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Kennedy lashes out at media...; ...and wrestling "experts"
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Topic Started: Jul 12 2007, 04:59 PM (580 Views)
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4400TVJunkie
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Jul 12 2007, 04:59 PM
Post #1
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All hail King Booker!
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Ken Kennedy posted at his website regarding the Benoit media coverage. The site can be found here. Below is the commentary by Kennedy:
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!!!!
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Kraul
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Jul 12 2007, 06:52 PM
Post #2
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That Kennedy post is, quite simply, fucking awesome.
Not only is it a great piece that strikes out at how so many of the people who've been away from the wrestling world for years, or at least the mainstream, have been crawling out from everywhere to claim they know how the modern wrestling world operates, but he did it with an aggressive tone with a smidge of cockiness. It almost read like it's a promo he's cutting in the ring.
But really, it's the truth. One of the things that have bothered me the most about the continuing Benoit coverage is how people like Chyna, Mero, Sammartino, e.t.c. have been poking their heads out of obscurity to give us their words of enlightenment on how companies like WWE work when they haven't been in companies like WWE for quite some time - if ever. I mean, could you imagine if The Berzerker came on Nancy Grace and started to talk about how bad steroids and drugs are in wrestling when the damn man has been long gone from the mainstream wrestling companies? It'd look like a vain attempt at publicity to anyone with half a brain.
....heh, Berzerker. Looks like one hell of a random name to use on this board.
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SRP76
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Jul 12 2007, 07:16 PM
Post #3
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The Man. Any Questions?
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"Johhny Grunge's widow"?! I never knew he was dead.
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WWEFootos48
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Jul 12 2007, 07:18 PM
Post #4
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God
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And people say Kennedy can't talk...
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Lionheart
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Jul 12 2007, 08:35 PM
Post #5
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Heat Lifer
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It's either a real convincing fake report, or the most awesome rant ever. I'm hoping it's the latter.
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Jknight253
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Jul 12 2007, 09:20 PM
Post #6
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Thank you Kennedy best and longest rant I've ever read in my life
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15 Shows
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Jul 12 2007, 10:00 PM
Post #7
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Aint cheatin aint tryin
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Didn't someone on here say that WWE's welness program was REALLY bad. I think it was Cybrus but I can't be certain. But from what wrestlers have said, the welness program has already saved the careers for some and improved the steroid problem.
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Cybrus
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Jul 12 2007, 10:19 PM
Post #8
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STAY HYPED!!!
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- Jimmy 15
- Jul 12 2007, 06:00 PM
Didn't someone on here say that WWE's welness program was REALLY bad. I think it was Cybrus but I can't be certain.
I've stated that the wellness program has been getting a lot of negative comments because it is so bad when compared to other sports drug testing policies. In WWE, in order to fail a steroid test you have to have a T/E ratio of 10/1. If your T/E ratio is between a 9/1 and a 4/1, then you'll be retested within the next few months to determine if you fail or pass. If your T/E ratio is 3/1 or below, you pass. By comparison purposes, in the Olympics any T/E ratio higher than a 1/1 is an automatic fail. I don't know the T/E ratio requirements for baseball, football, basketball, or any other sport.
PWTorch has analyzed Kennedy's post. The bold portions are Kenendy's comments, while the unbold comments are the analysis of each point. Enjoy it if you can:
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Ken Kennedy responded at ken-kennedy.com to media coverage and wrestlers commenting on WWE system today and previously...
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.
WK: There's an easy way for WWE to put somebody on TV who is on the current roster. Say yes to the requests from the TV producers when they ask for someone representing the company to be there.
Calling Lanny and Warrior "goofs" may apply, because their appearances so far have been "goofy," but Mero has been anything but goofy. He had a goofy gimmick as Johnny B. Badd, but that's different than the real person. Kennedy, who has been on the main WWE roster just over two years, is complaining about wrestlers such as Poffo, Warrior, and Mero about "riding the bench"? Come on. Each has put in more national TV time than he has. His name-calling early in this, such as "silly bastards," undercuts his credibility early in this web post.
