Wrestler Death thread

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Dr. Zoidberg
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Dick Beyer aka The Destroyer and also Dr. X died today at the age of 88.


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It was announced today in Japan that Sumo star turned pro wrestler, Koji Kitao, passed away back in February at the age of 55.

Kitao gained the rank of Yokozuna while still involved with Sumo wrestling but he ultimately turned to the world of professional wrestling in 1989 under the tutelage of Masa Saito. He wore a mask while competing in AWA and called himself "Monster Machine" so that Japanese media wouldn't catch wind that he was competing in the States. When he returned to the New Japan Dojo, he competed in the promotion's first Tokyo Dome event in February 1990. Kitao unfortunately had a falling out with Riki Choshu and it would result in his firing from the company.

Kitao worked with the SWS wrestling promotion after that, and their working partnership with WWE at the time allowed Kitao to be a part of WrestleMania 7. Even still, after lasting about a year with SWS, Kitao was fired when he began no-selling and shooting on his opponent at the time, Tenta. When the referee intervened in the match, Kitao kicked him and proceeded to tell the audience that wrestling was fake.

Kitao would be involved with various promotions after that, including one stint with UWFi. Ironically, Kitao was welcomed back in to the world of wrestling after he suffered a knockout kick to the head from one of his UWFi opponents, Takada. He would later transition to the world of MMA but officially retired in 1998 .

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-- Torrie Wilson’s father, Al Wilson, passed away just a few days before his daughter was set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Pro Wrestling Sheet has confirmed Al passed away earlier this week.

Torrie took to Instagram yesterday to express her sadness, although she didn’t explicitly mention her father’s death.

“This week is an incredible one for me but has also brought me some horrible pain in the form of a sudden loss,” she wrote.

WWE fans will remember the 2002/03 storyline in which Al Wilson married his daughter’s rival Dawn Marie. The feud famously culminated in a Stepmother vs. Stepdaughter match at the 2003 Royal Rumble.

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RIP Ashley Massaro

Sad news but it's not surprising news.

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Very sad, 39 is no age. Her last tweet was about answering her fan mail and her birthday would have only been in a few days as fans were saying they were going to be sending her cards so I assume she was in good spirits, but we don't know.

Ashley's daughter posted some messages about her Mom

https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/ ... ng-654184/



RIP Ashley Massaro :(

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That era of putting really skinny women with little training in the ring was very dangerous. The women are still skinny now, but they are built up more with muscle to absorb the bumps. You can't have bikini models who take bumps 200 days a year, even though they did short matches back then. Ashley never should have been in the ring in 2005. She was 110 pounds with one month of wrestling training before her first match (and then she was wrestling regularly.) So no wonder she received so many injuries in her short career.

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I believe the article is indicating that Ashley sadly committed suicide and had suffered with depression. It also references her testimony in the concussion lawsuit where she was suffering from the after affects of concussions. I think this indicates it most likely is CTE she had as short term memory loss, depression etc seem to be all interconnected with the condition. She mentioned she was training again so if he's taking more bumps and inadvertently causing trauma by doing so.

It's alarming considering she wasn't with WWE for that long and didn't take the bumps the ladies do now. Alexa has been taken off MITB due to another concussion so say 5-10 years down the line she might be experiencing CTE related symptoms too.

I think Torrie has spoken about being depressed too and a while back posted a video on her Facebook where her fans were concerned about her as she wasn't acting herself. So unfortunately there could be a number of Divas from that timeframe who didn't learn to bump as well and hit their head etc and got concussions who are at risk.

At present, CTE can't be officially diagnosed when you're alive but I do think WWE has to do concussion and neurological testing on their talent presently and from the past. Legally with the potential concussion lawsuit(s) down the line its risky, but if it's saving lives by having talent retire sooner to protect themselves then that's much more important.

It's real sad that Ashley passed at just 39 and if it is because of the symptoms relating to CTE it's alarming.

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The WWE won't be sued for concussion/CTE. The case has already been thrown out of court because since wrestlers worked several places besides WWE, you can't prove they had concussions in a WWE ring because they didn't document them until the 2010's. Wrestlers situations were completely different from the NFL players.

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In Ashley's case until she started training recently again then she just wrestled for WWE.
Ashley Massaro Died of Apparent Suicide After Battling Depression

Ashley Massaro died after apparently taking her own life, and in heart-wrenching accusations by the woman in the years leading up to her death, she blamed ongoing bouts of depression and multiple injuries on “routine repetitive blows” she suffered to the head while wrestling for the WWE.

Sources close to Massaro tell The Blast the 39-year-old was discovered at her home Thursday morning in Smithtown, New York.

Massaro worked at a local radio station and we’re told she failed to show up for work without notice, which raised a red flag.

Ashley Massaro died after apparently taking her own life, and in heart-wrenching accusations by the woman in the years leading up to her death, she blamed ongoing bouts of depression and multiple injuries on “routine repetitive blows” she suffered to the head while wrestling for the WWE.

