Dot Net Mailbag Reader comments and editor response on comparing wrestler deaths to other industries, Triple H's comments on Larry King's show Mar 27, 2008 - 04:25 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing So not to mention athletes like Ken Caminiti (42) or Len Bias (22), nor the numerous actors, actresses, and musicians who are in rehab, went to rehab, or practically live in rehab, here's a list of entertainers from the last few years who have died with either a relationship to drugs or an unhealthy lifestyle:   Chris Penn (40) Jonathan Brandis (27) Chris Farley (33) John Candy (43) River Phoenix (23) Brad Renfro (25) Heath Ledger (28) John Belushi (33) Ted Demme (38)   Plus musicians:   John Entwistle (57) Rob Pilatus (32) Hillel Slovak (26) Layne Staley (34)   Not to defend or condemn the WWE and the wrestling industry as a whole, but when you comment on your coverage of (John) Cena on Larry King and mock him for saying drugs are a personal choice, why don't you point your browser to TMZ or Perezhilton.  Wrestlers aren't the only entertainers who succumb to the addiction of drugs and alcohol.   Lagenha Filgen Powell replies: Those industries certainly have their own issues, but I shouldn't have to point out their problems every time mention anything about pro wrestlers dying, nor would I expect the websites you cited to bring up pro wrestling when and if they discuss the death rate in the industries they cover. You're not the first person to make this point and I'm not trying to be hard on you, but you say you are not defending WWE or the wrestling industry, yet that's how this comparison comes across. I can't speak for you, but people who have made similar comparisons in the past seem to imply that two wrongs make a right. Of course drug related deaths have occurred in other industries, but that doesn't make the problem in wrestling any less serious. I should also point out that I truly believe that the youngest generation of wrestlers has learned from the mistakes made by the generations before them. Many younger wrestlers would rather go back to their hotel rooms and play video games or surf the internet than party like they did in the old days. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule and only time will tell whether my belief is accurate, as we'll see how these wrestlers cope a few years from now after they've taken more bumps and spent more time on the road. Either way, it doesn't change the fact that pro wrestling has an abnormally high count of performers who have died before reaching their 50th birthday. You can justify it however you like, but the Hollywood and music industry comparisons just don't fly with me. For the record, I wasn't mocking Cena for what he said as much as I was how he said it. He sounded like he was reading a script and I'm sure that's because he has answered the question so many times. *** I read on your site twice that Triple H looked mad on "Larry King Live" about Chris Jericho saying Triple H beats him, and then I watched the show. I was expecting to see Hunter shoot him some icy glare or something. He didn't look mad to me. He gave him a "heh heh heh" sarcastic laugh and went right back to what he was saying. It was a funny moment, you're blowing it out of proportion saying HHH didn't look happy. For that matter, why would he be mad about it?   You also wondered why they'd bring up Bret Hart at one point, but I thought that was the answer everyone probably thought of. Larry asked if they'd ever gone out and had the planned winner end up losing; in other words, having one finish in mind and doing another. I bet most people thought of Bret as the most famous example of that.   Steve Powell replies: The tone of Hunter's laugh is what I was referring to and I don't think he was pleased that Jericho called him out on that particular subject. I thought it was hilarious. Hunter has a reputation for using his political clout to further his own push and he's sensitive to that criticism, so I'm sure he wasn't pleased when Jericho took that jab. Furthermore, Hunter openly mocked the "save us" aspect of Jericho's return behind the scenes. More than one WWE source felt he was very thin skinned when it came to that element of Jericho's return. In other words, good for Jericho for spotting the opening and taking a little poke at Hunter. I'll guarantee you that got a chuckle out of Jericho's colleagues who watched the show. Heck, even Vince found it funny. I thought the Bret line was a reach and a topic he could have avoided. I thought King wanted to know whether wrestlers who have been scripted to lose ever accidentally ended up winning somehow. That's how Vince tried to answer the question, although I suppose he could have been trying to avoid the Hart story. Either way, I just don't think it was necessary of Hunter to go there. That being said, the show was recorded live to tape, so it's hard to come down too hard on the guy. 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