The no-longer-under-contract Eric Bischoff posted a blog entry about congress "investigation" professional wrestling.
This is nothing more than a chance for a handful of parasitic politicians who feed off the teat of the public coffers, and are more reliant on television face time than Joanie Laurer to extend their careers.
Perhaps congress hasn’t heard about the immigration problem, or issues like Katrina. Perhaps the fact that government funded and administered programs that allow astronauts to fly space shuttles while legally under the influence of alcohol is just not newsworthy enough. Maybe the fact that members of their own body like U.S. Representative William Jefferson is accused of soliciting bribes, laundering money, obstructing justice and hiding pay offs in his freezer is just too mundane and doesn’t equate to votes. Or how about the esteemed member of congress from the state of Florida (Bob Allen) that was recently arrested for offering to polish the knob of an undercover police officer in a men’s room in exchange for a $20.00 bill? Congress feels the need/opportunity to stand up (get face time) and investigate professional wrestling. I’ve got a better idea. Hey Congress: investigate thyself.
Note from Jason: Eric Bischoff kicks ass. Click the link to read the whole thing.
This is why the Catholic Church isn't involved in this silly "Intelligent Design/Creationism/Evolution in schools" debate that is taking place in the southern states.
July 26, 2007 -- Pope Benedict XVI says the theory of evolution is backed by strong scientific proof - but the theory does not answer life's "great philosophical question."
Benedict told 400 priests at a two-hour event that he's puzzled by the current debate in the United States and his native Germany over creationism and evolution.
Debaters wrongly present the two sides "as if they were alternatives that are exclusive - whoever believes in the creator could not believe in evolution, and whoever asserts belief in evolution would have to disbelieve in God," the pontiff said.
"This contrast is an absurdity, because there are many scientific tests in favor of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and enriches our understanding of life and being.
"But the doctrine of evolution does not answer all questions, and it does not answer above all the great philosophical question: From where does everything come?"
A transcript of the Tuesday event was posted in Italian yesterday on the Vatican's Web site.
The speech came at the end of a three-week vacation in the mountains of northern Italy near the Austrian border, where people are worried that global warming will change their way of life.
"We all see that today man can destroy the foundation of his existence, his Earth," Benedict said.
"We cannot simply do what we want with this Earth of ours, with what has been entrusted to us."
Here's an excerpt form the a White House press conference. See how Tony Snow responds to WorldNetDaliy.com's Les Kinsolving.
First though, let me ask a question: Why do the White House henchmen threaten WorldNetDaily, yet allow that wrinkled, old, nasty, hatefull, biased, bigoted witch Helen Thomas to ask questions all day long?
I suppose the answer is rhetorical.
Q: The AP reports that Sydney, Australia's lord mayor, Clover Moore, is leading a campaign urging all residents to pack an emergency survival kit in preparation for any terrorist attack or other disaster in Australia's largest city. And my question – does the White House believe that this is a campaign U.S. cities should be launching, or not? SNOW: That would be something that I would not be privy to comment on. And, Les, let me just – before we get back into a situation where it will be more difficult to get called on, let me just point out that you need to ask questions that bear on the president's responsibilities. I saw the piece you wrote the other day, that has been thoroughly twisting out of context the answer I gave you when I told you that the president, in fact, was –
Q: That's what –
SNOW: I don't care. What you did –
Q: They wrote it out there.
SNOW: You know what, I don't care, OK, because the fact is, if somebody is going to take questions about things that do not fall under the president's purview – and I answered that question – and it gets twisted, that is a disservice to this White House and to the craft of journalism. So if I were you, I'd pick up the phone and tell them to start cleaning up or writing corrections.
A crowd of 100 stunned stargazers brought a town centre to a standstill when five mysterious UFOs were spotted hovering in the sky.
Drinkers spilled out of pubs, motorists stopped to gawp and camera phones were aimed upwards as the five orbs, in a seeming formation, hovered above Stratford-Upon-Avon for half an hour.
The unidentified flying objects lit up the otherwise clear night sky above Shakespeare's birthplace in Warwickshire on Saturday.
One more Ron Paul interview. This is a MUST WATCH VIDEO. Put on by YouTube, he gives clear answers to hippies wannabes about things like the income tax, enviromental movement and abortion.