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.
WK: This is just incredulous in the face of what was found being prescribed to Chris Benoit and what happened not long ago to Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio being named in the indictment against Dr. Astin, Benoit's doctor. WWE is different today than five years ago. It was different five years ago compared to ten years ago. WWE should send wrestlers currently on the roster out there to speak on behalf of these massive changes that are going to prevent the next generation from having the same problems as the previous or current generation of aging wrestlers. But current wrestlers need to face up to a counter point of view and answer that counter perspective from people who have wrestled in his boots before. If things are so much better, why not come out and explain precisely how two weeks ago and debate those who say differently?
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.)
There are differences. A 4:1 is not considered a positive (failure) like it is in other sports. The policy explicitly states: "A Testosterone/Epitestosterone (T/E) ratio greater than four (4) but less than ten (10) shall require follow-up testing and/or medical evaluation to determine if the test shall be interpreted as positive for the active use of Testosterone or evidence of other steroids influencing the T/E ratio." The only ratio that "shall be conclusively regarded as a positive test result" is 10:1. There are other differences that are left up to interpretation based on a variety of non-transparent factors. Anyone who knows the basics of WWE's history with drug testing isn't going to blindly accept them taking "flexible" and "interpretive" aspects of their policy and applying them evenly. It's frankly naive and shows little knowledge of WWE's track record going back 15 years.
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.
WK: If anyone is saying WWE isn't suspending some or all offenders who don't have a prescription, they would also be naive to how the policy works. There are a lot of supplements that are banned, and I'm sure some have been suspended for testing positive with those in their systems. WWE has also sent wrestlers and paid for wrestlers to go to treatment. Nobody's denying there aren't aspects of WWE's conduct that are admirable. It's the totality of the policy and potential loopholes and the lack of any transparency for accountability that is a main issue. Lance Storm just talked about the "loopholes" on ESPN's "Outside the Lines."
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.
WK: There is too much reliance placed "individual choice" and "personal responsibility" argument by some people. People who are paid higher salaries to work in an unsafe nuclear powerplant or the coal mines than they could elsewhere have historically been protected by the government, especially when the bossman running the operation was making exponentially more money without taking the same risks as his workers. There is a level of an "acceptable ratio" among wrestlers, especially the ones who feel they are the least likely to become victims of the system, to say the system is great for them, so it must be beyond reproach.
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.
WK: The schedule is absolutely better. Today I've spoken at length to two non-frustrated ex-WWE full time wrestlers who have several million dollars in the bank and no axe to grind and no desire to get back into wrestling. Each of them agreed with Kennedy that things are better than they used to be. Neither thought it was nearly good enough. Instead of three or four days a week on the road and three or four at home, it used to be 14-17 days on the road with three or four off, with that cycle repeating itself. There were even loops of three weeks or more without time off. Today is absolutely better. But Kennedy is not the best person, from an experience standpoint, to be speaking. He has worked many years on the indy scene before getting his first break, but he's also only a little over two years into his full-time run on WWE's schedule. He's had extended time off for injury recovery.
Kennedy fits the category of WWE wrestler least likely to see anything wrong with the schedule. He's the guy at the beginning of the triathalon who doesn't get why everyone who is on the end-run of the triathalon looks so tired and beat down and needs all this water just to keep going. Not only is he feeling fresh mentally and physically, but he's on the verge of his best earning years. The catch, and so many people who have been in his shoes before years ago can speak to this, is that he's going to reach a point of mental fatigue, even with the current WWE schedule, and he's going to have nagging injuries, perhaps even surgery he needs that he puts off because he's in the midst of a big run with a PPV match coming up. He has experienced that twice already. When it's the third, or fourth or fifth time, it's different. Ask Amy Dumas about getting injured in your first match back after a long injury layoff. Or Robert Smith of the Minnesota Vikings, who retired early and turned down a huge contract, because he had been through too many knee surgeries and rehabs and just had enough. The wrestlers early in the cycle, who are staring at a five year run of seven figures average salary, are the least likely to see the problems that might result and that history shows will strike at least some of the people in his position.
