Right now I hate the entire wrestling industry more than I think I've ever hated anything in my life. For me wrestling went from a fun past-time to the television equivalent of watching a snuff film. Since Eddie Guerrero passed away the thoughts in my mind are no longer "if" someone will die, they're "when" someone will die.TNA sucks. They hired a guy who was fired from his previous job because the company that employed him was concerned that he would die. Straight up, they said get some help. He said no. They said do it or you're fired. He didn't.
TNA immediately jumps on the Kurt Angle bandwagon. They didn't require him to get treatment, they didn't tell him that they would negotiate with him when he got well, they hired him (he's starting in November, which isn't time to get into any type of meaningful rehab program, and also be able to train properly for a November debut).
They hired a guy who has a family history of heart problems.
His sister died of a massive heart attack.
She wasn't on all manner of pain pill and god knows what else (a direct quote from Kurt Angle says "I can't get through a day without pain medication"), for her it was entirely genetic.
Eddie Guerrero died of a massive heart attack.
This business sucks.
"Oh well, that's just TNA".
So let's talk about the other wrestling company.
The other wrestling company allows guys with spinal neck fusion surgery to wrestle in Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches. The other company has a well known "Wellness policy" which resulted in several Smackdown suspensions earlier in the year, but which changed the policy when the RAW crew came up for testing. Now workers who fail are no longer paid, but still work. Because you know, we don't want to wreck storylines. If you're in the top of the card, you're not going to get sent to rehab...well unless you're so screwed up that people think you might die, then you just jump to the other promotion.
This business sucks.
When Eddie Guerrero died, wrestling became a lot less fun for me, and I pretty much stopped watching. Me, a lifelong wrestling fan. A guy who started a wrestling site for a major national network. A guy who poured my blood sweat and tears into writing about wrestling for the better part of a decade. I stopped watching, I stopped writing, I stopped thinking about wrestling. Why?
I'm so sick and tired of watching good people die. Every wrestler I've ever met has been wickedly awesome to me, they've treated me amazingly well, and been incredibly gracious with their time. Every time one of them dies a little piece of me dies with them, and I can't stand that anymore.
Because this business sucks.
Thank god for the UFC it doesn't suck. Want to know why? Check back next week.
26 comments: on "This Business Sucks"
Welcome back to Tha O Show Darkside.
After a long hiatus he comes up with a grand slam! Geezus, that was some serious emotion.
How can anyone compare UFC to wreslting? Comparing wrestling to rock and roll bands would be far more accurate and look at all the deaths there. It's a live fast, die young business and everyone enetring it realizes that. Look at the oldtimers who are still around. I think some of them would be better off dead.
Why does TNA suck because they hired someone who will make them money. They are not babysitters. Why does'nt it say anything about how Angle sucks for not being smart enough to rest. Nobody held a gun to his head and said you must work for us. The offer would have been there 6-12 months down the road.
- Bloody Bill Skullion
Hard to say that the wrestler chooses to compete in a TLC or similar match.
If it's on the indy scene sure...
Bloody Bill is promoting a King Of The Death Match Tournament in October. Nobody is being forced to compete.
If someone in the WWE says, "Sorry Vince, I don't WANT to do a TLC" - would there be backlash? Would that guy get burried faster than a bone in Lassie's mouth?
If Vince did'nt keep trying to cash in on Eddies memory, any type of blame would have been forgoten by now.
- Bloody Bill Skullion
"Why does TNA suck because they hired someone who will make them money. They are not babysitters. Why does'nt it say anything about how Angle sucks for not being smart enough to rest. Nobody held a gun to his head and said you must work for us. The offer would have been there 6-12 months down the road."
I agree with Bill 100%. This article was of poor quality in my opinion, if this buisness sucks, why come and bitch about it on a site where we look up to it? Bad article, biased, and just a plug for the UFC? I think TNA was smart in hiring Angle, and if he was hurt so badly, that is his fault that he signed the deal.
I disagree.
This article is not of poor quality.
It's simply an opinion you disagree with.
Unlike somethat boast freedom of speech, we were at Tha O Show, truly encourage it, and are not hypocritical.
Yay for trashing pro wrestling! What a great job!
You know, it's called a remote. You can change the channel at any time. Once anything involving the Guerreros hits my screen, I often do.
Let's be objective....
The author of this article is someone I've known for a decade. He has been one of the biggest wrestling fans anywhere. He started the wrestling site on TSN, when no one else at TSN wanted him to.
He was as big a fan as there is.
If he has been turned off so seriously from the product, there must be something to this rant...