At the end he gives a little speach about how the youth of the nation can clean up the mess the previous generation left us.
With all due respect, no shit. Those "Infect Truth" commercials are so annoying that not only do they make me want to smoke, they make me want to change my first name to "Winston" and trade in my retirement for Phillip Morris stock.
WND is reporting that the fat "man" Michael Moore is considering a "documentary" that will claim that Jesus supports homosexual behavior. I can't wait for Moore's mindless lemming fans to swallow that one up.
From WorldNetDaily: Fresh from the success of his latest agitprop promoting socialized medicine, "Sicko" filmmaker Michael Moore is considering whether he will use his next movie to teach us all a thing or two about the mind and will of God.
That's right, call him the Rev. Michael Moore.
Specifically, he intends to share his biblical wisdom regarding the issue of homosexuality and what he sees as irrational hatred of it.
"I think it's a very ripe subject for someone like me to make a movie about," he told the homosexual magazine the Advocate. "Simply because we are not there yet and it remains one of the last open wounds on our soul that we are not willing to fix yet."
Moore told the Advocate he is a spiritual person who supports same-sex marriage.
"There is nowhere in the four Gospels where Jesus uses the word 'homosexual,'" Moore related. "The right wing has appropriated this guy … and they have used him to attack gays and lesbians, when he never said a single word against people who are homosexual. Anyone who professes to be a Christian and does that is certainly not following the teachings of Jesus Christ."
"Former ECW World Tag Team champion George "John Kronus" Caiazo was found dead this afternoon in his New Hampshire home. I don't have further details at this time. I've heard Kronus underwent a knee operation (possibly a knee replacement, which I heard a few months back he was going to have) last week.
Within wrestling, Kronus' claim to fame was working as half of the Eliminators tag team with Perry Saturn. Of the two, Saturn was always considered the more serious, militant, all business type while Kronus was more laid back and goofy. The personality clash often translated into their promos with Saturn cutting deadly serious, gravely voiced promos, followed by Kronus acting goofy and laughing to close them out."
"China’s Loch Ness monster has been sighted. Or so Chinese state-run television says. Not just one, but more than a dozen huge creatures can be seen churning across Lake Kanasi in remote western China, leaving a foamy wake more like an enormous motorboat than a big fish."
Well, this could make wrestling fun again, IF he isn't schedule to lose the title to Boring-tista this weekend at the PPV.
From WWE.com: A new World Heavyweight Champion walks tall among us this night, and his name is The Great Khali.
No, you’ve read this right – The Great Khali now holds sports-entertainment’s most elite prize, one that dwarfs even his 7-foot-3, 420-pound frame. During tonight’s taping of SmackDown in the Laredo Entertainment Center, he won the title in true colossal fashion, by being the last man to stand inside the ring after an excruciatingly hard-fought 20-Man Battle Royal. The historic contest had been ordered by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, who earlier this evening had ordered an injured Edge to surrender the World Heavyweight Title
Here is actual proof that the Republican party has completely lost it's way. Dianne Feinstein, FEINSTEIN for crying out loud, the most communist member of the senate, Dianne F'n Feinstein, is calling to free these two men who are wrongfully imprisoned.
If it wouldn't be for Ron Paul in the GOP primary, I'd get out of the Republican party TODAY. There's a few exceptions like Paul, and Tom Tancredo, but the rest of them no longer deserve our support.
So here's my message to George Bush and the rest of his left-wing administration... when Dianne Feinstein has a better moral compass than you do, it's time to get the hell out of the White House. And until the Republican Party decides secure the border, cut spending, and actually limit government, (in other words, live up to their campaign promises) I'm done with the whole lot of them.
From WorldNetDaily: After presiding over a Senate hearing today, Sen. Dianne Feinstein has decided to ask President Bush to commute the sentences of former U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, an aide for the California Democrat told WND.
Ramos and Compean are serving 11- and 12-year prison sentences, respectively, after a jury convicted them of violating federal gun laws and covering up the shooting of a drug smuggler as he fled back to Mexico after driving across the border with 742 pounds of marijuana. U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's office gave the smuggler, Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, immunity to serve as the government's star witness and testify against the border agents.
