Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Tribute to a Wrestling Legend





I am going to postpone my normal topics I usually cover in my posts: I want to get some business out of the way, and also to reflect on some sad news I received over the weekend.

On August 1, I received the news that Roddy Rowdy Piper had passed away at the age of 61.  I got to know Roddy Piper from him being trained in Judo by Gene Lebell, and also because of my association with pro-wrestling. If anyone is familiar with his past, you will know that professional wrestling was both a blessing and a curse to Roddy Piper.

Roddy Piper was known for being one of the best in the business. Although, he could wrestle scientifically, he was known as a brawler. He also had great “mic skills”, being able to get the crowd excited and interested in his matches. These abilities allowed him to be part of a long-running feud with fan favorites, including Hulk Hogan. Piper was a legend in this sport.

Wrestling opened many doors to him. This included him becoming an actor, appearing in numerous TV shows and also staring in such cult movies as “They Live”, and “Hell Comes to Frog Town”. The curse was that wrestling took its toll on his body and his health.

He was in a sport where if you did not wrestle, you do not get paid. Being forced to wrestle, even while injured, lead to him self-medicating himself and abusing painkillers. The impact this had on his life was obvious even to Piper, who in 2003 on HBO “Real Sports” said he was “not going to make it to 65”.

In 2007, he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, this he was able to conquer; but not the effects of years of abuse on his body.  On July 31, he suffered a fatal heart attack in his sleep.

All I can say about Roddy Piper is how I saw him when he interacted with the fans.  I have been present in meet and greats, where hundreds of people waited in line to see him.  Other wrestlers at the event complained about the number of people who were in line, and some even left before the event ended. Roddy Piper stayed, making sure everyone who came to get an autograph got one. He spoke to these fans, showing respect and kindness to each and every one.

This is probably the legacy of Roddy Piper; he gave everything he had to the fans, even to the point that it cost him his own health.

The fate of Roddy Piper is not unusual. Wrestling is now dominated by one or two federations, and those that run these federations have a Machiavellian view for their employees; firing wrestlers who were injured or refused to perform dangerous moves as part of their matches. Most of these wrestlers are on the road constantly, going from one arena to another, many spend more than 250 days a year away from home, going from one match to another.
I can tell you from experience what the mentality is of promoters. If you are injured, or think something is dangerous, their attitude is if you don't like it, quit. When you make a living as a professional wrestler, and there is only one major promotion, where are you to go?  What skills did you learn in the ring for other jobs?  Until the states go back and regulate professional wrestling via the athletic commissions, wrestlers are still going to die long before their time.

Since the rise of wrestler’s deaths has increased, some of these wrestling federations have performed mandatory drug tests on the wrestlers. This is nothing but a public relations campaign for they only test for recreational drugs; this would exclude the use of steroids and pain medication.
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  Until August 7th"Legend of the Mystic Knights" is on sale for the Kindle for only $0.99.  If you were interested in reading this novel, now is your chance.  The sales of my novel will determine if my sequel is to be published.

Next week, we will go back to the middle ages.

 

18 comments:

  1. Interesting look into the world of professional wrestling, something I know next to nothing about. In almost all sports we mostly hear about the big stars and their six figure contracts. But they are the exception and for many you have to wonder if the sacrifice is worth what you get paid. The beating that your body takes, especially is sports like football and hockey, is something that stays with you for the rest of your life.

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  2. I know Roddy's passing had an effect on you so I want to say that I'm so sorry for your loss. It's so sad that professional sports, including wrestling have so little concern for the athletes. I hope we see some of this start changing.

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  3. I don't know anything about wrestling or the world of wrestling. It sounds pretty rough in a lot of ways. You mention that it had once been regulated via athletic commissions. When and why did this change?

