Opinion
Appreciating A Wrestler’s Mental Wellness in 2019
Is it time to focus more on the mental health of wrestlers?
The Main Event Zone’s Joel Philip discussed the importance of mental health in the wrestling business.
Visit the Main Event Zone Pro Wrestling Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TMEZWrestling/
As one of the premier talents to be called up to the main WWE roster, Lars Sullivan seemed poised to take top position out of the bunch. But suddenly he was nowhere to be seen, and talks of anxiety issues seem to be the main reason compared to other assumptions of what could have happened such as story lines and timing positions. With that said though, it raises a fair question: How much do we value the mental health of our favorite wrestlers?
It has been almost 12 years since the tragic story of Chris Benoit ended. In the history of wrestling, we have seen and heard many bizarre cases of wrestling royalty struggle through tons of medical, emotional, and drug related problems. It’s ranged anywhere from drug abuse by Scott Hall, a murder involving Jimmy “Super Fly” Snooka, or sudden health failure for Eddie Guerrero & Macho Man Randy Savage. However it was the murder-suicide by Benoit that really shook wrestling to its core in a way nothing else has since, to the point where WWE will not publicly acknowledge him in any capacity. The issue though, was always framed around Benoit’s mental health and how much of a breakdown of it there was before the tragedy occurred.
In the years since, WWE has taken a much stronger role in the rehabilitation and management of the health for most of its employees, both former and current. Yet it raises a curiosity of how well do most performers fare given the demand of the job? Being on the road for 300+ days, tirelessly using their bodies in ways most athletes can never imagine, and in need to be a personality both on and off screen as often as possible has to be draining. One can only imagine the mental toll that our favorite stars go through and yet we barely question their happiness, because as long as they do what we like, we are satisfied.
Whatever caused Lars’ anxiety issues, it is good to know he is currently at home taking the proper self care to get back up to speed. I’m also quite sure the WWE writing & booking staff have a storyline waiting for him, especially as WrestleMania fast approaches. However, let us just remember all of these performers are still regular people with all sorts of anxieties they manage on a daily basis. I can only imagine the pressure everyone is under as Mania season is kicking into gear and all of the efforts that need to go into being the best to end up on the biggest stage of them all. Hence why I hope despite our fandom, we give pause to remember
they are just trying to make it from point A to point B, just like the rest of us, and we can always encourage them to do so when they need a minute for themselves.
Maybe back in Benoit’s day, a mental health day was unheard of. Today, Lars Sullivan can take time off to reassess and regain the composure he needs to be at his best. Let’s make sure instead of something this being relatively strange, that it actually makes sense and we applaud any performer for doing the right thing to keep themselves intact in case they aren’t feeling like everything isn’t alright.
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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