Here's my current training split. It's based on a program from the Muscle & Fitness/November 2007 issue. I just finished the second week. So far, I'm really feeling the results and have increased my squats and bench by about 20 lbs each. The plan is to stick with this for twelve weeks and then see where I'm at after that.
Scott Keith has a good post disagreeing with Ken Kennedy.
I think it’s wonderful that Mr. Kennedy advocates owning up to your own demons and taking responsibility for your own actions, and he’s definitely right about one thing — it’s much different now than it was 20 years ago, when guys were partying like rock stars. 20 years ago, the previous generation wasn’t dropping dead on a weekly basis. 20 years ago, I didn’t check magazines with a sense of dread waiting to see who the next early casualty would be. And sure, just because someone dies of an overdose doesn’t mean it’s 100% the fault of the drug dealer, but don’t they deserve some share of the blame? Has Vince McMahon EVER stepped forward and taken ANY responsbility for the fact that wrestlers previously under his employ have been dropping like flies for the past decade? Even when he put forth the half-hearted “wellness policy”, which has crazy notions like “drug testing” that other employers have used for the past 30-40 years of so, he still wasn’t willing to come forward and say “You know, maybe when we train fans that the only main eventers are roided freaks, we’re doing a disservice to the business”. Or maybe rehiring a multiple-time admitted user like Jeff Hardy is asking for trouble. Or maybe waiting until Rob Van Dam is actually caught by the authorities smoking pot before firing him is asking for trouble.
I’d like to agree with Ken that we’re all just being a bunch of worry-warts here who don’t know the business, but when I’m watching Wrestlemania V and literally counting, into the double-digits mind you, people who have dropped dead before 50 years of age since that show aired, maybe that says there MIGHT be a problem here.
The San Diego Minutemen have chosen to target St. Peter’s Church in Fallbrook, California, and some of the protests have been accompanied by anti-Catholic bigotry. Catholic League president Bill Donohue explained today why the league is joining the issue on the side of the church:
“Father Edward ‘Bud’ Kaicher, pastor of the suburban San Diego parish, has extended a helping hand to day workers seeking employment in the area, and for this he has been displayed in effigy as Satan. Worse, the right-wing brigade of Minutemen has harassed Catholics going to church, used bullhorns to spout their invective, have uttered patently anti-Catholic remarks at parishioners and have even stooped so low as to intimidate little kids on the day of their First Communion.
“Showing how incredibly debased and uncivil they are, the San Diego Minutemen have sought to paint all priests as pedophiles and have pledged to continue their incivility all summer long. To top it off, the xenophobes are illiterate. ‘With all the pediphelia [sic] problems going on in the church,’ a posting on its Internet site says, ‘it makes no sense to have 50 loitering men watching little children playing on the playground each morning.’
“There are legitimate ways to protest. This is not one of them. By succumbing to anti-Catholic bigotry and harassment, the San Diego Minutemen have discredited their cause and have no moral grounds upon which to make their appeal. They should be opposed not only by Latino Catholics, but by all Catholics.”
Ken Kennedy talks about wrestling, the media, money and personal responsiblility in a long posting on his site. Read it below...
Please GOD, I'm just BEGGING for someone who has actually wrestled in a WWE ring in the past decade besides Jericho, Bret Hart, John Cena, and Ted Dibiase to come forward on one of these shows and tell the world what's really going on. For these goofs, like Lanny Poffo? Ultimate Warrior? and Marc Mero???!! to repeatedly act as "experts" and "wrestler advocates" on the current situation is like having a frustrated ex-jock who rode the pine bench throughout his high school sports career give advice to Brett Favre on how to improve his game! It's ridiculous, insane, and it really makes me sick that these so called reporters like Bill O'Reilly, Nancy Grace, and Geraldo Rivera, call upon these silly bastards who are bitter and frustrated that their careers have ended to represent the WWE which of course makes all of us look like a bunch of babbling idiots who are all addicted to steroids, drugs, alcohol, etc.
