“There are three things which make us all Americans: At one point, we have all known the words to a Michael Jackson song, we’ve all had a Budweiser, and we can all name a professional wrestler. In fact, that should be the naturalization test, ‘Sing Thriller, define Hulkamania, and have a Bud.'” Take into consideration that this was originally uttered in 1993, so the Michael Jackson portion might not be quite as true today.

Professional wrestling, particularly the WWE is not quite the phenomenon it was around 5 years ago. There used to be shows about wrestling on constantly from the competing groups (ECW, WCW), to the trials of WWE hopefuls (Tough Enough). One of the shows in particular caught my eye. It was an episode or two of some MTV reality show about how wrestlers travel from city to city, how they have to fight to stay in shape, and how they have to battle through injury.

One of the constant points in Tough Enough and every other reality special was, “This is a difficult business that will take a toll on you, mentally and physically, but you have to put all of that aside and perform every night for the crowd.”

The current theory about the Chris Benoit double-homicide/suicide is steroid abuse. Steroids made Benoit go made and lash out at his loved ones. However, no one is looking at the toll that being in the WWE must have put on he and his family.

Imagine being on the road 40 weeks of the year (though it may be closer to 47). You have to drive from city to city, keep in top physical condition, perform physical feats in spite of pain or nagging injuries, and be able to at least simulate aggression on a nightly basis. Now imagine having a wife (or husband) and children. When you are home, you have to be a functional member of the family, spend some time with your loved ones as well as recover from the rigors of the road. Even for the most level headed family, such a life can pose a challenge.

If the “Roid Rage” theory gathers steam, will further legislation and investigation curtail the use of steroids? What will happen to people that take steroids for arthritis and asthma?

Personally, would not be surprised if Benoit was a steroid user/abuser. With the toll that his profession must have taken on him, in addition to performing with fused vertebra, I couldn’t blame for taking medication (legal or not) to keep him functional. I will also concede that steroid abuse could have further warped his mental facilities. However, to this incident solely on steroids is a sorry piece of investigation and reporting.

More about the road