STATE OF THE 'E: The PG/Hep C Connection

Posted By: Robert Woodward Jr.

No, it's not an awesome new Tag-Team. Nope, not a train route or bus route either. It's apparently a VERY interesting epidemic within the world of Professional Wrestling for a VERY long time now. What a better time to examine what we know?

There's a documentary coming out called "Don't Bleed On Me". If you haven't seen any of the trailers or watched any of the clips, I suggest you do so. It's about the Hepatitis C epidemic that has been making its way through Wrestling since the late 70's. From what I've seen, no one in particular has come clean about it in all these years except for the most recent, Desmond Wolfe or as ROH fans know him: Nigel McGuinness. Technically, he didn't say it out right but, it's definitely implied.

And of course, the reason the documentary "Don't Bleed On Me" exists, Abdullah The Butcher. This is taken from Eric Gargiulo who used to commentate for CZW:

Watching the documentary brought back memories of an indy show many years ago in New Jersey and an incident I’ll never forget with Abdullah the Butcher. Abdullah was wrestling Jerry Lawler on a Dennis Coraluzzo/Larry Sharpe show. Lawler was managed by a pro wrestler named “Tricky” Nicky who happened to be a friend of mine. Abdullah grabbed him at one point in the match and cut him so viciously that the blade almost went into his eyeball and blinded Nick for life. That was a side of Abdullah the Butcher which made him a very polarizing figure throughout the wrestling business.

Cutting unsuspecting victims with a razor blade was something I was always cautious of whenever I was within a few feet of Abdullah. It was almost a game to him to grab someone and cut them open with a blade to their shock and surprise. I sat a few feet from Abdullah to conduct an RF Video Shoot Interview with him many years ago. Knowing his propensity to do this and having the extra incentive of a camera kept me on the edge of my seat for two and half hours. I have sat and interviewed dozens of wrestlers over the last fifteen to twenty years and only with Abdullah did I ever have my guard up like that.

And it seems that a couple of the people Abdullah passed the virus onto was "Superstar" Billy Graham and possibly The Honky Tonk Man. Now, none of these guys are coming clean but, why offer such reasoning if there is none? Graham has gone so far to want his name PULLED from THE 'E's HOF because of this.

With all of this going on in all of the Indy places and apparently in TNA as well (with all of the drugs and insane politicking going on there, why not add Hep C to it? Geez.) I commend THE 'E very much on going PG and stopping the blood loss. Of course there's going to be an idiot here making a reply about "NO BLOOD = NO WRESTLING" or some crap like that but truth of the matter is, THE 'E needs to protect their guys. Hepatitis C is a VERY serious disease and is nothing to mess with and with at least one company stopping the blades, maybe the others will follow suit. Maybe these guys will get tested and those who have it will come forward

We don't know how far back this truly reaches. With Steroids being dominant for so long, who truthfully knows who has it? The one thing we do know is the guys in THE 'E don't have it. Their tests are extremely scrutinizing. Just ask Bryan Danielson's liver!

Please, if you don't know the effects of Hep C, look it up. And as usual, speak your mind, leave a piece and let me know what you think.