Zachary FenellProfessional Wrestlers & Their Demons
September 13th 2011 04:24
Scott Hall, Road Warrior Hawk, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Henning, “The Icon” Sting, Shawn Michaels, Jeff Hardy, the list goes on. Actually these names really fit two categories. The first category names professional wrestling greats. The second category and the one I’m referring to in this post lists wrestlers who battled substance abuse aka “demons.” Some wrestlers like Road Warrior Hawk and “Mr. Perfect” Curt Henning lost their lives because they couldn’t overcome their substance abuse problems. Others like Scott Hall and Jeff Hardy continue to encounter trouble in efforts to get clean. Too few wrestlers find the power to completely rid themselves of their “demons” the way Shawn Michaels and “The Icon” Sting have.
While the fate each wrestler succumbs to differs one fact remains undeniable, substance abuse in professional wrestling proves an epidemic. Too many wrestlers die young and too many of these deaths involve drug use. I honestly don’t know much about addiction but I do know addiction severely tests one’s willpower. For this reason I’m not quick to shun professional wrestlers for their less than stellar choices.
However, I do think current wrestlers battling substance abuse and those wrestlers who successfully defeated their “demons” can significantly change the professional wrestling landscape for the better. How can these wrestlers do so? Simply, talk about their issues/past issues using a public form. Doing so will educate others about addiction and hopefully deter upcoming wrestlers from turning to drugs. I realize in asking individuals to talk about their problems publically I’m asking them to give up some privacy. Still, I feel the end result could certainly become worthwhile.
Take Shawn Michaels and Jeff Hardy for examples. Both actually talked about their substance abuse problems publically in the past. Unfortunately, neither really went into helpful details. On Shawn Michaels’ “My Journey” DVD Michaels speaks about his bad ways but only generally. We don’t learn what substances Shawn found himself addicted to or how exactly religion enabled Michaels to overcome his “demons.” Recently on Impact Wrestling Jeff Hardy admitted his drug problem while apologizing for his behavior at TNA Victory Road in March. Again though, no helpful details emerged. Most precisely, how does Jeff plan to recover and what safeguards will he implement to protect against a relapse?
Sharing specifics could help in different ways. The public confessions will create awareness and allow other wrestlers to make more informed decisions about drug use. For somebody like Jeff Hardy explaining your recovery plans to the public while recovering could add positive peer pressure to stay away from drugs. In the end there seems more to gain than to lose if wrestlers publically addressed the substance abuse problems plaguing professional wrestling.
Professional wrestling downplays substance abuse by calling the behavior 'demons.' Photo: Wikimedia Commons user Octavio L
While the fate each wrestler succumbs to differs one fact remains undeniable, substance abuse in professional wrestling proves an epidemic. Too many wrestlers die young and too many of these deaths involve drug use. I honestly don’t know much about addiction but I do know addiction severely tests one’s willpower. For this reason I’m not quick to shun professional wrestlers for their less than stellar choices.
However, I do think current wrestlers battling substance abuse and those wrestlers who successfully defeated their “demons” can significantly change the professional wrestling landscape for the better. How can these wrestlers do so? Simply, talk about their issues/past issues using a public form. Doing so will educate others about addiction and hopefully deter upcoming wrestlers from turning to drugs. I realize in asking individuals to talk about their problems publically I’m asking them to give up some privacy. Still, I feel the end result could certainly become worthwhile.
Religion helped Shawn Michaels overcome his 'demons.'
Take Shawn Michaels and Jeff Hardy for examples. Both actually talked about their substance abuse problems publically in the past. Unfortunately, neither really went into helpful details. On Shawn Michaels’ “My Journey” DVD Michaels speaks about his bad ways but only generally. We don’t learn what substances Shawn found himself addicted to or how exactly religion enabled Michaels to overcome his “demons.” Recently on Impact Wrestling Jeff Hardy admitted his drug problem while apologizing for his behavior at TNA Victory Road in March. Again though, no helpful details emerged. Most precisely, how does Jeff plan to recover and what safeguards will he implement to protect against a relapse?
Sharing specifics could help in different ways. The public confessions will create awareness and allow other wrestlers to make more informed decisions about drug use. For somebody like Jeff Hardy explaining your recovery plans to the public while recovering could add positive peer pressure to stay away from drugs. In the end there seems more to gain than to lose if wrestlers publically addressed the substance abuse problems plaguing professional wrestling.
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