Последното около ситуацията с незаконните вещества в кеча

[nWoHulkster]

Ето тoва сега е качествено написана новина (+ коментар).

THE OTHER SHOE DROPS: CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION INTO STEROIDS IN WRESTLING ISSUES REPORT AND LETTER, EMBARRASSING THE INDUSTRY

In news that can only be described as (at the least) a complete embarrassment to the professional wrestling world, United States Senator Henry Waxman filed a letter to the Office of National Drug Control Policy's Director, John P. Walters, providing the results of the Congressional Oversight Committee’s investigation into the steroid use within the professional wrestling industry.

In the letter, Waxman notes that he is leaving the Committee to become the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, requesting that ONDCP examine the widespread steroid abuse within the business and the industry's policing methods and "take appropriate steps to address this problem."

Waxman's letter notes, among other points:

*Chris Benoit tested positive three times for steroids by World Wrestling Entertainment prior to his June 2006 murder/suicide of his family, but was never penalized by the promotion beyond "only a warning."

*40% of WWE talents tested positive for steroids and other drugs despite being aware they would be tested when the company instituted their "Wellness Policy."

*25% of TNA's talent roster tested positive for steroids during the promotion's first baseline test while 11 talents tested positives for other substances. Waxman went on to note that while the company has instituted a policy, there are "significant weaknesses" within the TNA program.

*Waxman was critical of WWE making changes to their Wellness Policy several months after instituting it to allow wrestlers to continue to perform (without pay) on TV and PPV events in order to maintain storyline consistency after they were nailed with suspensions. In an interview with Aegis Science's Dr. Black (who oversees the WWE Wellness program), Black noted that change was instituted, "because it was becoming difficult to deal with the talent who were being suspended". Black also noted he was "unaccustomed to programs that suspend and you're not suspended."

*WWE hired five of eight wrestlers who tested positive for steroids and other drugs during pre-hiring tests, despite their positives. It should be noted that according to material given to the Committee by WWE, those talents were only hired after later receiving negative tests at a later period.

*Waxman noted that WWE was allowing "therapeutic usage" of steroids from talents who were using a "testosterone replacement therapy" to combat issues brought on by previous steroid use in their past.

*Despite being a performer within his own company, Waxman noted WWE's Vince McMahon is not subject to the WWE's Wellness Policy testing procedures. Waxman noted McMahon would not comment on his own steroid use and claimed not to know of the damages brought on by long-term steroid use, claiming he was "not a doctor."

Waxman's letter included transcripts of interviews with World Wrestling Entertainment's Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, and Stephanie McMahon-Levesque, Aegis Science's Dr. David Black, TNA President Dixie Carter, Dr. Tracy Ray (who works with Black on the WWE Wellness program) and Dr. Frederick Feurerbach (who works on the WWE Wellness program's cardiovascular testing). The letter included details on WWE and TNA's drug testing policies.

To read more including transcripts of the interviews, visit http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=2298.

******

The following is purely the opinion of Mike Johnson:

Now that the other shoe has dropped with the filing of this report, the issues relating to the industry are out in the wide open. It will be interesting to see how WWE and TNA, as industry leaders, scramble to improve their respective testing policies, what type of mainstream media scrutiny this report will receive and what additional moves Congress decide to take in the months to come.

To say this is anything but an absolute black eye on the entire professional wrestling industry is a joke.

It's time that those who are leaders within WWE and TNA finally take a hard stance, not a stance that will disappear as soon as the media/Congressional spotlight fades, and continue to evolve their policing standards. There is never going to be a perfect system, but for an industry that wants to be treated as a legitimate entertainment form, there is a lot of growing up to do before anyone is ever going to see wrestling in the same light as any other form of entertainment, except for perhaps pornography.

It's time for the national companies to leave their carny roots, their "good old boy" networks and any exceptions to their own rules behind. This is hardly news and they should have done it a long time ago, but there was always one excuse after another. Well, any hope within the industry that Waxman's investigation was going to go away just went up in smoke, so now there are no excuses left.

It's time for professional wrestling to grow up - it should have happened decades ago, but it didn't and now there are countless families ruined because of it. I am not someone who will place all the blame on the wrestling companies themselves, because every person who has passed away from drug-related issues made those personal choices and no one forced them to become or stay professional wrestlers, but the industry itself isn't blameless when it cultivated the culture that rewarded those who gambled their health for profit.

Don't get me wrong - WWE should be commended for what good they have done with their policy, such as reaching out to troubled former talents. TNA should be commended for finally getting on the ball, but the reality is that if Eddie Guerrero hadn't dropped dead on WWE's watch, nothing ever would have been done. Had Chris Benoit not murdered his family, the policy loopholes wouldn't have been changed. I don't think it would be unfair to say that TNA wouldn't have even thought about testing talent before Congress came calling.

It's sad and ironic to think that Benoit and Guerrero, two talents who loved the wrestling industry more than they probably loved themselves (and destroyed themselves in the process - in Benoit's case, his own family as well), put into motion a series of events that may finally force professional wrestling to face itself and grow up.

It may be that nothing has changed in six months or a year or five years, but as of today, professional wrestling's most important personalities are not only on the record, but being held accountable for the ills of this unique genre by the one entity they can't hope to work, the United States government.

Whether they finally have the gumption to make hard decisions that will be long-lasting or whether they stand by while Waxman's letter is the start of another wave of reasons regarding why the business is a sleazy, bottom-feeding genre, remains to be seen.

[dexim]

Don't get me wrong - WWE should be commended for what good they have done with their policy, such as reaching out to troubled former talents. TNA should be commended for finally getting on the ball, but the reality is that if Eddie Guerrero hadn't dropped dead on WWE's watch, nothing ever would have been done. Had Chris Benoit not murdered his family, the policy loopholes wouldn't have been changed. I don't think it would be unfair to say that TNA wouldn't have even thought about testing talent before Congress came calling.

:good:

Интересно четиво :)