THINGS ARE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THEY WERE FIVE OR TEN OR TWENTY YEARS AGO! Most of the "expert", frustrated ex-wrestlers that they've had on the show came from an era where everyone wrestled every day and then went out and partied like rock stars until dawn, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, smoking cigarettes and marijuana, snorting cocaine, taking fistfuls of pills, and injecting massive amounts of steroids. They would take pills to go to sleep, snort coke or take speed to get up and do this day after day after day! This would not be even remotely tolerated in today's environment.
We have a strict drug policy in place. The WWE's wellness program was designed and instituted by the same doctor who implemented the NFL and the NBA's substance abuse programs. Contrary to what somebody recently said on one of these "tabloid" shows the WWE's allowed levels are exactly the same as the NFL. (Someone, I can't recall exactly who said it, said that the WWE allowed a 10:1 Testosterone to Epitestosterone level, which is false. We have a 4:1 level exactly like the NFL and the NBA.) In fact, I knew of someone who took an over the counter supplement from GNC which he didn't know was on the banned list, which caused him to have an elevated testosterone level. This individual was suspended and fined because of it. We can't even take Ephedrine which is another legal supplement that can be bought at any gas station in the country. Since I've been with the company, I've seen the few people that did have problems with drugs either sent to rehab to try and help them overcome their addictions, (sent to one of the top rehab facilities in the country and paid for in full by the WWE) or be fired for repeat offenses.
Look at the list of wrestlers who have prematurely passed away over the years, and most of them made the decision to live their lives this way. That's right, I said "made the decision" because we have this cool thing in the United States of America called "freedom of choice". I have the choice to quit my job if I don't like it, or if I feel that I'm on the road too much. I have the right to choose whether or not I want to break the law and use drugs. I have the right to choose between eating healthy food and exercising regularly and eating fast-food three times a day, not going to the gym, and becoming obese like a good majority of the citizens in this country. When will individuals be held accountable for their own actions? Will it ever happen, or will we always try and point the finger at someone else? Unfortunately as much as I respect the man, Superstar Billy Graham is ultimately responsible for the health problems he suffers from right now because of the choices he made in his career. I find it both sad and humorous that the man who many say is largely responsible for starting the whole "steroid craze" in pro-wrestling is now pointing the finger at the industry rather than blaming himself.
I, like everyone else in the company, have the luxury of being able to go home almost every week, play with my dog, hang out with my girlfriend, sleep in my own bed, and eat good home cooked food. This wasn't the case with these frustrated ex-wrestlers who are trying to grasp on to FIVE more minutes of fame and recognition.
I hear some of these guys talking about how the WWE doesn't have any type of benefits. I heard Johnny Grunge's widow on Nancy Grace saying that wrestling leaves you with nothing, and that two weeks after her husband was released from WCW that they lost their cars and their home. It apparently wasn't obvious to Nancy Grace, who is reportedly an extremely intelligent person, that they were obviously living outside of their means, and they weren't doing something that my parents taught me to do when I was a little kid……SAVE MONEY.
This job pays well, but I know that it won't last forever. It's the same problem with pro athletes and actors in Hollywood who spend, spend, spend, like the money grows on trees and like it's always going to be there, and then falls flat on their faces when their careers are suddenly cut short. Who's fault? The team? The studio in Hollywood? I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for people who don't save money and spend everything that they earn so they can impress everyone around them with all the NEAT THINGS that they own. As far as the having no health insurance thing goes, I've been seriously injured twice since I've been in the WWE. Every red cent has been paid for in full by the company, which is the case for any employee who is injured during a work or work-related event. Yes, I have my own supplemental insurance which is a bit expensive, but if WWE paid for it, I'm sure that, just like every other company in the country that offers health insurance to their employees, I would just be paid less, so it's a wash!
In the end, we are all responsible for our own actions. Saying that Vince McMahon is responsible for the deaths of the Benoit's is like saying that you and I are responsible for the deaths of Anna Nicole Smith and her son. The millions of people who tuned in every week to be entertained by "how funny" she was when she was all PILLED up and DRUNK, suddenly became the same people who acted SHOCKED and APALLED when she died of a drug overdose. Somebody, PLEASE, stop the insanity!!!!
