The health and well being of pro wrestlers has been a hotly debated topic pretty much since the art form’s inception. From the strain put on the body by steroids, to recreational drugs and other vices associated with the life of a major league performer and most recently the very contentious issue of concussions – countless critics have weighed in on the issue of health and safety of professional wrestlers. The physical strain performers go through is part of what endears them to viewers and elicits such a passionate reaction from die-hard supporters of the genre; but this relationship between pain and success in wrestling is one that might see the physical limitations of our favourite performers pushed and pushed until they regret it later in life. And perhaps we as fans regret it as well, for simply asking for too much.
In the realm of independent wrestling, where regulation is essentially non-existent and athletes are solely accountable for their own well being, I feel like more and more people are adopting the “screw it, it’s worth it” attitude with regards to putting it all on the line in the name of showmanship.
It really hit home with me when watching the main event of PWG’s stellar ninth anniversary show; a three way tag team ladder match between Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole, The Young Bucks and The Super Smash Bros, an absolute war that saw all six men give a performance worthy of a match of the year mention. The booming roar of the Southern California faithful gave the spectacle a ‘big fight feel’ as the competitors put their bodies on the line in a very real way. As many ‘oohs and ahs’ as the match got, one also couldn’t help but cringe at some of the carnage, as the brutality escalated. Maybe it’s just a case of ignorance being bliss, but as the years go on and we learn more and more about the physical toll of the business – matches like these make me excited and uncomfortable almost in equal measure.
Now, the aforementioned match is not being presented as some kind of reckless display that sets a bad example. All six guys involved are phenomenal talents and are high on the list of people I’d trust to do a match like this and not come away with a major injury. This is just what started the gears turning in my head about this issue once again – it’s one that often isn’t far from my mind.
As fans of indie wrestling, I’m sure most reading this will have seen, probably more than once, the famed Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness match from Liverpool – and I’m also sure the unforgettable visual of Nigel headbutting the steel post repeatedly is still burned into their minds’ eye. Knowing how his career concluded (or not knowing, as it were) and the many other instances where wrestlers have drawn parallels between the risks they took and the abrupt ending of their careers, it becomes more and more difficult to see the increasing risks taken on the indie scene and turn a blind eye.
In the few years I’ve been following independent wrestling, certain hallmarks of the style have become apparent. Certain things that are viewed as opposing the mainstream or un-WWE like have become a standard for fans of ROH, CZW and other top tier groups. An increased sense of danger and reality to the violence is one of them. Whether superplexes on barricades, stiff kicks to the head or brutal headbutts – a less toned-down level of violence has become something of a norm, with wrestlers presenting it and perhaps worse; fans expecting it.
It’s an interesting line to walk. To dust off the oldest of chestnuts; this ain’t ballet. Pain, injury, and daily risks are part of being a pro wrestler. And fans have to accept that. But the line has to come somewhere. With no authority lauding over them, and only so much money to be made in so many places, there is always the temptation to take more risks, and push the envelope even further. I’m no one to say where exactly the line is, and it’s not like I’d even know where to start. But as someone who truly admires and supports the hardest working men and women of wrestling, I feel like I’m not wrong to say I hope they think before they leap.
As always, and perhaps more importantly than before, I really want to hear from you on this. Leave a comment below, or tweet me with your thoughts on this.
Apologies for this blog being a week late, by the way. It was a rough week round these parts, so it was delayed. Thanks to those from the community who sent their well wishes and we’re back to business at last! Check back every other Thursday for a new column, and follow me on twitter for fun and games in the mean time. Looking forward to hearing the PWP readership weigh in on this.
This is something like the most important question in wrestling to me. It’s something I ask myself…well, pretty much any time I see an El Generico or Kevin Steen match. If these guys are doing so much damage to their bodies because they honestly want to, then I guess that’s their prerogative. But if they’re doing it because they think it’s the only way they’ll be accepted, then I just want to shout, “No, it’s okay! I’ll watch you work a safer style, just don’t kill yourself on account of me!”
I hate the thought of guys and girls taking nasty bumps because they feel pressured. I think of Mick Foley in “Beyond the Mat” when he took a ridiculous number of chair shots to the head – more than he’d even intended to take – and as he’s having his gaping wound tended to in the back, Droz comes up and pretty much says, “Man, you’re amazing, that was awesome,” like he’s encouraging him to keep it up. It seems like some indy wrestlers want every match to garner that kind of reaction.
You know, one of the reasons I don’t watch MMA or boxing anymore is because I don’t like the idea that someone has to be hurt for the sport to work. In wrestling, no one has to be hurt; at least, not beyond reason. Johnny Saint wrestled for several years and is still in good enough shape to work into his 70’s. I wonder if El Generico will be able to walk unassisted when he’s in his 50’s.
And what if these guys get so battered that they can’t work, and then they have to have fundraisers to pay their medical bills?
This seems to be all I think about when I watch the matches anymore.
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try doing ballet and then say it does not involve pain and injury.
wrestlers dont do crazy and dangerous bumps because they want to – they do it because its what is expected and its how they get over. Its a real coppout for fans to say shit like “well he is a adult and can make his own decisions’ when its our responses that shapes their behavior.
Where do you draw the line however is a difficult one. As you said, protecting the head and neck should be of top importance – they are the biggests causes of long term damage like brain damage and disability. Things like thumbtacks, fire, barbed wire, forks etc is too far in my mind also. If a wrestler blades themselves I personally think that is ok, because the damage is controlled. Of course fake blood could work just as well. Limits on how high wrestlers jump off things also makes sense. And a last thing that I never could quite understand, (more for wwe and the big companies) why they dont try and make the objects around the wrestling ring more safe? For example, the monitors in the tables that wrestlers usually take out before doing a spot – but not always. How the ring steps look like they have sharp edges and could cut people pretty easily – how they dont use special tables in TLC matches that will break safely (i.e. not having the edges coming off and cutting people). Otherwise, I think the WWE ‘style’ definitely has become much safer but the rest of the industry will not follow their lead as long as fans are as blood thirsty as they are.