Unlike other sports stars or TV/movie stars, he is going to have look good in tights with no shirt year-round for the next 10-15 years, with his only breaks coming when he dares ask for one (as others who don't take breaks because they're younger or more durable or more willing to sacrifice begin to lap him) or when he's rehabbing an injury (hardly a stress-free, relaxing, planned vacation) and perform virtually every weekend year round. That adds up. He's at the starting point, when things look great. He's about to get independently wealthy. He's not being realistic about what it's like to walk in the shoes of some of the other wrestlers such as Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero who didn't get into this with a desire to party and do drugs and have sad premature ends to their lives. If WWE had said anything other than things are great and individuals keep making bad individual choices to individually kill themselves, maybe there'd be a sense they're interested in more than damage control for their stockholders.
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!
WK: He has no sympathy for people who get wrapped up in the wrestling grind and don't know any better? No sympathy? If I worked for a company that demands the type of physical sacrifice that WWE does, and I saw performers not saving money or buying health insurance with their ample pay, I'd get more involved. WWE wrestlers and management talk about how they're all a big family. Well, Ken, family members look out for one another. Some are better with money than others. Some are better listeners when there's a problem at home. Some are great at telling stories. Some are experts at nutrition. Others are great at charity events working with kids (as was the "goof" Marc Mero, you insulted earlier). Everyone has strengths. But if some aren't good at saving their money or buying health insurance, is WWE doing enough as a responsible corporate citizen to help them in areas where they're weak, such as investing and planning for the future? I'm not saying WWE has to. I am saying it'd be great if they did more than they do. Many corporations do because they can and because it's the right thing to do.
Johnny Grunge was bad with his money. He should have been more responsible. I'm not sure lecturing a grieving widow a day after her five year old says he thinks daddy is lonely and has no one to eat Cocoa Puffs with in heaven is the time to lecture her on her late husband's irresponsibility. He was allowed/encourage/required, in exchange for pay, to take tremendous physical abuse during the hardcore era in ECW, WCW, and the WWF. Maybe he wouldn't have accepted help if offered. Maybe he would have been a druggie if he hadn't been abusing his body in the ring so badly. There is no doubt he made bad choices. But this approach of blaming him is no different than those blaming Vince.
This shouldn't be a game of two opposing sides digging their heels into the dirt. This should be about people coming together and trying to figure out what they can reasonably do to prevent the system from producing sad endings to the lives of way too many wrestlers. They each have their own story and a unique set of circumstances, but there is no other industry producing this type of tragic outcome. I find it crass and selfish and self-centered to be one of the fortunate ones who has worked hard and plans to be responsible, but who is also early in the grind about to enter peak earning years, pushing for the status quo. If changes can be made that don't threaten the big money years of the Kennedy-types, but can make lives better for everybody and puts the wrestlers' welfare ahead of the opinion of Wallstreet analysts who look down at wrestlers as circus freaks, that would be a nice improvement. Why can't we have that discussion? The argument cannot begin with "things are different than before and just fine" until we get a few years without someone dying on WWE's watch, or someone who was recently spit out of the coal mine and dies a few years later and is just written off as having made bad choices after leaving the company.
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!!!! KK "
This is another example of the pro wrestling industry just discarding its lost souls. Here's my opinion: If WWE had a sincere, comprehensive, transparent drug testing policy for the last eight years (not just after someone died and they felt pressure for whatever reason to finally reinstitute a long forgotten attention to drug testing) and gave Chris Benoit six weeks off twice a year to go on a cruise with his wife and be a father for his kids for more than a 48-72 hour stretch when he's recovering from a road trip and preparing for the next one, then Chris, Nancy, and Daniel would still be alive. I might be wrong, but that's my opinion, and it's based on more than a hunch and not some ulterior motive.
