Man, I am so very grateful for the CM Punk interview this past week. Wrestlers working injured has been an issue in the industry since I started working with WWE twenty years ago…and long before that. I stand up and applaud CM Punk for finally bringing this serious issue to mainstream light.
It’s ironic, when in the same week, you hear both CM Punk and Kurt Angle talk about working injured for WWE. Both men have different reasons, and as I mentioned to Kurt, I’m sure that every one of the boys who have experienced this at one point or another throughout their careers, would have different reasons as to “why”.
There are wrestlers who work injured on every single show, whether it be an Indie, TNA, Japan, Lucha, ROH or WWE worker. It’s the nature of the business with guys, and girls, putting so much punishment on their bodies day in and day out. The truth is, the human body was not made for that kind of frequent, impactful punishment. As a fan, or spectator, how many times have we seen a professional wrestler execute a death-defying move, only to sit back and say, “They are out of their freakin’ minds!”? And, you know what? They are! But, they do it for the passion of the sport, and the love of those watching. And, for that, I commend them.
Unfortunately, working injured can only increase the severity of a wrestler’s condition and certainly even elongate the injury. On top of that, many are forced to take prescribed painkilling drugs, such as Vicodin, just to get “through the match”. However, the routine of popping a pill, or two, can quickly lead to full-blown dependency.
So, you have to ask yourself, why do they do it? Why do wrestlers tend to come back early from injury as opposed to giving their ailment the proper time to heal? You never see this in professional sports – never. In baseball, football, basketball and hockey, the athlete is given, and takes, the allotted time to both heal, and rehab his injury before he steps back into the active arena. Sometimes, they are even out for over a year – take Tommy John surgery for instance.
In the last paragraph, I mentioned that the athlete is given and takes the allotted time to heal. So why is wrestling different? Is the athlete not “given” the proper time to heal by management, or, are they simply deciding not to “take” it? When you listen to both Punk and Kurt, they admit that at times, even though they were beaten, battered and bruised, many times they returned to the ring prematurely because it was their choice. They admit they are wrestlers, and that’s what they do – wrestle. Through my experience, I can tell you firsthand: that is the mentality of about 99% of the athletes I ever worked with. They don’t sell injuries, and usually never tell you when they’re hurt. And again, I commend them for that. It’s maybe not smart at times, but they are very committed to their work and their fans.
