can agree. Me, as well as others, have been told to get in shape, lose weight, get bigger, tone up, and so on. Now the means by which a wrestler goes by that, is their choice. Some choose to do it naturally and some don't. Just like with pain pills, some take it for legit purposes, others for recreation. They're still addictive regardless. Again. I'm guilty of having indulging in things I maybe shouldn't have, but it was my choice.
The one thing the media doesn't do, is tell you about the "boy scouts" of wrestling. Now there is a guy in WWE who refers to his lifestyle as straightedge. I can't vouch for that, because I don't know him personally. There are two guys in this area that come to mind. when I think of "boy scout" in wrestling, Alan Steel and Frankie Tucker. Now I'm speaking from what I've seen at the wrestling shows and how they carry themselves. What they do at home, is unknown to me. I've never seen any of the guys drink, take a pill, snort, hell not even smoke a cigarette. Alan will goes as far as putting the hurt on someone who has overindulged. As far as Frankie, the only "drug" I've seen him take is caffeine, and that's because it's in the coffee he drinks before his matches.
Now I'm not pointing my finger or anything. I'm certainly not innocent in all this. I've been known to drink more than I should and I've used marijuana before, and some other things. It wasn't because of wrestling. It was because I was a dumbass. I've cut down tremendously on my drinking. I haven't smoked marijuana in like 11 years. I really have never taken pills on a regular or semi regular basis. I was prescribed pain pills after my surgery, but stopped taking them because I felt the habit coming.
So for those reading this, I've told the truth in a nutshell. If we fuck up, it's by choice, not by wrestling. Thank you. God Bless. Merry Christmas.Happy Hanukkah. Happy Kwanzaa. Happy New Year. Happy Holidays and Festivus for the rest of us. Keep your pimp hand strong!
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