Well, I guess my motive is this: I want to write about wrestling matches, angles, and promos. I don't want to write about wrestlers dying anymore. I'm sick of it. And I honestly don't see enough changes being made. I see denial and I see self-serving justification for a broken system because the people defending it naively think they're not going to be "one of them" because they're early in the marathon and about to enter their prime earning years whose attitude is: "Screw everyone else and their bad decisions. It's working for me, dammit." Maybe, maybe not. But this is about more than the 80-90 percent who make all the right decisions. It's about not tempting and rewarding bad decisions for the 10-20 percent who aren't as equipped to deal with the system and the culture. The current system temps and rewards with fame and money people who aren't as equipped as Kennedy believe he is and very well may be.
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WWEFootos48
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Jul 12 2007, 11:14 PM
Post #9
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God
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I don't really see the reason for a wrestling site to dissect and basically bash an article that could easily be looked upon as one of the best statements throughout this whole dilemma. Nobody else, especially here, has said anything bad about the article at all, but of course, like anything, there has to be naysayers about something. I wish things could just be left as it is for once.
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_DL_
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Jul 12 2007, 11:39 PM
Post #10
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BURN IT DOOOWWNNNNNNNN!
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Kennedy's article was well done I thought and I saw no reason for PW to hack and slash it.
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Nubochanozep
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Jul 13 2007, 06:01 AM
Post #11
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Maybe because a lot of what he said was one-sided, ignorant, and needed to be compared to a reasoned argument from the other side of the spectrum.
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_DL_
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Jul 13 2007, 06:10 AM
Post #12
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BURN IT DOOOWWNNNNNNNN!
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Most of everything we read is from the other side, this was a rarity.
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Nubochanozep
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Jul 13 2007, 06:17 AM
Post #13
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But still, it seems a little dumb for Kennedy to sit there whinging and bitching about people like Mero or Warrior speaking to the media, when speaking to them would be a whole helluva lot better than speaking to an expert with no affiliation, nor experience in wrestling such as Colin Cowherd or something. It seems almost dumb for Kennedy to sit there moaning and groaning about how people who haven't wrestled within the WWE for a decade or so are going out there and commenting to make a quick buck, when history tells us that it's almost CERTAIN that if Kennedy ever finds himself in a situation like that then he'll be doing the same thing. It seems borderline insane for Kennedy to declare that he has no sympathy for people who don't manage money well, when (As Foley says in his book concerning the Dynamite Kid) the main reason why these people don't save properly is because they've been lulled into believing, through the lifestyle that the business promotes, that something will always be there for them. Does Kennedy have any idea how difficult it must be to have a million bucks flowing through the coffers one week, then have nothing the next?
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_DL_
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Jul 13 2007, 06:21 AM
Post #14
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BURN IT DOOOWWNNNNNNNN!
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It's in the eyes of the beholder
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Nubochanozep
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Jul 13 2007, 07:17 AM
Post #15
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If that were the case, then you and everyone else wouldn't have become so huffle-puffled over the response to Kennedy's little rant.
;)
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_DL_
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Jul 13 2007, 07:21 AM
Post #16
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BURN IT DOOOWWNNNNNNNN!
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I just said that I didn't see a need for it, that's in no way going on a rant saying "ZMG WTF DID TAHY DO TAHT 4?!?!"
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4400TVJunkie
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Jul 13 2007, 07:29 AM
Post #17
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All hail King Booker!
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Mero responded to Kennedy's comments last night. The Benoit tragedy has just turned everyone inside out. It's like things are getting out of hand.
- PWTorch
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Abrams said the Benoit controversy has caused current and former wrestlers to turn on each other.
He quoted Shane Helms: "Blaming or criticizing pro wrestling is just an easy way out to try [to] explain a very complicated tragedy ... failed former stars (and I use that term loosely) like Marc Mero are only making things worse by trying to cash in and turn a tragedy into a last few minutes of fame on TV. That is just pathetic."
