By Joe Saunders
This column is dedicated to the memory of all those that have died in the pursuit of following their dreams for our entertainment. Your memory lives on, you are appreciated and you will not be forgotten.
Welcome to another edition of AITC. It's been a while between drinks, so let's dive right in.
This column was inspired somewhat by Lance Storms commentary on May 5th. He posed the question of "Is wrestling fake?" Of course, if you are reading this site then you more than likely know that wrestling matches are predetermined and to an extent, choreographed. Since I started wrestling, I couldn't tell you the amount of people that have asked me if wrestling is fake or have just straight out accused me of being a phoney. My problem is not in the question or accusation itself, but in the terms used. What I liked to call "the F word".
The word "fake" is thrown around by everyone and their grandmother to describe anything from wrestling to Britney Spears' chest. First of all, yes, the outcomes of wrestling matches are not real. The winner of a match is not necessarily tougher than the person they beat. But that's what makes wrestling fun. In the real world, a fight between someone the size of The Big Show and someone like Spike Dudley could only realistically go one way. But in this crazy world of pro wrestling, you can never be sure.
When you think about it though, the outcome of a match is only a very small part of the story. People don't go to a show to see their favourite wrestlers win a match in 5 seconds. They want to see a good match, they want to be entertained, they want to be enthralled. And this is where wrestling becomes real.
The athleticism and the talent of these great entertainers that provide you with whatever wrestling-related fix you need is far from fake. To call wrestling fake is to insult the great athletes that make it possible. To call it fake is to disregard the countless injuries, years of training and a lifetime of sacrifice that these people have made to live their dreams and to entertain the public. And if you think the injuries are limited to Triple H's quad tear or Chris Benoit's neck injury (which were both very serious) then you are sadly mistaken. The greatest glory in wrestling is that most wrestlers are already working through pain that would have a normal man in agony, and yet we just can't tell. How many times have you been shocked to find out that one of your favourite stars has "suddenly" been sidelined with a serious injury? Chances are they had had that injury for quite some time.
There are countless examples of injuries incurred through in-ring work, but I'll attempt to give you a few here.
Darren Drozdov was permanently paralysed in a match with D-Lo Brown in 1999 on live television. This was not really any fault of D-Lo's, it was simply an accident. Droz is now a quadriplegic, confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. And still, he is not mentioned on television, just another casualty of the business.
The British Bulldog suffered a serious back injury during a TV taping for WCW in 1998. He was powerslammed onto a trap door that had been built into the ring for The Warrior's "dramatic entrances". He was not compensated, he was fired.
Mick Foley has suffered more serious injuries than most people have had birthdays.
Just last October, Hayabusa, one of the most influential wrestlers of this generation was paralysed whilst attempting a quebrada (lionsault). It was a move he had hit countless times before, but just one slip and his career is over. Now he can only hope that he will one day be able to return to a normal life.
In a match with Stan Hansen, Vader's eyeball was knocked right out of the socket by one of those "fake" shots. It is truly a grotesque scene to see a man's eyeball dangling next to his nose. But of course, it didn't hurt because it was a wrestling match and wrestling is "fake". (Note: Vader's eye required surgery and a steel plate, it was dislodged again in 1998 after a chokeslam in a match with Kane.)
Speaking of Vader, he was also responsible for breaking Joe Thurmon's spine with a powerbomb in 1993. And he has had his arm broken twice with jujigatames (cross armbreakers) at the hands of Mitsuharu Misawa and Nobuhiko Takada. Oh, and we can't forget about his 27 knee surgeries over the span of his 16 year career.
Toshiaki Kawada ruptured Mitsuharu Misawa's ear drum with a stiff roundhouse kick during their match on 29/7/93. But don't worry, Misawa got one back in a rematch in January 1999... Kawada hit Misawa so hard with a spinning backfist that he broke his own forearm.
And of course there are a plethora of broken necks, from Steve Austin to Masahiro Chono, Jack Roberts and Sabu.
But if you think that these injuries are as bad as it gets, you can think again. Deaths, whilst not as common as injuries, are also an all too real part of the wrestling life. Many wrestlers do not make it to what we would consider "old age". Years of wear and tear on their bodies, and in particular the heart, often cause long lasting health problems. Sadly though, there are a small percentage of deaths that occur in the ring.
Mike DiBiase, father of Ted died in the ring after suffering a heart attack at age 45.
Plum Mariko, a Japanese women's wrestler, died from a brain aneurism suffered during a match in August 1997.
Similarly, Emiko Kado, aged 23, died after suffering a brain injury when her head snapped off the mat whilst taking a powerbomb.
Gary Albright suffered a heart attack during a match in January 2000. Because of the nature of the business, the match went on. Treatment was subsequently delayed, Albright died.
Masakazu Fukuda, 27, died from head injuries sustained from a flying elbow during a match in March 2000.
And of course, we all know the story of Owen Hart. He died while attempting to entertain the public he loved. He gave his life for our enjoyment.
As you can see, injuries and deaths are as much a part of the wrestlers' life as the actual wrestling. I can honestly say that there is not one thing in wrestling that does not have the potential to be harmful. Everything can and does hurt. Ask the warriors described above. Bill Goldberg once said in response to being called a fake "You stand over there, let me hit you with my spear, if you can get up, then you can call me a fake." And while poor ol' Bill may not have had the best mind for the business, he makes a valid point.
I was a wrestling fan for 11 years prior to stepping into the ring for the first time. I loved the business with all my heart and respected it more than words can say, but even though I knew about as much as a fan could possibly know, I didn't know a damn thing until I got into that ring. So next time you say "Wrestling's fake" ask yourself if you've ever been in the ring. Ask yourself if you know what it's like to train and have a match. And most importantly, ask yourself if you've ever heard someone who has been in the ring refer to wrestling as "fake"?
As I type this I can't wait for the day when I can resume training. I know I'll experience some pain and I know I'll be taking my life into my own hands as soon as I step through those ropes (I've already nearly broken my neck twice) but you know what? I'll love every second of it. But I shouldn't worry... it's all fake anyway.
Until next time, keep spreading the puroresu love!
Joe Saunders
FuJow.cjb.net
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