Wade Keller has a Thought
Posted on June 27, 2007 by John Philapavage
John Philapavage, Pro Wrestling, Vince McMahon, WWE, Wrestling Media
I’d like to cap off tonights extensive coverage of whatever this tragedy has become with a thought from Wade Keller, editor and lead writer of the Pro Wrestling Torch. I didn’t clear taking this quote from his site - he has the right to sue me - but this once, I think he’ll agree the information is more important then the ownership
He was reacting to the second interview of the night, and third national cable interview that I know of, that Bret Hart gave for FOX News. It’s the same song and dance, where Bret weerily mumbles through how greet a guy Chris Benoit was, how his family trained him, bascially shows that he hasn’t talked to the guy in years, and then makes himself look like a fool talking about the WWE’s iron clad wellness policy. God forbid we break the sacred ranks of the boys! (Yikes). I’ll let Mr. Keller take it from here. Everyone have a good night. Next week I’m sure we might have some industry news to escape into.
“WK Analysis: Just a reminder. According to WWE’s Wellness Policy, prescription drugs (anabolic steroids are a prescription drug) can be found in one’s system, but if a prescription is produced by a talent within five days and WWE and the drug testing agency deem the purpose medically justified, the test doesn’t count as a failure. Also, wrestlers are allowed to have steroids in their systems at a T/E ratio of 10/1. Natural levels are 1/1. Anything above a 4/1 ratio calls for a retest. It’s not clear whether the wrestler would have time to “clear his system” back down to a 4/1 ratio or less for the retest. The Olympic committee considers a 6/1 ratio a failure.
I bring this up because nobody on cable news is doing even the most cursory of preparation of research for these interviews. The wrestlers, including Bret, don’t acknowledge or understand the minutia that makes “passing a WWE drug test” and “having zero steroids detected in one’s system” are two different things. The Today show should ask Vince McMahon these very questions. The interview should educate themselves on what was publicly reported in their policy, then ask if the policy has changed, and then ask directly whether Benoit had any steroids in his system back in April or previous to that and how long he had to “clean out his system” if he tested positive once and had to take a retest. This isn’t a simple story, and the mainstream media is taking a lazy, sensationalistic approach by just focusing on “roid rage” and bringing on experts for soundbite answers to an issue that is more complex and nuanced.
On a lighter note, I suppose, I get a kick out of how wrestlers when asked about steroid use of others always say “I’ve never seen him take them,” as if wrestlers take steroids out in the open in front of one another - especially injections of steroids in their butts. There are things people do every day that they don’t do in front of anyone, but that doesn’t mean they don’t do it and there aren’t common sense signs they do it. Question: “Did Wrestler X ever get haircuts?” Answer: “Well, he may have. There were signs, I suppose. Most people with hair do. But I never actually saw him get one.”
I think mainstream media reporters are beginning to understand that Benoit was widely considered a nice guy by his colleagues and this isn’t one of those many cases where a jerk dies and everyone says how nice he was “out of respect.” It’s thrown the mainstream media for a loop, because it’s a lot easier to cover this story if he was raging steroid using jerk with a long rapsheet and a rep for selfishness and thuggery in the ring or drunken mean-spirited overboard hazing out of it. It makes the build-up within Benoit and his state of mind that led to his actions all the more complex. ”
I don’t think this media onslaught is really gonna make a difference by Christmas time. I don’t think anyone outside of a few newsletter readers and some wrestlers families really cares - John Philapavage
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