Every pro wrestler that has ever laced up the boots has had to deal with pain. These days, most seek the comfort and solace that Vicodin, Percocet, Soma and other drugs provide, if only to catch a few hours of sleep. Just talk to ex-WWE wrestler Andrew "Test" Martin, who last week posted his thoughts on Guerrero's passing on his official website, posing the question, "Who's next?"
Last year, USA Today reported that wrestlers have a death rate seven times higher than the general U.S. population, and that they are 12 times more likely than the rest of 25- to 44-year-olds to die from heart disease. The research also concluded that wrestlers are nearly 20 times more likely than pro football players to die before age 45. They all take painkillers, so why the discrepancy?
The largest focus of the healthcare community is the treatment of pain. Under normal conditions, medication provides amazing results; for wrestlers, however, it tends to be counterproductive. While other pill-popping athletes get to rest their bodies, WWE wrestlers travel from city to city six and seven days a week, 365 days a year. The abuse to their bodies isn't just relegated to Monday and Friday nights. They travel late and wake up early to hit the gym. Add to that a prolonged abuse of opioids or COX-2-inhibitors, which change the chemical composition of the brain, and you have a recipe for disaster. With pain receptors blocked, an athlete can no longer gauge what their body is trying to tell them.
It's not as if wrestlers have a real choice; they know the rules of the game. (Take a look at a picture of Olympic gold medalist turned pro wrestler Kurt Angle two years ago and one from today and draw your own conclusions.) Right now stars like Edge, Batista and Kane are all working as if it's business as usual with reportedly serious injuries, opting to rehab instead of going under the knife. Like all wrestlers, they know that taking time off to heal just means their jobs will be snapped up by the next men in line. So you elevate the pain, ignore the message your body is slapping you in the face with and push on. Until now… maybe.
In the wake of Guerrero's death, the WWE has announced that they will be implementing a new drug policy with an emphasis on cardiovascular examinations and a ban on performance enhancing and recreational drugs, as well as the abuse of prescription medications. This is necessary and long overdue.
I'm a mark for professional wrestling and will miss Eddie Guerrero being a part of it. I only hope that twinkle in his eye and shimmy of his shoulders fans will remember isn't gone without resulting in an industry-wide change on the treatment of its stars.
So who's next? Vince McMahon. He needs to loosen the grip he has on the insane profits he makes on his wrestlers and pay for healthcare and proper treatment for those who are, and are not, reaching out for help. There's every reason to think his new policy is a public relations ploy; let's hope it proves to be a legacy fitting of a member of Mexico's first family of professional wrestling.