Mero was brought on the show. Mero thanked him for having him on his show. "I have to say what Sugar Helms said, it's gonna come from people who number one don't know me or know what's behind what I'm doing. I have a lot of reasons for doing what I'm doing." He held up the list of dead wrestlers and said he talks to kids all the time.
Abrams quoted the beginning of Mr. Kennedy's web entry which called Mero a goof. He also mispronounced Brett Favre's name. Mero said Kennedy has only been in wrestling for two years. (He's been in wrestling many years, but only in WWE less than three).
Mero said: "Realistically, what is somebody in WWE going to say? Are they going to say something negative about the company paying their bills right now?" Mero said he left WWE in 1999 with three years left on his contract. He said he walked away from wrestling. He said the same thing is going on with recent deaths and Rey Mysterio being named in an Atlanta paper (it was actually the Atlanta Fox TV affiliate)."
Steve Blackman was brought on via phone. He said some of those newer wrestlers don't know them. He said they don't want to be thrown in the same category as wrestlers of the past who used drugs. Mero asked Blackman if they would have spoken out against WWE when they were part of the company.
Abrams said they keep calling WWE to give them current wrestlers and they're not giving them any.
He read a quote from Kennedy: "It's ridiculous, insane, and it really makes me sick that these so-called reporters ... call upon these silly bastards who are bitter and and frustrated that their careers have ended to represent the WWE which of course all makes us look like a bunch of babbling idiots who are all addicted to steroids, drugs, alcohol, etc."
Mero said he's not stereotyping all wrestlers. He said a lot of them are good people, but it's obviously still a problem. He said those who are speaking out have an agenda because they're still working for the company, going to work for the company, or want their son to work for the company.
Abrams invited any current wrestlers or Vince McMahon to join the program in the future.
WK: The quotes from Kennedy make him out to be just angry and mean. I mean, that's not the voice WWE should want out there as the rare case of someone with WWE speaking on this matter. Helms and Kennedy actually come across as big marks, in the sense that they think if someone speaks out on TV against policies and procedures in the industry, they just miss TV time and are doing anything to get back on TV. That plays into the whole point of how intoxicating being on TV can be, and how people such as Helms and Kennedy think if they value being on TV in front of a bunch of strangers that everyone defines part of their success or worthiness in life that way. Sometimes, Shane and Ken, people go on TV to communicate a point of view without a profit motive or a need for fame. Or because they like a good debate. Or because they're articulating a point of view that doesn't sound bought and paid for and they keep getting asked back.
Mero's comeback was solid and obvious - that nobody in WWE who is speaking out is likely to take a pro-change point of view. It's up to their boss, Vince McMahon, or collectively a group of five to ten top wrestlers to band together for change.
If you look at the language used by Helms and Kennedy, and compare it to Mero, it's quite a contrast. Kennedy and Helms resorted to name-calling and pejoratives. Mero isn't calling for the industry to be shut down. He's calling for change to make the lives of Kennedy and Helms better and in the process, hopefully prevent future deaths or broken lives.
I got a kick out of the fact that Abrams didn't know how to pronounce the name of Brett Favre (whose last night he pronounced phonetically).
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Nubochanozep
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Jul 13 2007, 09:22 AM
Post #18
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- Dark-Loner
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I just said that I didn't see a need for it, that's in no way going on a rant saying "ZMG WTF DID TAHY DO TAHT 4?!?!"
And all I was doing was pointing out that there was a need for it, which is an idea that has thus far not been challenged by you beyond your original declaration.
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_DL_
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Jul 13 2007, 09:31 AM
Post #19
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BURN IT DOOOWWNNNNNNNN!
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Okay, I say there wasn't and you say there was. We're just going around in circles
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Cybrus
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Jul 13 2007, 09:46 AM
Post #20
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STAY HYPED!!!