Sources close to Massaro tell The Blast the 39-year-old was discovered at her home Thursday morning in Smithtown, New York.

Massaro worked at a local radio station and we’re told she failed to show up for work without notice, which raised a red flag.

As we first reported, a 911 call was placed and emergency responders rushed to the home for an “unconscious” woman. CPR was administered on the way to the hospital but, unfortunately, Massaro died.

A friend close to Massaro, Shelly Martinez who wrestled as Ariel, said in a statement, “My best friend from the wrestling business died from suicide two days after responding to 300+ fan letters. She was the happiest I have seen her in years, so stoked that people still cared about her 11 years after her career was over. There are no signs. It comes without warning. If you are going through the worst shyt in your life, just know that you are not alone. PLEASE seek help.”

The friend was referring to a tweet from Massaro, where she showed off a pile of fan letters and said, “Just answered a ton of fanmail so you guys should be receiving them soon!”

Before her death, Ashley Massaro had been part of a class action lawsuit against the WWE, where 60 wrestlers accused the wrestling juggernaut of failing to protect its employees from repeated head trauma and concussions that eventually developed in long-term brain damage.

The lawsuit was dismissed last year after a judge deemed it “frivolous” and ruled some of the claims occurred past the statute of limitations, however, it was appealed shortly after and is still ongoing. According to a previously sealed affidavit that was released by Massaro’s attorney, Konstantine Kyros, the wrestler detailed the pain and suffering she allegedly endured while working for the WWE.

According to the affidavit, Massaro said she was never informed of the “long-term risks associated with concussions or repeated head trauma and I had never even heard the terms of TBI or CTE mentioned.”

She claims to have been “literally knocked out cold for five minutes,” and says afterward, “not only did I not receive treatment, but I was told to brush it off.”

Massaro said throughout her wrestling career with the WWE, between 2005 – 2008, she “sustained multiple concussions and did not receive appropriate treatment for my injuries.”

She also claims to have suffered a “hairline fracture in my spine and sustained numerous back injuries,” and was “ultimately diagnosed with herniated discs in C4 and C5 of my vertebrae.”

In the affidavit, which Massaro wrote in 2017, she explained, “Aside from my on-going physical injuries that were sustained in the ring, and my former battle with addiction, to this day I suffer from depression, for which I take medication; migraine headaches; and severe short-term memory loss.”

In one specific incident, Ashley Massaro claimed in 2005 she received a “neck-breaker” from Torrie Wilson during a rehearsal that left her injured, and described former WWE Diva Trish Stratus as telling her to just “shake it off.” She didn’t fault Stratus for not helping more, and explained that “she knew from experience that I would get in trouble if I spoke up.”

It’s unclear if that injury was suffered during a rehearsal for WWE’s “Unforgiven,” but Trish and Ashley ended up beating Torrie and Victoria that same year.

Since Massaro’s death, Torrie tweeted, “I can’t even begin to explain how devastated I am to hear about [Ashley Massaro] – legit one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known. When we fall into a dark place it can seem like it will never change but if you are there PLEASE keep hope & reach out for help.”

Trish Stratus also sent out a message of condolence, writing, “My heart hurts so much with this news. I remember being off with an injury and watching this beautiful, charismatic, athletic girl crowned Diva Search winner.”

Massaro’s affidavit continues, “I attribute these issues to my work-related injuries sustained while working for the WWE, and specifically to the routine repetitive blows to the head, I received in the ring over the course of my career which were not properly diagnosed or treated.” Massaro strongly believes WWE failed to live up to its obligations, and “as a result, it has caused me severe and ongoing pain and suffering, emotional distress and financial hardship.”

Ashley Massaro also claimed the WWE “used narcotics as a tool to allow me and other wrestlers to perform through our injuries. If we took enough pills, the pain went away (temporarily) and we were able to wrestle.”

She claims the pills eventually led to an addiction to pain medication, for which she sought treatment through the WWE Former Talent Rehab Program.

Massaro explained, “I underwent treatment through that program in September of 2010. I remained in the program for 42 days.” She credited the WWE for helping get her treatment but was upset that the organization “recklessly” ignored other obligations, such as providing monitoring and treatment for the long-lasting effects of head trauma.

After her death, the WWE released a statement: “We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro. She performed in WWE from 2005-2008 and was beloved by her fellow Superstars and fans around the world.”

The company added, “WWE offers its condolences to Ashley’s family and friends.”

In the months leading up to her death, Massaro had been pursuing a return to wrestling, but with an independent company rather than the WWE.
As for the NFL being held accountable, in theory a lot of players would have received concussions on high school and college football too. So those happened pre-NFL. There was a doc over here a while back talking about CTE in soccer as it's not really known about here.