Wednesday, July 11: • Chris Benoit's death exposed the dark side of wrestling. Now 'The Factor' takes the sport to the mat! Don't miss Bill's hard-hitting interview with Linda McMahon -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's how Fox News promoted tonight's O'Reilly Factor program. The "hard-hitting interview with Linda McMahon" was a 5 year old interview that originally aired in May 2002.
In some areas, the creature is said to have two eyes, while in other accounts it has only one, like the Cyclops of Greek mythology. Some tell of a gaping, stinking mouth in the monster’s belly through which it consumes humans unfortunate enough to cross its path.
ABC News' George Stephanopoulos Reports: Though often regarded as a longshot candidate for president, Republican Ron Paul tells ABC News that he has an impressive $2.4 million in cash on hand after raising an equal amount during the second quarter, putting him ahead of one-time Republican frontrunner John McCain, who reported this week he has only $2 million in the bank.
In an exclusive interview taped Friday and airing Sunday on "This Week," Paul said his campaign is on a better trajectory than McCain's.
"I think some of the candidates are on the down-slope, and we're on the up-slope," said Paul.
Paul's cash on hand puts him in third place in the Republican field in that important metric, although he is well behind leader Rudy Giuliani, who has $18 million in the bank, and Mitt Romney, with $12 million.
Paul, who polls show with support in the low single digits, said his surprisingly strong fundraising is the best measure of his support.
"I think people have underestimated the number of people in this country who are interested in a freedom message," says the Republican congressman from Texas, who has strong libertarian leanings.
This was nothing more than an ambush. Just like the interview with Warrior, they didn't let Nash make his point or finish a sentence. And both Nash and Warrior had good points to make, if only they would have gotten the chance.
And who's the blond bimbo sitting in for Sean? Get rid of her.
I'm stealing this info from 411mania.com/wrestling. It shows some stats on the deaths of wrestlers in the last 20 years. Click the link to read the whole article, which also covers the entire Benoit story.
Of the 80+ "wrestlers under 65 who dropped like flies" over the past two decades...
Wrestlers Who Died Before Age 65 from Non-Drug-Related Illness Russ Haas [heart attack, 27] - victim of lifelong heart aliment, death was not drug-related. Brian Pillman [arteriosclerotic heart disease, 35] - though he had a history of drug abuse, cause of death was attributed to a previously undetected heart condition. Johnny Grunge [sleep apnea, 39] - death was not drug-related. Little Beaver [natural causes, 61] - death was not drug-related. Sapphire [heart attack, 61] - death was not drug-related, attributed to excess weight. Shohei Baba [cancer, 61] - death was not drug-related. Wilbur Snyder [leukemia, 62] - death was not drug-related. George Cannon [cancer, 62] - death was not drug-related. Gorilla Monsoon [heart failure, 62] - death was the result of a long series of illnesses. Hiro Matsuda [colon cancer, 62] - death was not drug-related. Wahoo McDaniel [diabetes, 63] - death was not drug-related. Chris Candido [blot clot, 33] - death was not drug-related, last worked for TNA. Marianna Komlos [breast cancer, 35] - death was not drug-related. Mark Curtis [stomach cancer, 38] - death was not drug-related. Terry Gordy [blot clot, 40] - death was not drug-related. Randy Anderson [cancer, 41] - death was not drug-related. Earthquake [bladder cancer, 42] - death was not drug-related. Andre the Giant [heart attack, 46] - heart attack death attributed to gigantism. Big John Studd [liver cancer, 46] - death was not drug-related. Jumbo Tsuruta [complications resulting from kidney transplant, 49] - death was not drug-related. Haystacks Calhoun [diabetes, 55] - death was not drug-related. Giant Haystacks [cancer, 55] - death was not drug-related.
Total "Illness" Deaths Before Age 65: 22. Since all of these performers died as a result of "natural illness" (ranging from cancer to diabetes), MeeThinks it's pronouncedly unfair to lump them in with the rest of the "dead wrestler" group.
