PRO WRESTLING: Mixture of Gladiator Sports and Soap Opera Theater

Rise of Backyard Wrestling

Don't Try This at Home


Wrestlers aren’t the only ones getting hurt. Fans, particularly young ones, often bang 
themselves up by mimicking wrestling moves they see on TV. And if they’re not careful, 
physicians say, the damage could be much worse. 
     
New York chiropractor Victor Dolan says he sees at least one patient a month suffering 
from bruises, strains or sprains after imitating pro wrestling. Most common are neck 
and back sprains, concussions and even abrasions from being dragged on the floor. 
Patients describe being jumped on from above and hit over the head with heavy objects 
such as chairs and garbage cans. 
     
A 10-year-old North Carolina boy broke his neck earlier this year while performing Stone 
Cold Steve Austin’s trademark “Stone Cold Stunner” move and was nearly paralyzed. 
“Had he moved the wrong way or had they not treated it in time,” Dolan says, “He certainly 
could have become a paraplegic or quadriplegic or worse.” Most wrestling-related injuries 
Dolan sees are in kids ages 8 to 15, though some are in their 20s.Dolan is concerned that 
young children who see wrestlers beat each other up and walk away may mistakenly think 
they can do the same. 
     
“When a cartoon character like Wile E. Coyote goes off a cliff, it’s obviously imagination,” 
he says. “But when kids see human beings jumping a full story or hitting someone over the 
head with a chair, they don’t realize the chair is a prop and the athletes are stuntmen.”

Risky Lives
No doubt about it, America’s 250 or so professional wrestlers live high-risk lives. 
When Meltzer studied accident and death data, he found that at least 16 U.S. pro wrestlers 
had died in a six-year period, or roughly one of every 85 each year. 
An equivalent rate in professional football, he says, would mean 14 player deaths every year. 
(The National Football League says no one has died on the field in the past six years, but 
does not keep track of how many players die off the field. A spokesman said he’s only aware 
of two who have died during that time period, as a result of accidents.) 

In most cases, the wrestler deaths occurred outside the ring — and were usually linked to steroids, 
pain killers or other drugs, according to Meltzer. WWF spokesman Greg Castronuovo wouldn’t comment 
on Meltzer’s data. But he characterizes the incidents involving Hart and Drozdov as unrelated. 
“Are the dangers any better or worse than any other sport or any other event that requires 
athleticism and judgment?” Castronuovo asks. “I don’t think so. If you look at various sports events, 
you’ll see all types of different injuries.” 


resource:http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/wrestlingdanger991007.html