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Appreciating A Wrestler’s Mental Wellness in 2019

Is it time to focus more on the mental health of wrestlers?

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Lars Sullivan Mental Wellness

The Main Event Zone’s Joel Philip discussed the importance of mental health in the wrestling business.

Main Event Zone
By: Joel Philip

Visit the Main Event Zone Pro Wrestling Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TMEZWrestling/


As one of the premier talents to be called up to the main WWE roster, Lars Sullivan seemed poised to take top position out of the bunch. But suddenly he was nowhere to be seen, and talks of anxiety issues seem to be the main reason compared to other assumptions of what could have happened such as story lines and timing positions. With that said though, it raises a fair question: How much do we value the mental health of our favorite wrestlers?

It has been almost 12 years since the tragic story of Chris Benoit ended. In the history of wrestling, we have seen and heard many bizarre cases of wrestling royalty struggle through tons of medical, emotional, and drug related problems. It’s ranged anywhere from drug abuse by Scott Hall, a murder involving Jimmy “Super Fly” Snooka, or sudden health failure for Eddie Guerrero & Macho Man Randy Savage. However it was the murder-suicide by Benoit that really shook wrestling to its core in a way nothing else has since, to the point where WWE will not publicly acknowledge him in any capacity. The issue though, was always framed around Benoit’s mental health and how much of a breakdown of it there was before the tragedy occurred.

In the years since, WWE has taken a much stronger role in the rehabilitation and management of the health for most of its employees, both former and current. Yet it raises a curiosity of how well do most performers fare given the demand of the job? Being on the road for 300+ days, tirelessly using their bodies in ways most athletes can never imagine, and in need to be a personality both on and off screen as often as possible has to be draining. One can only imagine the mental toll that our favorite stars go through and yet we barely question their happiness, because as long as they do what we like, we are satisfied.

Whatever caused Lars’ anxiety issues, it is good to know he is currently at home taking the proper self care to get back up to speed. I’m also quite sure the WWE writing & booking staff have a storyline waiting for him, especially as WrestleMania fast approaches. However, let us just remember all of these performers are still regular people with all sorts of anxieties they manage on a daily basis. I can only imagine the pressure everyone is under as Mania season is kicking into gear and all of the efforts that need to go into being the best to end up on the biggest stage of them all. Hence why I hope despite our fandom, we give pause to remember
they are just trying to make it from point A to point B, just like the rest of us, and we can always encourage them to do so when they need a minute for themselves.

Maybe back in Benoit’s day, a mental health day was unheard of. Today, Lars Sullivan can take time off to reassess and regain the composure he needs to be at his best. Let’s make sure instead of something this being relatively strange, that it actually makes sense and we applaud any performer for doing the right thing to keep themselves intact in case they aren’t feeling like everything isn’t alright.

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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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Opinion

Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?

Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…

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Brock Lesnar WWE WrestleMania 42 Retirement

Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…

At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania. 

While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania. 

‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman? 

I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!

Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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Opinion

Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!

With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!

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Penta WWE Intercontinental Championship WrestleMania 42

With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!

This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month. 

Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while. 

The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev. 

All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet. 

As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!

Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand


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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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