Wrestlers Who Died Before Age 65 by Crimes or Accidents D.J. Peterson [motorcycle accident, 33] - accident was not drug-related. Joey Marella [car accident, 30] - died after falling asleep at the wheel, accident was not drug-related. Adrian Adonis [car accident, 34] - accident was not drug-related. Owen Hart [in-ring accident, 34] - accident was not drug-related. Vivian Vachon [car accident, 40] - accident was not drug-related. Brady Boone [car accident, 40] - accident was not drug-related. Bruiser Brody [murdered, 42] - death was not drug-related. Nancy Benoit [ murdered, 43] - toxicology results pending. Dino Bravo [murdered, 44] - shooting was not drug-related. Jerry Blackwell [complications resulting from car accident, 45] accident was not drug-related. Junkyard Dog [car accident, 45] - died after falling asleep at the wheel, accident was not drug-related. Chris Adams [shot, 46] - shooting was not drug-related. Tarzan Tyler [car accident, 55] - accident was not drug-related.
Total "Accidental" Deaths Before Age 65: 13. Like the "natural" deaths that preceded this list, each of the performers in this group -- save Owen Hart -- were all victims of non-wrestling-related tragedies. Ergo, it's only fair to remove each of them (save Owen) from the egregiously overinflated "80+ dead from wrestling" statistic as well. That makes just north of thirty "dead wrestlers" whose deaths were in no way preventable (at least from ANY employer's standpoint).
Performers Dead Before Age 65 Who NEVER Worked for WWE Chris Von Erich [suicide, 21] - never employed by WWE. Mike Von Erich [suicide, 23] - never employed by WWE. Art Barr [cause unknown, 28] - never employed by WWE. Gino Hernandez [overdose, 29] - never employed by WWE. Jay Youngblood [ruptured spleen in-match resulting in heart attack, 30] - never employed by WWE. The Renegade [suicide, 33] - never employed by WWE. Gary Albright [heart attack, 34] - never employed by WWE, in-ring collapse/death was the result of his diabetes. Ed Gantner [suicide, 31] - never employed by WWE. Big Dick Dudley [kidney failure, 34] - never employed by WWE. Bobby Duncum Jr. [overdose, 34] never employed by WWE. Pitbull #2 [overdose, 36] - never employed by WWE. The Wall/Malice [heart attack, 36] - never employed by WWE. Leroy Brown [unknown, 38] - never employed by WWE. Jeep Swenson [heart attack, 40] - never employed by WWE. Billy Joe Travis [unknown, 40] - never employed by WWE. Larry Cameron [in-ring heart attack, 41] - never employed by WWE. Biff Wellington [unknown, 42] - never employed by WWE. Ray Candy [unknown, 43] - never employed by WWE. Mike Davis [heart attack, 46] - never employed by WWE. Ken Timbs [congestive heart failure, 53] - never employed by WWE. Uncle Elmer [unknown, 61] - autopsy results never published. Pez Whatley [liver failure, 54] - never employed by WWE. Eddie Graham [suicide, 55] - never employed by WWE. Kurt Von Hess [heart attack, 56] - never employed by WWE. Rufus R. Jones [heart attack, 60] - never employed by WWE. Dick the Bruiser [heart attack, 62] - never employed by WWE.
Total "Non-WWE" Deaths Before Age 65: 26. This group comprises the largest chunk of the "dead wrestler bunch," and though many of these performers died while actively competing as professional wrestlers for various promotions across the United States, pinning *their* deaths on Vince McMahon or World Wrestling Entertainment is unjustified and wrong. That would be like blaming the number of Canadian Football League players' deaths on Major League Baseball -- though both are similar in their profession ("athlete"), there is no overlap between the two groups. Adding this group to the "non-preventable" deaths detailed above, and SIXTY of the 80+ performers died with absolutely nothing to do with World Wrestling Entertainment's ability to intervene.
Performers Dead Before Age 65 Who Were FIRED From WWE over Drug/Health Concerns Louie Spiccoli [overdose, 27] - released by WWE in 1996 for drug abuse, died two years later. Kerry Von Erich [suicide, 33] - released by WWE in 1992 amid drug abuse controversy, died one year later. Yokozuna [heart attack, 34] - released by WWF in 1998 after failing to lose weight, died two years later. Eddie Guerrero [enlarged heart, 38] - released by WWE in 2001 for drug abuse, re-hired drug-free in 2002 and died in 2005. Davey Boy Smith [overdose, 39] - checked into rehab at WWE's expense in 2000, released for subsequent drug abuse and died two years later. Curt Hennig [overdose, 44] - released by WWE in 2002 for drug abuse, died one year later. Road Warrior Hawk [heart attack, 46] - released by WWF in 1998 for drug abuse, died five years later. Moondog King [heart attack, 56] - released by WWF in 1981 for drug arrest, died 25 years later.
