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IS PRO-WRESTLING TOO REAL AND PERSONAL?

July 6, 2001

Fall 1996: Smoking Gunns
It was 1996, The Smoking Gunns were a tag team in the World Wrestling Federation comprised of Bart and Billy Gunn. They had separated due to the attention Billy was showing to their manager, Sunny and were squaring off for the first time in their professional careers.

Bart had Irish-whipped Billy to the ropes and performed a clothesline by dropping Billy to on his throat. Billy stopped moving. The WWF then carried Billy out on a stretcher and announced that he was paralized. The next year, Billy returned as Rock-a-Billy and the paralization was never spoken of again.

May 23, 1999: Owen Hart
Owen Hart was known to fans all over the world as Bret"The HitMan"Hart's younger brother who defeated him at WWF WrestleMania X. Bret left the WWF on bad terms with Vince McMahon in 1997 and Owen was on a singles push towards the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

The night of Sunday, May 23, 1999 was Owen's night to defeat The Godfather for the WWF IC Championship. Unfortunately though for Owen, his night to shine never occurred. Owen was to drop from the ceiling as a superhero flying in the sky. However, the harness of the cape was prematurely released and Owen plunged to his death.

However, many fans did not realize that Owen was indeed dead. And why would they? Just a few weeks earlier Sting would perform the same move and "Hollywood" Hogan would have a dummy drop from the ceiling to fool the fans. The fans just assumed it was part of the show.

2000 and 2001: The McMahon Marriage
In the summer of 2000, the marriage of Linda and Vince McMahon was in trouble. Vince was becoming uneasy with Linda's fair and honest ways and later in the year started to have an affair with Canadian manager, Trish Stratus.

In April 2001, Stratus turned on Vince and assisted Linda in canceling her medication and becoming herself once again. However, Vince had already asked for a divorce and Linda agreed to it a few weeks into April.

This past week, the world saw Vince seduced by World Championship Wrestling manager, Torrie Wilson...even to the point of Wilson unbuttoning Vince's shirt and dropping his underwear and pants. So there on national television was Vince standing there with his clothes off waiting to be "serviced" by a woman several years younger.

After three distinctive incidents involving The McMahons, Owen and The Smoking Gunns, is it any wonder that the mainstream media is constantly knocking the wonderful form of entertainment that we call professional wrestling?

Has the WWF, WCW and other wrestling promotions gone too far? When will the promoters say enough is enough? Do the promoters need to consider how their programming is going to affect young people?

Is there someone actually at home watching WWF RAW is WAR saying "If I stalk The Undertaker's wife, I'll become famous,"? I am not saying sports-entertainment needs to be unionized or even censored but when is enough?

In the 1980s the most envelope pushing story was Hulk Hogan saying "I love Elizabeth...like a sister." And back then the critics were in an uproar. How dare a married man say he loves another man's woman?

I'm 22 and can make my own decisions about right and wrong. I can decide whether or not stalking the Undertaker's wife will be the smart decision or not. But has wrestling gone too far? YOU MAKE THE DECISION!