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/cu ... 97834/amp/

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In Ashley's case until she started training recently again then she just wrestled for WWE
Yes, but she chose to join a class action lawsuit where the claim would be judged in general. And it looks like she's the only one who strictly worked for WWE. Most of the people were the territories generation. If she sued them by herself maybe she'd have a case. But it would also be her word against WWE's unless she had medical documentation about concussions from 2005-08, as well as proof WWE management told her to keep wrestling with the head trauma. So that wasn't a guaranteed win either.
As for the NFL being held accountable, in theory a lot of players would have received concussions on high school and college football too. So those happened pre-NFL.
The difference is concussions were documented by doctors in the NFL, and WWE didn't start doing that until after Chris Benoit. Remember Ashley claimed she was told by Trish Stratus and others to not even bother telling anybody about a concussion because it was bad to get a reputation as injury prone. And after Benoit wrestlers have to sign waivers saying they understand the dangers of possible head trauma so WWE isn't accountable as long as they actively pull people with issues like Daniel Bryan and Alexa.

Also the NFL committed a conspiracy to actively cover up the dangers of head trauma from players and the WWE didn't. So one reason they settled out of court so fast was to cover that up because that would have been a PR disaster if that fact was publicized more than it was.

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainme ... up/484016/

It cannot be proven Vince said concussions weren't bad, he even did an angle about concussions being bad with Shawn Michaels in 1995. And if it was so ingrained in WWE that Trish Stratus is telling a rookie to keep it quiet he didn't need to.

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Ashley's affidavit from the lawsuit

https://wweconcussionlawsuitnews.com/wp ... n-11.1.pdf
And after Benoit wrestlers have to sign waivers saying they understand the dangers of possible head trauma so WWE isn't accountable as long as they actively pull people with issues like Daniel Bryan and Alexa.
True, but a lot of them are worried about losing their spot. They are suffering concussions and injuries within a WWE ring, under a WWE talent contract. So legally WWE should certainly be held accountable. I guess they hide behind that BS independent contractor status they give their talent. Absolving WWE from blame when in Ashley's case they covered up the rape she sadly had to go through is really sickening. This is a publicly traded billion dollar company and they are treating their employees like this.

If the media reports on what Ashley said this will be very damaging to WWEs public image as it should be. Reading what Ashley wrote Im genuinely really disgusted with Vince McMahon and WWE what they put her through and protecting a guy who raped her as not to sour their relations with the military. Absolutely revolting behaviour on their behalf. This really puts McMahon on blast for what he really is.

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Yeah, the rape allegation is shocking, and I think Shelly Martinez made a similar claim but said it was Umaga in her case. But since pro wrestling is a joke to the media it won't be covered just like it wasn't covered when she was alive. Vince's quote to the Allentown detective "Look, I'm in the garbage business....." is true for pretty much every scandal they've had. If an NFL cheerleader said she was raped on a USO tour and said the NFL told her not to press charges it would be on the front page of every newspaper.

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Vince has to realise he's chairman of a publicly traded billion dollar company, not a nickel and dime rasslin promoter. When they are employed within his organisation he has a duty of care to them. It's absolutely shocking what Ashley went through, but she was told not to report it and tow the company line. That's just horrendously bad judgment on WWEs behalf. She was raped and the low life piece of scum who did it should have been locked up. Not protected and WWE & McMahon should have supported her 110% through that ordeal.

There's sadly probably other stories like this brushed under the carpet too. Its disgraceful. The weird creepy storylines he was apart of show what could have allegedly went on, a "casting couch" if you will. The whole Dark Side of the Ring series, you could make a Ken Burns length epic about Vince McMahon.



Cody seems one of the good guys in the biz and a class act. I'm hoping he, Kenny, the Bucks and Tony will take care of the boys & girls and not just chew them up and spit em out like Vince has done. But they seem the complete opposite of McMahon and are looking out for each other and their buddies.

We can't blame Vince for every single wrestling death, but he has arguably played a part either directly or inadvertently in a lot of them. Working the talent to the bone, so they have to take pills to combat the pain, hiding concussions and injuries, not having enough free time to be with family, having to look a certain way (in the guys case taking HGH and steriods) etc. Once they are out of the WWE bubble there's no after care and when they are on the road 300+ days a year and used to a certain level of fame and that goes away it's difficult to adjust to a normal life.

When you find out the real inner workings of the biz it makes you question why you still watch it. When you see the guys and girls do these high impact moves and have to keep working through the bumps & bruises and how when you hear/read a story like Ashley's were she had to endure what she did in private and sadly took her own life at 39 it brings the whole wrestling business into perspective. Even sadder Ashley Massaro is just one name of many who passed away way too soon. That shouldn't ever be happening but it is and sadly will continue to do so. Unless Cody and co set an example and say "enough". If you're hurt tell us, if you're depressed and/or feel suicidal speak out about it, because these guys and girls are risking it all everytime they step in the ring. They should be taken care of as They are the ones the fans pay to see, they are the ones who the fans tune in to watch and who have made wrestling what it is today.

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