Total "WWE-Disciplined" Deaths Before Age 65: 8. This statistic is important to note, as eight of the THIRTY (not eighty) WWE alumni who died young of drug-related deaths were dismissed by WWE over concerns for their health in advance. God forbid they should ever pass before their respective times, performers like William Regal and Jeff Hardy (as well as Jake Roberts, Joey Mercury and the like) would also fall into this category -- as ALL of them were terminated at one time or another for failing to meet WWE standards of health and wellness.
Remaining Former WWE Wrestlers Who Died Before Age 65 from (Alleged) Drug-Related Causes Buzz Sawyer [heart attack, 32] - hadn't worked for WWE in four years prior to his death. Crash Holly [overdose, 32] - released by WWE four months prior to death, last worked in TNA. Eddie Gilbert [heart attack, 33] - hadn't worked for WWE in 13 years. Bertha Faye [overdose, 40] - hadn't worked for WWE in four years prior to her death. Chris Benoit [suicide, 40] - toxicology results still pending. Rick Rude [overdose, 41] - hadn't worked as an in-ring performer for WWE in nine years prior to his death. Miss Elizabeth [overdose, 42] - hadn't worked for WWE in eleven years prior to her death. Big Boss Man [heart attack, 42] - autopsy results never published. Mike Awesome [suicide, 42] - hadn't worked as a full-time performer for WWE in five years prior to his death. Bam Bam Bigelow [overdose, 45] - hadn't worked for WWE in 12 years prior to his death (WWE covered funeral expenses). Hercules Hernandez [heart attack, 47] - hadn't worked for WWE in 13 years prior to his death. Dick Murdoch [heart attack, 49] - autopsy results never published. Rocco Rock [heart attack, 49] - hadn't worked for WWE in 5 years prior to his death. Sherri Martel [unknown, 49] - toxicology results still pending. Moondog Spot [heart attack, 51] - hadn't worked for WWE in 22 years prior to his death, last worked in TNA. Ray Stevens [heart attack, 60] - hadnt' worked for WWE in 14 years prior to his death. Stan Stasiak [heart failure, 60] - hadnt' worked for WWE in 20 years prior to his death. Dale Lewis [unknown, 62] - autopsy results never published. Bad News Brown [heart attack, 63] - hadnt' worked for WWE in 17 years prior to his death.
Total Confirmed "WWE-Alumni" Drug-Related Deaths Before Age 65: 20. Though the media has been having a field day exploiting the dead wrestler statistics, it bears noting that less than 25% of the "epidemic of dead wrestlers" were WWE alumni who's drug problems went unaddressed by their employer. Moreover, when you average out the total number of years that all of these folks had spent OUT of World Wrestling Entertainment before dying, you're left with just about 10 years, 8 months away from "the road," "the business," and -- more importantly -- "World Wrestling Entertainment" before each of these performers ultimately succumbed to their demons... which means (on average) that most of these people's drug abuse extended a LONG time beyond their tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment.
Again, does WWE share part of the blame? No question. And yes, even one death is "too many" -- but to blame WWE for 80, 60, 40 or even 20 of the deaths in this so-called "epidemic" is asinine and off base.
Haut died in December 2005, but left a sworn affidavit to be opened only after his death.
Last week, the text was released. It asserts that the weather-balloon claim was a cover story and that the real object had been recovered by the military and stored in a hangar.
He described seeing not just the craft, but alien bodies. ... He saw two bodies on the floor, partially covered by a tarpaulin.
They are described in his statement as about 4 feet tall, with disproportionately large heads.
Towards the end of the affidavit, Haut concludes: "I am convinced that what I personally observed was some kind of craft and its crew from outer space."
What's particularly interesting about Walter Haut is that in the many interviews he gave before his death, he played down his role and made no such claims.
