Loss

WWE stayed out of Oregon from 1993-2003 due to them requiring outside drug testing. They deregulated in 2003, and WWE returned immediately.

To be clear, there is absolutely nothing that can be done to totally eliminate the possibility of this happening again, and I am totally aware of that. Where I disagree is that the risks can't be reduced. I agree that there will always be masking agents, corrupt doctors and carny wrestling promoters, but every system can be beaten. That doesn't mean the system doesn't work to some degree.

I'm only throwing things out there. It was an idea I had, but I'm not declaring it perfect or even the right solution. But it does strengthen the case for regulating wrestling. But to argue your analogy, driving is regulated, and people with certain medical conditions (vision problems, epilepsy, alcoholism, etc) are not able to drive in most states. If Benoit's dementia and track record of concussions were documented, and he was required to be licensed as a wrestler, those issues might have been addressed. I think in the case of an Eddy Guerrero, or Mike Awesome, or Brian Pillman, you can argue personal choice, and simply regret that they made those choices and that it's unfortunate that they died young and left children behind. With Benoit, he killed his wife and son. What choices did they make that led to them dying? I'd love for wrestling to not have to be regulated, but wrestling doesn't seem to care about its own issues, so the only other option would be to completely ban wrestling because it's too hazardous. I'd rather not see that happen, but besides that, the only other thing that could happen is for every wrestling company to be willing to sacrifice what's best for short-term business in an attempt to clean things up, but we have decades of proof that it's never going to happen. Yes, wrestlers should bargain to protect themselves and get benefits, but they're not, and in the current system, they're never going to for fear of reprisal. They are to blame for not doing that. The question remains -- what precautions can be taken to lessen the chance of a 7-year old getting choked to death by his drug-addicted, mentally ill father again?

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3560015&page=1 The article can't be C & P'd, but highlights: - Test was conducted by Julian Bailes of the Sports Legacy Institute - Brain was so severely damaged it resembled the brain of an 85-year old Alzheimer's patient - Research team attributes this to lifetime of concussions and head trauma suffered in wrestling - Brain showed an advanced form of dementia - He had several brown spots on his brain, which were actually dead brain cells - Damage was in all four lobes of brain and deep into the brain stem - Bailes does not believe steroids played a role, but does think concussions/dementia played a role Again, I'm really hoping this isn't the beginning of some long-term trend where wrestlers hang themselves. It's already happened three times this year. There's also information here about three concussions being enough to cause permanent brain damage. If wrestlers were unioned/licensed, they'd have to get medical exams frequently and ideally, I guess two concussions would result in a permanent loss of license, meaning the career is over right then. I'm all for personal choice, but now that we've seen that those personal choices can result in the death of other innocent people, that really can't be argued anymore. If anything, this overwhelmingly strengthens the argument for regulated pro wrestling.

Also, I just picked up on the clever ambiguity of this thread title.

Well sadly, in terms of a spokesperson, Michaels is one of the better options they have. He's had a 20-year career in the company where he's never been a huge guy, and he was "cared for" and "watched after" when he was losing his mind and was immature. Of course, those days are long over. On one hand, Shawn Michaels is the best company spokesman they could use. On the other hand, Shawn Michaels is the best company spokesman they could use.

Also, prepare for Shawn Michaels' return to even more greatly expose him as a con artist fraud who pretends to be Christian so he can sell t-shirts with crosses on them.

It will be bad enough that WWE will try all of their in-the-bubble solutions (more lighthearted comedy to make people think wrestling is innocent, return of former big names, even more babyfaces going over, added emphasis on Vince McMahon on TV) and will honestly be shocked that none of them do anything to clean up their image or make people forget the last two months. I also think further investigation into the details of those listed as clients could be disastrous. It's pretty obvious to me Funaki is a patsy. Here's a guy who's kept a job for a decade despite barely being used, and is allegedly great friends with Austin, Michaels, HHH, Taker, etc.

There is some degree of truth here, but I'm pretty sure most of these guys are wearing suits all the time these days, as per the dress code requirements. Also, Steve Austin is a sleazebag and if he was still in wrestling, I'd probably have him in a death pool. He has a lot more in common with the Benoit/Guerrero/Pillman types than he would probably care to admit.

No. This is from the TBS studio.

Also, from that same PWI elite update: -- Stephanie stated Vince looks forward to testifying before Congress and plans on wearing a clown wig and makeup -- Batista stated he wants to sue Sports Illustrated for saying he was a client of Signature Pharmacy when he wasn't

Talk about it when you get it here.

Talk about it when you get it here.

Talk about it when you get it here.

Talk about it when you get it here.

Talk about it when you get it here.

Talk about it when you get it here.

Talk about it when you get it here.

Talk about it when you get it here.

Talk about it when you get it here.

Talk about it when you get it here.

Talk about it when you get it here.

I just sent out an e-mail to everyone with information on what the next step would be for anyone interested. If you don't get it for whatever reason, please let me know. There were a lot of names who showed interest, and hopefully I didn't miss anyone. Thanks.

The guy they were going to hire this week also could have been Johnny Stamboli.

People still haven't forgotten about the steroid trial, and that was in 1994. This is much bigger. The congressional hearings will still be going on at that time, and there will probably at least one other death, as sad as it is to say. Thinking this is going away is just wishful thinking. Maybe the issue of 10 suspensions won't matter as much by that time, but the issue of drug use in pro wrestling, government intervention and the fallout from the Benoit tragedy is not going to calm down for a long time. WWE will continue on one hand enforcing their drug policy because they know they're being watched (which discourages steroid use among wrestlers), while on the other hand only pushing people who look a certain way (which encourages steroid use among wrestlers). As long as the mixed messages continue, this is going to stay around. As for how long this will remain a big story outside of wrestling, that's hard to say. But it's a big story to wrestling for a long time. The steroid trial, Vince's indictment, the sex scandals, etc. was a 3-year story, arguably longer because of the effect WWE felt after the trial was over for another 2-3 years. If it took years for things to get back to normal then, it's certainly going to now.