Deaths in pro wrestling's fast lane

ALTHOUGH THE FULL DETAILS of the murder-suicide of 40-year-old Canadian wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and young son, Daniel, are still unknown, two words have come to the forefront: 'Roid Rage.
While some wrestling insiders have dismissed such a premise, the abuse of anabolic steroids has actually dealt severe blows to the solar plexus of not only Vince McMahon's fiefdom, but also the credibility among football, baseball and even track and field competitors.
Baseball and commssioner Bud Selig have put on blinkers with only New York Yankees' designated hitter, Jason Giambi, reluctantly agreeing to appear before steroids investigator George Mitchell some time in July; this despite red-flag warnings being constantly raised.
However, for nearly half a century the influx of artificial muscle-builders has had a detrimental effect on not only athletes in the prime of their careers, but well after their playing and performing days have ceased.
As someone with a first-hand knowledge of the subject, I wrote the following in summarizing "Counterfeit Hero," a 1994 docu-book once known as "The Rassler Papers":
"In the convoluted world of pins and needles, the name George Zahorian became almost a generic word, as if you could go into your corner drugstore and order a "Zahorian" off the shelf.
Dr. George Zahorian III was a familiar figure in the World Wrestling Federation-based arenas. He was a regular Doc Feelgood, to all.
However, McMahon's WWF and its parent organization, Titan Sports, tried to disassociate itself from the medic, particularly in late June 1991.
The Doc had been indicted in February 1991 on 10 counts of distributing or intending to distribute steroids, five counts of distributing substances and two counts of using his offices to distribute the drugs. The indictment alleged that between Nov. 18, 1988 and March 27, 1990, Zahorian supplied anabolic steroids to the wrestlers on "diverse occasions."
The five were Hulk (Terry Bollea) Hogan, Rowdy Roddy (Roderick Toombs) Piper, Rick (Richard Vigneault) Martel, Brian Blair and Dan Spivey along with powerlifter, Bill Dunn, who would be the government's informant in the case.
Martel, Piper, Spivey and Blair admitted they bought steroids and painkillers from Zahorian, ordering them over the phone with the Doc shipping the packages via FedEx.
Also testifiying during the 1991 trial was Superstar Billy Graham, a.k.a. Wayne Coleman, who hobbled into court, crippled by a degenerative bone disease. He admitted he bought steroids from Zahorian, but he didn't get any medical advice from him.
On Thursday, June 27, 1991, after three hours, the Harrisburg, Pa. court found Zahorian guilty on 12 of 14 counts -- eight counts of distributing steroids and four counts of illegally distributing prescription painkillers. He was sentenced to three years in prison, fined $12,700 and ordered to undergo two years of supervised release."
In 1994, promoter Vince McMahon went on trial in a Long Island courtroom, and after days of what could only be termed as an entertainment "circus," including an appearance by Hulk Hogan, McMahon was acquitted of the charge of conspiracy to distribute steroids to wrestlers in order to improve their physiques and, therefore, sell more tickets to wrestling matches.
Steroids abuse has been cited as the cause of depression, paranoia, extreme aggressiveness and other serious maladies later in life, but it's also been blamed for the early deaths of Curt (Mr. Perfect) Henning, Davey Boy Smith, Richard (Ravishing Rick Rude) Rood and Flyin' Brian Pillman.
Henning's father claimed a combination of steroids and painkillers caused his son's death while Bruce Hart, the brother-in-law of Smith, said the British Bulldog "paid the price of steroid cocktails and human-growth hormones." During the 1994 McMahon trial, Rude said he had used anabolic steroids while Pillman died of an undetected heart condition in 1997 "while taking painkillers and human-growth hormones."
During the BALCO trial concerning sports doping in San Francisco, 'roids were blamed for the following among men: Shrinking of testicles; reduced sperm count; impotence; hair loss and enlarged breasts. Among women: Facial hair appears; voice deepens; breasts shrink; menstruation disrupted; and male-pattern baldness.
In addition, the following affected both men and women: Acne; high blood pressure; increased cholesterol level; jaundice; aggressiveness; weight gain; blood clots; increased body hair.
Among the health risks: Heart disease caused by the increase in cholesterol; liver damage; tendon ruptures.
While most would expect pro wrestlers to live lengthy lives, the following random list of those who have died since 1985 between the ages of 21 and 63, including those in accidents and also murder, would indicate to the contrary :
Chris Von Erich, Mike Von Erich, Kerry Von Erich, Eddie Gilbert, Owen Hart, Adrian Adonis, Eddie Guerrero, Bruiser Brody, Miss Elizabeth, Big Boss Man, Earthquake, Biff Wellington, Dino Bravo, Bam Bam Bigelow, Junkyard Dog, Andre The Giant, Big John Studd, Hawk, Haystacks Calhoun, Kurt Von Hess, Dr. Jerry Graham, Tony Parisi, Stan Stasiak, Dick The Bruiser, Gorilla Monsoon, Bad News Brown, Bulldog Brower and Wahoo McDaniel.
One of wrestling premier performers, Sherri Martel, died a week prior to the Benoit tragedy. She was only 49 and the reason for her sudden death has still not been announced at the time of this writing.