[Locke]

I dont think its genuine to deflect blame from Professional Wrestling by comparing it to other sports.

I think if you want to compare it to anything you have to compare it to other forms of professional combat like boxing and UFC.

Now I'm admittedly not an expert on any of it, but I do have a few friends who have participated and competed in Stampede Wrestling and while its 'staged' it is an incredibly physical feat. Its hard. Its hard work and its hard on your body.

In addition to which is the almost prerequisite cornucopia of drugs that you basically need in order to make it work, steroids to bulk up and PEDs to help you recover more quickly and damned near anything that will kill the pain.

And when you compare it to other forms of professional combat you see that they dont compete nearly as often or nearly as long which forces you to conclude that the problems with Pro Wrestling and inherent and systemic.

The problem is, to change it they'd have to have a fundamental change in their entire business model.

The fact of the matter is though that the tragedies are beginning to outweigh the successes and some drastic solutions should probably be looked at. Its time, in the honourable tradition of Pro Wrestling, to go big or go home.

I'd like to hear what some of the really successful wrestlers that have gotten out of the business have to say on the matter. Theres obviously an appeal to it so it would be a shame to shutter-up the whole thing but I dont think it can keep going on like this.

Its just leaving a trail of human detritus in its wake.