Ya know Darkside you're right. The business DOES suck, but it hasn't always:
Gone are the days of hour long boughts of real competition between the likes of Flair and Steamboat. Gone is the careless (and relatively harmless) ham-and-cheese fun of a Hulk Hogan leg drop and Randy Savage flying elbows. Gone is even the spectacle and glitz of the Monday Night Wars.
TNA promos are right... this is the dawning of a new age in professional wrestling. But it wasn't born with the 6-sided ring or the X-division. This new era of wrestling is being forged in the deaths of good men like Eddie Guerrero. Men who had to struggle like hell to fight out of injuries, take all sorts of shit to numb their pain, and 'roid themselves up JUST to stay relevant.
If the 'E is going to keep pushing titanic musclebound monsters with no idea of the safety of their opponents; you're damn right people are going to get hurt.
Had their not been the precident of wrestlers being fired for not getting better fast enough (The Boogeyman is the latest example), do you think wrestlers would rush their rehab?
If small guys, or thin guys, or even average built guys won the big one over guys like Batista -- do you think the pressure would be on to grow larger than life?
Things like Angle and Eddie don't happen in a vaccuum, and I believe it's the abominal practices of WWE and TNA which feeds, supports, and DEMANDS this kind of sacrifice on the part of their stars.
I guarentee if the WWE had an easier road schedule, promised a scheduled yearly downtime for each wrestler (like a summer vacation), and gave the title to men the size of Shawn Michaels more often... We wouldn't have to fear for the safety of guys like Angle and TNA wouldnt have the opportunity to leech the blood out of wrestlings veins
Bloody Bill said "Why does TNA suck because they hired someone who will make them money. They are not babysitters. Why does'nt it say anything about how Angle sucks for not being smart enough to rest. Nobody held a gun to his head and said you must work for us. The offer would have been there 6-12 months down the road."
There's something called "Corporate responsibility", if you are a corporation, it is your business to make money. If you are an ethical corporation, it is your duty to live up to a code of ethics.
If I have a drug problem at my work, there are mechanisms in place to get me help. This same mechanism is not in place in the wrestling industry.
That's why I'm fed up with the industry.
Was anybody holding a gun to his head? Nope, but they damn sure were tying off the vein.
Point of clarification Baron:
Marty Wright wasn't released because he got hurt. He was released because he had a horrible attitude about it, and didn't do any of things the company asked him to do while he was hurt.
Youre right BigDaddy, it was a bad example. The other examples I thought of were mostly from WCW, but I still think that it may be in the back of some guys minds that "If I take too long recovering-- people will forget about me, I'll stop mattering, or I may be released"
ANGLE'S COMMENTS ON JOINING TNA:
“Being with TNA feels like I have finally found my home. I had fun in WWE at certain times, but I was never really happy. Now being a part of TNA, I know I have a purpose. I feel like I am part of history, part of a company that is not only on the rise – not only going to be the number-one watched wrestling show in the world within a short period of time – but TNA gives me an opportunity to spread my wings. This company has no limits to where it can go. The sky is the limit and the main reason is because they brought the “real” back into wrestling and that is a perfect fit for the greatest wrestler in USA Olympic history. I have room to grow here and to help TNA grow. Working for these caring and very giving employers of TNA makes me feel like I have a purpose and that the sky is the limit. I don’t feel trapped or held back like I did the first six years in my tenure with the other company. They held me back. Now, our wonderful audience will see the real Kurt Angle doing what I love to do – real wrestling – and that’s what puts a smile on my face each time I come to work. I even smile when I think about it. TNA will be the most watched television show on cable television. It’s only a matter of time. Now, I get the opportunity and privilege of being a part of it. Thank you TNA for saving my career, my life and my desire to do what I love. I will be here in some capacity for the rest of my life. That’s real…that’s damn real.” – Kurt Angle
You know what I like? I like when fans write articles talking about how "the Business" sucks when the only things they know about the business is what they are given by stooges and stooge reports. I would have to think that a more appropriate title would have been "I'm a bleeding heart who has a crush on all these super keen guys I have met and it makes me cry when I can't see them any more"
You know who I think about when I think about Pro Wrestling? I think of guys like Rick Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Snuka, Lou Thesz, and even the likes of Hulk Hogan. I think of days when wrestling was on once a week an it was alot of developmental matches for guys with contracts to tune up for a big PPV match once a month. Not like it is now with wrestling on free tv 3-4 days a week EVER WEEK. You think movie stuntmen work that much? Nope, and the wear a boatload of padding.
I don't blame the business....I blame the fans. The fans want to see their favorites night after night and that means they want to see their favorites doing that same stupid shit they did the night before and then they wat to see it again the next night and then again the night after that.