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I think Kennedy's response comes across more like a WWE fluff piece than an accurate reflection of anything. It's not like he's going to to say anything negative about WWE at this time, especially considering he is on the brinks of a major push.
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4400TVJunkie
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Jul 13 2007, 10:27 AM
Post #21
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All hail King Booker!
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Pretty much no one who is on the WWE or TNA payroll will speak their mind whether they're on the brink of a push or not. They say the wrong thing, and they may find themselves out of a job. And I stress the word may.
I agree with some of what Kennedy had to say. I do feel that some wrestlers are speaking out just to have their name in the media again. I do feel that some wrestlers need to start learning to save their money. Nothing is guaranteed in this life. You have to SAVE some of your income, it's something you learn as a kid. Trust me, it's doable. RVD, Lita, Trish, and several others left the business with enough money to still live comfortably while others are dead broke from blowing off their money on dumb things.
As for the WWE having a strict drug policy like the NFL...I don't know about that. It just seems like the NFL, MMA, and other sports take their policies more seriously and I think it's because they aren't fixed.
I really wonder if what Kennedy said is what he truly believes or if some WWE people gave him pointers. It seems like his "rant" was more of what the WWE really wants to come out and say but they have to be PC about everything.
Overall, I think the arguing, insults, and placing of blame elsewhere needs to stop and there needs to be a "meeting of the minds" sort of thing to take place to discuss what's really going on in the wrestling industry. If the WWE truly doesn't have a drug problem, fine. But if things are being swept under the rug thinking it'll disappear, that's just flat out wrong. Whether Congress needs to step in to regulate the business, or drug testing needs to be taking more seriously, SOMETHING needs to happen to better accommodate the wrestlers.
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Master Rah
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Jul 13 2007, 12:05 PM
Post #22
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SAVE US
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Kennedy>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>The Media,and Marc Mero.
Mero: I have wrestled 25 dead wrestlers in the past
*holds up sheet of paper*
Mero: This steroid issuse is a HUGE problem

Just kidding. Marc Mero OWNS.....when he was in the Attitude Era. now he just looks like a woman.
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WWEFootos48
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Jul 13 2007, 12:38 PM
Post #23
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God
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You know Sean Stasiak is now a chiropractor?
But anyway, it's really funny to hear people say that the "rant" had to be said, but then after the PWTorch dissected it, come back and say that it wasn't right. I'm sticking by it all the way, and say that Kennedy holds the lead for best interview/article about the case. I'd rather listen to and believe a current WWE star who actually sees a lot of the backstage stuff, then somebody who wrestled in the WWF 5 or 10 years ago, when it was even much different then, or even a wrestling site that probably has less exposure inside the business than Kennedy.
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Cybrus
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Jul 13 2007, 12:53 PM
Post #24
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STAY HYPED!!!
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- WWEWhoseLine48
- Jul 13 2007, 08:38 AM
I'd rather listen to and believe a current WWE star
The main problem with that is that you know that they have to censor themselves at least a little bit. If WWE is going into overdrive defend themselves, then a WWE employee is not going to say something negative about the company. That would just give the media something else to latch onto and that wrestler would most likely be "unofficially" undisciplined. I'm not saying Kennedy's writing was all bad, just that it is more of a fluff piece than an accurate reflection of the issues.
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WWEFootos48
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Jul 13 2007, 01:05 PM
Post #25
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God
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Well even if that's so, the reason that he's able to put "fluff" into it, is because he actually has an idea of what's happening, and if you're right, is able to actually build off of that. Guys like Marc Mero, Steve Blackman, or even dammed Debra haven't been in the business for awhile, and are pretty much talking out of assumption, or from one or two things they heard, or witnessed 10 years ago. I would trust most third-party wrestling sites over guys like that, who says there's a major problem with steroids, and that the wrestling business treated them horrible, when there are other people today saying that when they were injured, or when they needed it, they got full pay, time off, and everything.
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Cybrus
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Jul 13 2007, 02:10 PM
Post #26
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STAY HYPED!!!
