Earlier this week, the wrestling world was shocked when it was reported that The Ultimate Warrior had died just a few days after he was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame and he made an appearance on Raw. Warrior was a controversial performer and while some of his public speaking appearances during the past few years were as ridiculous as his promos, it seemed as though he was mostly on good terms with many of the people that he had disagreements with years previously. Regardless of the prior hostility, it’s good to see problems resolved and performers get the credit they deserve for their career. For example, Bret Hart was inducted into the Hall of Fame and he’s recognized as a legend on WWE programming. Sadly, Randy Savage didn’t get the opportunity to receive the recognition he deserved for his career, which is why it was good to see Warrior return to the WWE.
Warrior’s controversial nature inside and outside of the wrestling business is a different matter, but the recent Nancy Grace report about the Warrior’s death was one of the most ridiculous “news reports” in the past few years. Diamond Dallas Page was a guest on the show, but didn’t get to say much, as Grace cut him off several times to mention the word “steroids” as much as possible during the eight minute report. There was also a list of names that appeared on screen and Grace implied that the deaths were caused from drugs or steroids. Some of the names Mike Von Erich, Owen Hart, Mark Curtis, Joey Marella, and Chris Candido appeared on the list, but none of them died from steroids. Obviously, it’s inaccurate reporting, but why such erroneous information from a major news network? The answer is simple, it’s ratings and despite how incorrect the information might be, the main stream media has and will probably continue to shed a negative light on pro wrestling because it mentions the stereotypical view of pro wrestling.
Don’t get me wrong, pro wrestling has had problems with some performers using substances, but the same could be said for almost any sport or form of entertainment. It should also be noted that Warrior was from the 80s era when steroid use was a lot more common than it is today and obviously, the choices Warrior made during the prime of his career effected him years later, but that doesn’t represent the current WWE Superstars that work with the WWE Wellness Policy.
It’s ironic that Nancy Grace would spin the report as something negative about pro wrestling, but she didn’t mention the WWE Wellness policy. She also didn’t mention superstars such as CM Punk or Daniel Bryan, which would counter her “argument” or lack there of. There was also no mention of the major amount of charity work that the WWE does and the charity work that John Cena does, which is something Warrior mentioned during his Hall of Fame induction. Finally, Nancy Grace’s condescending tone implied that she looks down upon the wrestling industry and wrestling fans, but she might want to reevaluate the situation. Pro wrestling isn’t perfect and obviously, Nancy Grace isn’t either because the show can’t report simple facts correctly.
Until next week
That’s My Story and I’m Sticking To It
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