Am I the only guy that remembers when Kurt Angle was first rumored to sign with WWE and all he could talk about was how bad that would be and how great his olympic shit was and that he would never go into PRO wrestling?
Then answer me why he did sign a deal? You think Vince held a gun to his head or has some seedy pics of him and a horse and said " if you don't work for me I'll show these to your mom"?
I doubt it.
He signed a deal that made him a ton of money and with the money and the fame come the downside. Being on the road 250 days a year, getting divorce after divorce, sitting in a hotel room for some peace and quiet because if you try to go out anywhere you get mobbed by guys like Darkside trying to be your friend.
I do agree that too many wrestler are being taken away from the business with more serious injuries and even death but that's the way it is dude. As long as there are fans that tune in to see what kind of silly shit they are going to do next, it will stay the same.
Question:
How come there arent more wrestling REPORTERS dying off?
There is a trend you can start Darkside.
Notorious T.I.D
let me keep this short... Kurt Angle is a grown man... he knows his health and capabilities moreso than your MARK-ass... You talk about him as if he's a child that doesnt know when to stop... the closest bits of info you have on his health come from an entertaiment company and the internet... STOP BEING A MARK
I forgot one more thing.
If you would like to see some guys who are still not only alive, but working hard and "getin er done", then head on out to Pickering Markets on Saturday Sep. 30th and Sunday Oct. 1st to see Mr. USA himself Tony Atlas, The Birdman Koko B. Ware, "The man of 1000 ho's" Hacksaw Jim Duggan and of course Notorious T.I.D along with many others. Show times are 11 am, 1pm, and 3pm both days with autograph sessions after each match.
Tickets are only 2 bucks so how can go wrong.
I even hear that some of the fellas from Tha "O" show may show up with free merchandise to give away....(hot tag Donnie, you're in, keep your head tucked, I'm out of here)
Notorious T.I.D
Nice shots Tidwell. You know what I love? I love it when people say "Well that's the way it is kid.", as if the way it's always been is the way it should always be.
You're suggesting I shouldn't get outraged when wrestlers die? We should just let it go?
There's a word we who live in this society have for people who can't feel loss when someone dies or who don't feel compassion for others...it's called "sociopath".
Damn dude, it's not even like this would be the first dude named "Kurt" to die while in TNA...see "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig for that honour.
To J Brown. Can you explain to me how not wanting to watch someone self destruct and follow in the footsteps of all those guys in the picture above is being a mark?
Crash Holly.
Curt Hennig.
Chris Candido.
All died while working for TNA.
Don't pretend TNA doesn't have blood on its hands.
- Mark from Markville
Difference is, in WWE you have to wrestle 3 to 4 days a week. In TNA, Kurt Angle only needs to have one match a MONTH. How many times does Jeff Jarret wrestle on impact? Hardly ever. Kurt can try to stay well, cut down to one match a month, and keep storylines going with just interviews and such.
Signguy:
Curt was in TNA at the time of his death, after being released from his final run with the WWE. He was released in part because of drug issues.
bullie:
who is talking badly about deceased wrestlers?? I don't think anyone said anything negative about anyone who has passed - other than to say, we are tired of so many of our television heros dying the same way.
your last statement was somewhat veiled. Who was it directed to? Darkaide? When did he talk smack or make threats? All he's doing is offering a view point...
Bigdaddy, it was desfilms who said quite literally that smackdown guys are pussies, which I couldn't disagree more with...
Take Bobby Lashley for example. Somehow I think a 3-time national wrestling champion/4-time all american/ silver metal CISM world champion/ mixed martial artist ex marine is NOT a pussy!
Mark Henry is the Strongest fucking man on Earth... If he's a pussy, what chance do the rest of us have?
You go down the line you'll get national wrestling champions, carnival fighters, amateur boxers, ex-football stars, and a wrestling fucking gawd. And you, some pip-squeek nobody, safe and secure on the net calls them pussies just cause they dont hit each other with lightbulbs or role around in broken fuckin' glass like some of the Indies? Thats bullshit!
Sure I like the indy's as much as the next guy. I want to see more keylock suplexes, russian neckbreakers, and complex dragonranas in the E, but frankly there comes a time when you start asking TOO much of these stars, and thats one of the largest causes of these injuries you talk about.
These guys dont get injured cause theyre pussies. I know PLENTY of guys who caught major injuries in the indys. The only reason you dont hear about them is because its not as public as the E. Ive seen leagues with a pretty horrific turnover. One of my friends caught a perfectly executed wheelbarrow powerbomb off the top rope through a table and broke his neck. You don't hear about THAT nagging injury cause he doesnt wrestle anymore.