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    1. That is an interesting question, and an interesting answer. The answer is simply Vince McMahon, head of the WWE, World Wrestling ENTERTAINMENT. Once called the World Wrestling Federation.
      Once wrestling was considered a sport, I am not going to get into the arguments now. Vince McMahon did everything he did to make sure it would be viewed not as a sport, but as entertainment. Not being a sport now means athletic commissions have little or no regulatory authority over it.
      When I started out in the business, to be a wrestler you had to go through the same procedures and get a license the same as a boxer. You had to go get a drug test, also an intensive physical.
      In some states the commissions made sure the wrestling were not being mistreated, such as having to hit with objects such as chairs. Now, the commissions just go to the event, make sure the ring is put together, and that you have a doctor in attendance. Any dealing with the wrestlers is now up to the promoter.
      After this occurred, is when you started seeing the increase in deaths of wrestlers. This was a result of abusing steroids and painkillers. Also, the instances of concussions increased. The dangers of this new policy cumulated and resulted in Chris Benoit. In 2007 this WWE superstar, killed his wife, and child, then himself. Researchers suggest his actions were the result of anabolic steroid use, and brain damage caused by numerous concussions.

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  4. William, I am sorry for your loss as it seems you were quite affected by Roddy's death. It is a shame that the promoters seem to care so little. When I was reading this a comparison to cockfighting - which is still illegal, I believe - came to mind. It seems a bit unconscionable that there are no rules in place to protect the wrestlers. Let's hope that Roddy's death may force regulators to take a second look.

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  5. My condolences.

    How awful that he was forced to work even when injured. It reveals just how much consideration is given to wrestlers - very little.

    I have never had a real interest in wrestling. It always comes across as a very rough sport.

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  6. Very sad. Contact sports can lead to devastating long term impairment. And you're right William, when someone is so proficient at a specialized skill, it's difficult to transition into a new field. Promoters' loyalty is to the product not the person.

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  7. My dad was a big fan of wrestling and used to go and watch Indian wrestlers when they came to wrestle in Kenya. Mind you in those days wrestling was a serious sport and not like today when anything goes in the ring. I have seen some wrestling matches where they hit each other with wooden chairs etc. Unfortunately, I never got interested in the sport so have not heard of Roddy Piper. He sounds like a lovely character and I am sorry to hear about his death.

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  8. I must admit that other than the occasional media flurry or promotion I know pretty much nothing about wrestling, but as you've demonstrated what makes the difference is getting to know the individuals. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

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  9. Wrestlers should take a cue from the artist-owned and -run Tidal music streaming service and band together and form their own federation - that would seem to be the obvious way forward, yes?

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    1. I may take this up in another blog. Vince McMahon has made sure that a smaller federation can never rise up to be competitive with his. Example in NY State, he has influenced some of the regulations. Imagine that you want to have a wrestling event. You do not pay the athletic commission on the number of people who show up, but the total number of seating available in that auditorium. This means you can never start small and move up. A large organization such as Vince's can fill up Madison Squire Garden, but smaller ones will still struggle trying to build their audience.

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  10. Personally don't know anything about wrestling but am still sorry to hear about his death.

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  11. Very sorry for your loss. Roddy's death obviously had a big impact on you. State regulators should not allow the federation and to get, literally, with murder by simply changing the name from Federation to Entertainment. That's a distinction without a business. Wrestling is a physical sport and should be regulated the same as boxing. It's sad that wrestlers are forced to perform increasingly dangerous tricks to make a living.

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  12. I was also sad to hear about "Rowdy" Roddy Pipers death as well. He was one of my favorite wrestlers growing up. I will miss seeing "Pipers Pit"

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  13. I'm out of touch when it comes to the world of professional wrestling, but the extent of Roddy's death means he was a beloved athlete.

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  14. All the commenters have said it so well: I'm sorry for the loss and your sadness for it. It is sad to lose anyone, but particularly so when we feel it could have been prevented. I don't know much about wresting (I am just not a sports fan--I'd rather read a book!), but grew up with my granddad watching George the Animal Steel and Andre the Giant...it was fun to share that with him.

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  15. I had heard that Roddy Piper had died but I did not know much about him. Thank you for shedding some light on his life, and also on the toll his career took on his health. It is sad that, in many industries, the almighty dollar always wins.

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  16. I am not a fan of wrestling myself, but my husband and brother are, so I am familiar with it. I've not heard of Roddy, but I did learn much from the movie, The Wrestler.

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