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Just so there is no misunderstanding (I'm not sure if there is or isn't), I'm not saying that the "Hey, remember me. I'm still alive!" group of forgotten wrestlers are anymore creditable with their information than Kennedy. I think both sides have valid points, but I think both sides also have their own agenda and exaggerate their points. I think it is very hard to find anyone (and I mean ANYONE) that is being 100% true to the issue without having any type of ulterior motives.
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WWEFootos48
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Jul 13 2007, 03:29 PM
Post #27
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God
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- Quote:
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I think it is very hard to find anyone (and I mean ANYONE) that is being 100% true to the issue without having any type of ulterior motives.
Alright, I'll definitely meet you there. I guess whether you work for WWE or not, everyone lies. (House quote right there) But in Kennedy's case, what does he really gain by saying those things about the WWE? I'm pretty sure that just because he defends the WWE, he's not going to get the push of a lifetime, (since Cena and an impending Jericho already defended it) but at the same time, I didn't even realize the wrestlers were still able to talk about this situation. I remember reading something where Vince didn't want any wrestler going on any news shows or talking about it for three weeks. Less than two weeks after it, we have current WWE stars on Larry King Live, and others blogging about it. I don't know what that means, but it doesn't seem like Kennedy's agenda to "lie" is as big or bigger than the others who have talked about it.
So I guess on that note, other than to look good, I don't see why Kennedy would have to fabricate anything that the WWE is currently doing. And in my opinion, although WWE could improve, just looking at the company beyond media coverage, they're doing pretty good.
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Cybrus
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Jul 13 2007, 08:53 PM
Post #28
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STAY HYPED!!!
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- WWEWhoseLine48
- Jul 13 2007, 11:29 AM
So I guess on that note, other than to look good, I don't see why Kennedy would have to fabricate anything that the WWE is currently doing.
As previously mentioned, Kennedy's response sounds like everything WWE wants to say but cannot say because they have to be so PR at the moment. What does he have to gain by making such statements? Well, if he was persuaded by the company to make such a post, then Kennedy just proved he is a company man that will do what is asked of the company. If he wasn't personally persuaded, then he just proved he is a "company man" that will take the incentive to defend the company.
I don't see how anyone could look at a response from a WWE employee and not say "Well, you know he had to be pro-WWE because he wouldn't risk getting in WWE's doghouse at this time."
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JD Storm
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Jul 16 2007, 03:14 AM
Post #29
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McDonald's Heavyweight Champion
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- WWEWhoseLine48
- Jul 13 2007, 07:38 AM
I'd rather listen to and believe a current WWE star who actually sees a lot of the backstage stuff, then somebody who wrestled in the WWF 5 or 10 years ago, when it was even much different then, or even a wrestling site that probably has less exposure inside the business than Kennedy.
should this mean that Bret Hart or Ted DiBiase have no business speaking out? according to Kennedy's logic, as well as your logic, they haven't been truly active in a long time.
wait, Hart & DiBiase are defending WWE. as long as nobody says anything negative, about WWE.
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WWEFootos48
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Jul 16 2007, 11:00 PM
Post #30
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God
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- JD Storm
- Jul 15 2007, 11:14 PM
- WWEWhoseLine48
- Jul 13 2007, 07:38 AM
I'd rather listen to and believe a current WWE star who actually sees a lot of the backstage stuff, then somebody who wrestled in the WWF 5 or 10 years ago, when it was even much different then, or even a wrestling site that probably has less exposure inside the business than Kennedy.
should this mean that Bret Hart or Ted DiBiase have no business speaking out? according to Kennedy's logic, as well as your logic, they haven't been truly active in a long time.
But technically, they've been involved with the WWE within the past few years. Dibiase worked with the WWE again until not long ago, and Bret has also worked with the WWE recently with his DVD release, and book among other things. So technically they've been active within the WWE recently, much more recently than a Marc Mero or Debra.
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