BY MIKEY MIGO
I think a lot of us wrestling fans watched the ESPN show “E:60” this past week. The link is out there and I’m sure you can watch it online with a quick google search. This show took a look at the life of wrestling legend Scott Hall. It showed his roots in wrestling and showed off just how important he was to professional wrestling over the past twenty or so years. His matches with Shawn Michaels were among the best of all time, he was one of the main faces of now, and he’s been one of the most loved performers in wrestling history. Who doesn’t know Razor Ramon or a now? Who doesn’t mark the hell out when he drops a “ey yo!” on the mic? Scott Hall will be a hall of famer for sure.
But sadly, the dude is screwed up. He’s an addict. It looks like he’s on tons of drugs and he’s not going to make it much longer. The ESPN gimmick showed him from an Independent show where he looked like he was the walking dead. It’s seriously one of the saddest and most uncomfortable things I’ve ever seen within the ropes of a wrestling ring. The question here is WHY. Why is Scott Hall killing himself? He’s sick. He’s an addict. He’s bad off. His upbringing was around alcoholics and he took the ball and ran with it. I know people are really quick to say “he made his own decisions and has no one to blame but himself”. In many ways that’s true, but I think there is plenty of blame to go around. I know the WWE is pushing a “Wellness Policy”, but professional wrestling as a whole is and has been a black hole of superstar junkies. The Hardys, most of TNA’s roster, the old timers, and a good portion of those in wrestling are on something. It can happen so innocently too. A wrestler gets hurt, they take a medication (prescribed or not), they get hooked, and they become addicts. Then some, by some I mean a lot, just get into it due to peer pressure and the desire to get fucked up.
We all know the story. “They’re on the road so much”, “they have so much wear and tear on their body”, “they need it to perform on a high level”, etc. etc. etc. blah blah blah. The sad thing is that it doesn’t end with WWE, WCW, ECW, and TNA guys. It’s not just the big time stars. The independent wrestling scene is a haven of drugs. The “weekend warriors” are convinced their bodies are just as bad as the guys who worked 300 days a year. Most of the drugs I’ve tried in my younger days are directly connected to wrestling and I’m one of the more conservative of people. They’ll smoke up, they’ll snort, they’ll shoot, and they’ll pop. I’ve been backstage of some pretty big concerts with some crazy rock stars and haven’t seen a tenth of the drugs at a wrestling show. The problem is that wrestling is big on the herd mentality. If a respected vet is sticking a needle in his ass to look better in their Highspots.com bought tights and popping a handful of pills then the rookies and greenboys are going to see that. I do know there is a huge “straight edge” trend going on right now, but I don’t really think it makes a difference in the long run. A straight edge wrestler versus a drugged out one isn’t going to be safe no matter how you look at it. I do support the fight to clean up wrestling. They might shun it and learn from the mistakes of everyone that came before, but it’s less and less likely. It’s worth the effort.
Professional wrestling is a gateway drug.
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