A journalistically challenged correspondent The Daw, [email protected] thinks Im picking on poor billion-dollar World Wrestling Entertainment: You somehow villify WWE for mentioning the fact that he was released…the guy REFUSED to go to rehab.
Well, heres the thing, The. I dont send out flacks to try to absolve WWE of accountability for the death pandemic in the industry it dominates by telling the half-informed that only five wrestlers have died while under contract to the company.
Nor do I use a website statement of condolence to Umagas family, friends, and fans as a platform for butt-covering.
As the Wrestling Observer website reminds us today, Umaga was released by WWE in June 2009 after a drug test failure and refusal to go to rehab. He died after returning from an Australian wrestling tour headlined by Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. At the time of his death, both WWE and TNA were vying for his services and he had told people he had agreed to return to WWE.
As for WWEs touching concern for Eddie Fatus wellness, consider this:
The happy hairshirts can have their day. Ill stick to trying to make something good come out of Fatus death the something that has yet to come out of Chris, Nancy, and Daniel Benoits. That something is cleaning up the out-of-control pro wrestling industry, which is now underwriting Linda McMahons $50 million U.S. Senate campaign in Connecticut.
Irv Muchnick