The World of Entertainment Wrestling

It was most disturbing to read about the death of Chris Benoit and his family in the papers. I surfed the net for more news and came across an article about pro wrestlers dying young. I couldn't believe the names I saw in the article: Davey Boy Smith "The British Bulldog", Owen Hart, Bam Bam Bigelow, Mr Perfect, Yokozuna, Big Boss Man ...

I had seen them all on TV, back in the days when WWE was still WWF. Surprise, surprise. I used to be a huge pro wrestling fan. I'd beg my mom to let me stay up to catch the late night matches. Somehow, the gaudy costumes and made-up personas captured my imagination and I found myself strangely entertained. I even got caught up in the whole "good"wrestlers versus "bad"wrestlers thing. The wrestlers also reflected public sentiment at that time. There was the IRS taxman who was obviously one of the bad guys and so were the Russians at that time. How these men played to the crowd and how the Federation so cleverly engineered and marketed their image. Quite fascinating.

But the article really put a different spin on things for me. These wrestlers are under tremendous pressure to bulk up and many use steroids to help them achieve their desired shapes. This seems not as strictly regulated as professional sports, as they are first and foremost, entertainers. Many deaths have been apparently steroid-linked.

It disturbs me to think that I was one of those fans who supported this industry. When I first started watching wrestling, I thought it was a pure sport. Everything seemed real. Then I got a little older, wiser, and realised that it was all an act. And yet it still enthralled me. Not anymore. A form of entertainment that has taken so many lives needs to be reviewed and perhaps, regulated.

Just a few of my many thoughts on this issue. Let me know if you have something to say about it.