U.S. committee asks WWE for drug policy info after death of Chris Benoit

[samanthajane13]

Fri Jul 27, 7:16 PM



WASHINGTON (AP) - The murder-suicide deaths of Canadian wrestler Chris Benoit and his family led a U.S. House committee Friday to ask World Wrestling Entertainment to turn over any information it has on steroid and drug abuse in pro wrestling.

The deaths "have raised questions about reports of widespread use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs by professional wrestlers," a letter released by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said.


The committee's leaders, chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia, want a response by Aug. 24.


"The media has provided us with a copy of a letter from the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform," WWE officials said Friday. "We are reviewing this letter and will respond accordingly."


The Montreal-born Benoit killed his wife, Nancy, and seven-year-old son, Daniel, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then hanged himself on the cable of a weight machine, authorities said. The three were found dead in their Atlanta-area home June 25.


After the slayings, prescription anabolic steroids were found in the family's home, raising questions about whether the drugs played a role in the killings.


Congress has been investigating steroid use in sports for years.

[samanthajane13]

Written by Neil Stephens on 07/28/07 at 3:55 PM According to PWInsider.com, upper management within WWE are concerned with the request for the company’s documents pertaining drug testing from the Congress that was made yesterday. However, there is no sense of panic.

Robert Carlson, who is accused of being a supplier of steroids, has pleaded not guilty to 28 counts which were filed against him yesterday in Albany, NY. One of his customers being listed is none other then the late Chris Benoit.

[samanthajane13]

By Byron Robinson



When the toxicology reports concerning the murder-suicide deaths of World Wrestling Entertainment star Chris Benoit and his family couldn't strongly indicate if drugs played a role in the tragedy, it appeared that the WWE dodged a bullet.

Not so fast.

Congressional leaders from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee asked the WWE on Friday for a copy of the company's drug-testing policy, including information about wrestlers who have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia want a response by Aug. 24.

WWE officials responded saying, "We are reviewing this letter and will respond accordingly."

Waxman could schedule a hearing after reviewing the documents.
I think most would agree that the WWE's current "Wellness Policy" has flaws and needs revising, but I question whether Congress should lead the charge in changes.

Unlike when the government opened steroid hearings into Major League Baseball, pro wrestling isn't athletic competition, it's "sports entertainment." Although there is more athleticism involved in pro wrestling than ever before, some promoters put more stock in the entertainment aspect of the business than the athleticism.

Even if there are pro wrestling hearings, will Congress actually step in and dictate how an entertainment company, not a sports organization, conduct its tests?

If that happened, what would be next? If a muscle-bound actor is preparing to do an action flick, will Congress ask Paramount Pictures or 20th Century Fox to test the actor and see if he's using performance-enhancing drugs before they start production?

There are no easy solutions when addressing the drug problems and the rigors of the pro wrestling business as a whole.

If any strides can be made in improving or cleaning up the business, it starts with the promoters and the owners of the wrestling companies, with maybe outside influence from consumers and sponsors.
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Benoit copycat?: Independent wrestler James Fawcett (a.k.a. Devil Bhudakhan) committed suicide a couple of weeks ago by hanging himself. According to reports, Fawcett's favorite wrestler was Chris Benoit, and he was dejected over his wife leaving him a few weeks earlier.
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[samanthajane13]

canada.com

Published: Thursday, July 26, 2007


A Canadian publisher is set to release a new book about wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and son before taking his own life.

Toronto-based ECW Press will publish Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror that Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport in October.

It is being penned by Steven Johnson, Heath McCoy, Irvin Muchnick and Greg Oliver.

"This is not a maudlin rehash of tabloid news coverage,” ECW senior editor Michael Holmes insisted, in a statement. “The book's four contributors are respected investigative journalists. They'll look at this terrible event with the integrity and passion they've shown in years of experience in the world of pro wrestling.”

The book will consist of an introduction followed by four essays. Johnson is writing about the media’s coverage of the shocking murder-suicide; McCoy is probing Benoit’s wrestling roots in Alberta; Muchnick is opining on the pop culture relevance of the tragedy; and Oliver is writing about Benoit and pro wrestling.

© canada.com 2007

[samanthajane13]

July 27, 2007 12:00am

AN American wrestler who worshipped Chris Benoit has taken his own life, with worries it may have been a copycat suicide.

James Fawcett, who wrestled under the name Devil Bhudakhan in the Pittsburgh area, hanged himself a fortnight ago, The Sun newspaper has reported. He was 31-years-old.

His death came just three weeks after that of Benoit, who committed suicide by hanging after murdering his wife and seven-year-old son.

The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported the cause of James's passing yesterday, saying: "This was a possibly a copycat ending of Chris Benoit, since he was this man's idol.

"He was one of dozens, if not hundreds, of independent wrestlers who both idolized and patterned their wrestling style after Benoit.

"Although similarly marital issues likely played the major role.

"He was despondent over his wife leaving him five weeks ago."

In more shocking news for the wrestling industry Moondog Nathan - who worked on the independent circuit in America's South - also died this month.

He was killed a by a massive heart attack at the age of 37.

His sister Michelle said: "We lost our father on Jan 5 and we lost our older brother on April 5.

"I think this was just too much for Nathan to deal with. I think being struck with so much grief and stress was just too much and that's what brought on the heart attack.

"But he is now reunited with them both in a much better place!"

Neither star ever worked for a major outfit like WWE, TNA, WCW or ECW.

The total number of wrestlers under 50 passing away in the last decade now stands at 107.

Medical experts say wrestlers are 12 TIMES more likely to have a heart attack than a regular person, with steroid, painkiller and other drug abuse a contributing factor. The heavy usage can also lead to mental decline and suicide.