Full Story Here. I don't know what to say, beyond speculation. What a tragic loss for the family and fans of this man.
wow...... how very sad....... i'll be interested to hear what the investigation shows.... if anyone hears... please keep us posted.....
I just find it weird that credible news agencies report "Pro Wrestler Found Dead". Um.... "Actor found dead" is more accurate. This would be like Seinfeld holding the Sitcom championchip for 7 years before losing it to Bart Simpson. The 'sport' is a joke, still too bad for the family of the dead here.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Jun 26 2007, 09:41 AM) [snapback]468216[/snapback]</div> Tell you what. You get thrown off the top of a ring, and not break your back on impact, and then come back to tell me how it's not a sport. Some would (and have), argued that pro football is not a sport. Scripted plot lines in the WWE? Yes. But it takes real athleticism to do what they do, and I know that I could not do it. But I could act like Jerry.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TJandGENESIS @ Jun 28 2007, 04:19 AM) [snapback]469271[/snapback]</div> It's not a sport. For the reasons you say yourself... that's why... It's a show... and entertainment show.. Pre planned, the props are in place, the blood is from intentional razor cuts, the tables and chairs are designed to break-away... the outcome is decided before they roll the cameras. In the same way I could not replace Tom Cruise on the set, I couldn't replace any of the 'wrestlers' on the set, as the same way I couldn't replace anyone in the highwire act at barnum and bailey. None of them could replace me here at the computer, so I guess it's all good. I imagine eventually it will be sued out of existance when enough kids die from imitating what they see on the show and trying it at home on their newly paralysed friends. Eventually, there'll be enough victims to get class action and a huge lawsuit to bankrupt the industry.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TJandGENESIS @ Jun 28 2007, 02:19 AM) [snapback]469271[/snapback]</div> In my mind, skill, not a script can affect the outcome of a sport. There is no way I could win vs Tiger Woods, Jeff Gordon, or the Chicago Cubs ( ) because their skills at these sports are so much better than mine. I could win at WWE because they could script me to do it. This is why I don't feel WWE is a sport. But it is tragic what happened.
Personally I would find it a much fairer description to liken "Pro Wrestlers" to stuntmen rather than actors. Some of their "acting" leaves a lot to be desired, yet the stunts they perform often are absolutely amazing. That aside, I'm also very surprised to see a thread on the death of a Pro Wrestler on a Prius forum, since I associate WWE wrestling more with the Hummer and environment-be-damned-4x4 crowd!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ltu1542hvy @ Jun 28 2007, 10:07 AM) [snapback]469358[/snapback]</div> Awwhh, come on! Next you'll be saying Pro Wrestler topics are only for Monster truckers, nascar, bass fishing, Wall Mart shippin' jerry springer watching from your trailer, on the porch sitting in your plad hurculon sofa and the like.
Hill, are you like, spying on me or something? How do you know so much about my lifestyle? Pro Wrasslin' is as much a sport as hunting deer. There's not much point in arguing semantics about it, since everyone knows the deal. People still enjoy watching it, so who are you trying to convince? Anyway, it is tragic that there are things in this world that drive people to kill others and/or themselves, regardless of social rank, economic status, etc.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TJandGENESIS @ Jun 28 2007, 04:19 AM) [snapback]469271[/snapback]</div> Would you consider Circus d'soleil a sport or a show?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burritos @ Jun 28 2007, 11:58 AM) [snapback]469435[/snapback]</div> A combination, I suppose. It's a sport, in that it takes trained athletes, to do what they do. And they have to compete to get their positions. It's a show, since they follow a routine. But in football ( a sport I love, BTW), you also follow routines...they call them plays. I find things like Pro Wrassling a diversion every now and then. I even have been to a few events. And when you see these very large men (and women), move with such grace and skill, you can see how amazing it is that more don't get accidentally killed in the ring. It's not for everyone, but what is? Diversity is what makes the world go around.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TJandGENESIS @ Jun 29 2007, 02:32 AM) [snapback]469894[/snapback]</div> I think wrestling is more like a theatrical production. *You have a purposed designed stage (the ring) with specialized lighting, sound, and other resources *you have highly trained and specialized actors with certain physical attributes that contribute to their creation of a character (the wrestlers) *you have a script (who wins and loses, how the action develops, creation of conflict and resolution between characters) *you have blocking (who is supposed to be where, when) *you have props (objects which look conventional but often aren't, such as breakaway chairs, etc) *heck, you've even got a sprung floor to lessen the impact...like dancers use...! Pro football is a sport, I think, 'cause you don't know how the other team will react to your chosen play. If football were wrestling, both teams would know which play is going to be run next and what the intended outcome is to be. For me, that's the difference between 'sport' and 'athleticism'...wrestlers are athletes, but wrestling isn't a sport since competition doesn't determine who wins and loses.
Sport or not, pro wrestlers are real athletes. As a long time martial artist, I have some idea of how difficult it is to take really high falls like that. It requires incredible endurance, and the bigger you are, the harder it is to survive. Some of those guys take falls that I wouldn't want to try, and they do it on a regular basis. They are no less athletes than the Actors/Gymnast/Dancers in Circe d'Soleil. They get a bad rap because they perform in a "low-brow" enviroment, but it takes years of practice to learn to do what they do. No, trolls, pro wrestling is not a martial art. Yes, the scripted tele-drama crap gets old. I do, however, have real respect for the guys who do it.
Read in the paper yesterday that the police have some interest in this fellow's Wiki. Apparently it was edited to reflect aspects of the (alleged) crimes, before the police knew of them.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tochatihu @ Jun 30 2007, 10:27 AM) [snapback]470585[/snapback]</div> That is pretty freaky. Either he did it, which is sick, or the person who really killed him and his wife and kid and then made it look like a murder suicide did it, and that is creepy sick scary.
My guess. He called contacted someone and told them what he'd done. That person was stupid and posted it on Wikipedia and didn't call the police. Why? Who knows. Alternatively, someone made it up. That happens on wikipedia. But I doubt this is some sort of complicated murder/frame by a mysterious killer. It's what it is. He killed his wife and child, then killed himself. Considering how many WWE deaths have been steriod related, this being the latest, I'd say they need to do some cleaning up of both their public image and their private business. I'm sure they've turned a blind eye. That better stop.
I imagine that steroids could be easily linked to this - after all, they do have a psychological effect on the user, so I imagine that this tragedy could have been caused by "'roid rage". I've been under a rock when it comes to world events, but if there's been other deathes because of this drug, the WWE better wake up and stop the stupidity. Oh, and as far as wrestling being called a sport is concerned, it takes a lot of talent to fling your body around a wrestling ring the way they do it. They have to know how to shift their weight around - sometimes in some pretty extreme ways. However, the debate could go on for years. My stance is this: it's a sport due to it's intense physical nature, yet it's staged theatrics because of how each show is orchestrated.
Steroids don't just cause rage. They also cause paranoia. In one of the articles regarding Benoit two other deaths due to heart failure were cited. They were linked to steroid use. Benoit would make three. That's three too many. The other two don't have the media attention that Benoit has. That puts a spotlight on steroid use and brings the WWEs policy into the spotlight as well. So they are going to have to publicly state a policy and then publicly appear to follow it.
