To be honest, the only reason I started to watch TNA was the appearance of Jeff Hardy. The Enigma was just that. He seemingly walked away from the bright lights and big cities of the WWE to the boondocks of Orlando that was TNA wrestling. I know I’m not the only one who began to give the fledgling promotion a chance because Jeff hardy graced their doorstep. TNA needed a superstar to push them to the next level and it looked like they got it in Jeff Hardy. TNA began to get more attention but Jeff Hardy was not the flagship, he was simply the catalyst. Jeff Hardy came and went like the hurricanes that often hit Florida. Generally, they cause a great deal of sensation and are quickly forgotten once the next one hits the peninsula. But why? Jeff Hardy came with promise and an already large fan base. I began to search the wrestling columns and news sites and there it was. Hardy who already had an alleged issue with drugs was not showing up for shows. TNA moved on without him. Jeff Hardy appeared only in name on the roster. His merchandise could be found, but not the man.
RVD and Sabu recently found themselves in a bit of hot water in Ohio. RVD would still be both the WWE and ECW champ if he hadn’t of blown it up in a cloud of smoke. The only opponent he couldn’t defeat with his high flying antics was the Ohio State Patrol. I have heard that he took his suspension very lightly and I know the WWE is anxious to put one of the only exciting stars back on its worst program. Chris Masters came and went with just a whimper and Joey Mercury destroyed the WWE’s most entertaining tag team since the Hardy Boyz. Now I understand that Randy Orton allegedly has failed another drug test. The youngest WWE Champion may find himself without a career if he continues his pattern of mistakes.
The list of wrestlers whose careers went up their noses or in a bottle is amazing. How many wrestlers have lost their lives to their addictions only to be mentioned on T.V. right before a commercial break, then its right back to the action? Is that how they wanted their epitaph to be read? by the same guy who just told me to go to Burger King to “have it my way.” Curt Henning comes to mind. He came to the WWE with a lot of talent and a great gimmick. Then he went to the WCW. Then he tragically died of a cocaine overdose in a Florida hotel room. The Missing Link recently published a book of his struggles with addiction. Remember Lex Luger? One of the biggest talents of the 90’s is a shadow of the man he used to be. I saw Jake “The Snake” Roberts on Beyond The Mat. It was just said. It’s hard to watch your heroes fall, especially by something that can so easily be avoided.
But that’s the life of a wrestler. One minute you have 20,000 people cheering your name and the next you’re in a hotel room alone. I will never know the high these athletes get in the ring. I will never know what it is like to have fame and fortune and women throwing themselves at you. But I will also not know the loneliness of the road and the daily pain of their profession. The need to feel that same high as in the ring must be overwhelming for some. Drugs in wrestling are nothing new. Read Ric Flair’s book and you’ll see this is an old problem and with recent headlines it doesn’t seem to be going away. The WWE has begun a Wellness Program to help address this, but what is really going to happen when a marquee name can no longer hide his addictions.
Don’t you secretly wonder if the wrestling promotions are telling us the truth about the plague of injuries that seem to happen? Isn’t a shame that deep down you wonder if a certain wrestler is gone because of his addictions. I recently watched a wrestling match where one of the main performers came out a bit late and was rubbing his nose profusely. I didn’t think he had the flu. I thought he was coked out. I know the court of public opinion shouldn’t be the defining body of a performer but it sometimes is. When I see a talented wrestler with a great character and in-ring skills that can’t manage to stay with any promotion for too long, I assume there has to be some outside problems that are finding their way into the ring. It isn’t just the moral issue of drugs, it’s the fact that storylines have to be rewritten or even dropped because a performer can no longer perform. The big Chris Masters/Carlito feud never emerged. MNM went from being the most dominant tag-team of the WWE in recent years to a footnote on tag-team history. Does it really matter? Yes if you like to watch an entertaining show full of stars; stars that will be there to entertain to the best of their abilities as much as they can and we want. There are hundreds of wrestlers taking the bumps in local gyms or high schools and bleeding for an opportunity that others callously forget with every puff, snort, or injection.
Does it really matter? Yes it does. I know that a lot of famous people like to state that they aren’t role models, and kids shouldn’t look up to them. They should idolize their parents or teachers, or whatever career is socially respected. That is crazy. Ask most kids in any elementary who their favorite wrestler is and you will get an immediate and passionate response. The minute these athletes sign the deals to become video games and toys they have a responsibility to their fans, especially the children. I must have missed Social Studies Man vs. The Science Teacher for my PS2. I don’t have the 5th grade classroom play set with real talking chalkboard. I don’t know of any child who has that. Should I let my children watch a program were the champ is driving around with an ounce of weed? Does this send the opposite message I have been sending them, “Winners don’t do drugs”? Should I just let it slide the way we are letting a lot of other things slide and blame it on society?
I was looking at WWE.com today and noticed that Jeff Hardy was returning to the WWE and the bright lights and big cities. I wonder if he will be able to battle his demons outside of the ring. He won’t be battling alone. His struggle will be shared by his fellow wrestlers and the millions of fans who turn in to get a glimpse of their hero. Will he be the star of old that once held his own with the Undertaker? or will he come and go like the hurricane that hit Florida awhile ago?
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