And then you get into even more extreme wrestling leagues like CZW, which in my opinion is nothing more than a snuff film with ring posts.
AND YOU, desfilms seem to expect THAT of these wrestlers and then amaze at how easily they injure after years on the road? Now I see why HHH and JBL hate the internet so much!
Hey watch, if it makes you feel better I still get excited about 6-man tag matches.
I love it every time a man walks straight into a Big Boot from Hogan, just cause it's from Hogan.
I like the sling-shot as a setup for a move, even if it would never really happen like that in real life.
I like lighthearted moments like "head-and-shoulders" and Kurt Angle's "Olympic Goldmetalists for Abstinance"
I absolutely ADORE the midcard level on RAW: Crazy, Carlito, Hardy, Nitro, Orton, and Masters all competing at the same level REALLY works for me.
And to tell you the truth, there have been plenty of times that I like Cena. And as snarky as some of us can be, Ive always liked Mysterio.
The problem comes when each of us has their own ideal in their head as to what wrestling SHOULD be, and the degree of closeness to that ideal is how the show may be ranked. For example I became a huge fan when guys like Austin, the Rock, HHH, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, and Angle were ALL battling for gold. We had teams like the Hardys, Dudleys, and E&C, battling it out in the best tag matches I had ever seen, while still other groups (Kai n' Tai, Too Cool, The APA, and others were waiting in the wings) Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, Saturn, Big Show, and Tazz had all entered the scene as well.
That is my ideal. Thats the wrestling I grew to love. If you asked around, Im sure every one of these guys has their own similar setup of wrestling perfection! For you, I know it's ROH which I adore also (barring their interpromotional tour with CZW).
But in my ideal, you have 6 or 7 legitimate wrestlers who've all paid their dues and overcame obstacles, to get to compete for the main belt. It means more that way.
Today that isn't the case. On each show you have 2 guys at the top, and the mechanisms arent in place anymore to bring up stars slowly. So you get the meteoric rise of men like Cena, Orton, and Batista, as opposed to the slow methodical progression of REAL champions like Benoit and Guerrero. I bet each of us would have grown to like these men if they spent a few more years developing as tag teamers and mid-card level heals before seeing the big time.
I'm not sure who the "haters" are....
We love the business. That's why we take time out every single day to manage this site. That's why Dan-e-o and I decided to launch it.
Does that mean we're not allowed or own take?
I've praised plenty of happenings within the E, TNA and elsewhere. However, you can't wear blinders and just be whistling dixie. Call both sides.
If you're a passionate fan, chances are you'll get pissed off every now and then. If your vision is different than that which is being broadcast, chances are you might be frustrated.
If something offends you on some level... you're going to want to vent.
It's no different for us, than it is for guys covering the NFL, the NBA or Hollywood film shoots.
Anybody posting stuff like that would be deleted and have their IP banned.
We don't need that kinda shit around these parts
I really don't want to post, but I am going to anyway. (I must be drawn to the site....damn)
I'm not gonna make this too long.
All I want to say is that if the business "sucks" why bother to write or watch??
I like how we all have our takes on a guy that probably none of us know in real life.
None of us know the entire truth about what's going on with Angle, except from what we've read on dirtsheets and on the internet.
One guy will post about how Angle is going to die and we all jump on the bandwagon.
We're all going to die someday. Some of us quicker than others.
No one has the right to tell him he can't wrestle. No one. Should he slow down?? Maybe. Him signing with TNA is a good thing I think. He's not going to be working as much.
WWE are the ones who screwed up here. If they "care" so much, letting him out of his contract wasn't the right thing to do. Sending him home would be more liable. It's not about WWE "family", it's about saving face and that's exactly what they did.
I think putting Angle on a pic with deceased wrestlers is disrespectful to say the very least.
This business doesn't suck, it's the fans that are sucking the life out of it. We all think we know so much, but we really don't know shit. Most of us may be "smartened" up, but who are we to judge a mans decisions to continue on in something he loves?? Who are we to claim that he is going to die, because this business apparently kills all of it's employees??
We can all talk about the "old" days as much as we want. There is only one thing from that era that still existed.
I wish we weren't all "smart".
No disrespect is meant to Kurt Angle. All of us here at Tha O Show are great fans of Kurt as a worker and as an individual.
I don't think Darkside actually "hates" the business ... He's just very frustrated at the lack of corporate responsibility on the part of WWE and TNA.
He is certainly entitled to that opinion.
I for one really hope that Kurt completely rehabs his injuries and stays clean. Addiction is like a 10,000 pound gorilla on your back.
Here's hoping Angle spins and hits him with a belly to belly suplex.
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