Drug Deaths Haunt Boston Pro Wrestling Scene

By J.M. Berger

In his television persona, wrestling promoter Vincent McMahon plays the role of a cartoonish villain, and it's all in fun.

But for local promoters, the headlines generated by McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment can create real life problems, putting an ugly face on the business they love.

"The good people find themselves responsible for the things that Vince McMahon does, which is difficult to swallow sometimes," says Dan Mirade,  owner of  the Millennium Wrestling Federation, a Melrose-based promotion that stages shows in Somerville and around the region. "But that's just the nature of the beast."

Last month, former WWE champion Chris Benoit killed his family and himself, sending waves of turbulence through the entire wrestling world.

Though the act of one deeply troubled man, the killings have set dominoes falling that will have broader implications for the industry in the weeks to come.

Between 1989 and 2006, nearly 90 wrestlers have died under the age of 50, according to U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Florida), who has called for a congressional probe of the wrestling industry. No one keeps an exact count, but a substantial number of those deaths derived from drug or steroid abuse.

Calls for remedial action -- which could shake down to the independent level -- are likely to intensify in coming weeks. Police are awaiting a toxicology report on Benoit's body, which will spell out what drugs and other substances were in the wrestler's body when he committed the murders.

Meanwhile, federal drug authorities have arrested Benoit's doctor on charges of illegally prescribing drugs and steroids to unnamed persons. As that case progresses, more and more wrestlers may be implicated in the drug scandal.

Anabolic steroids are legal for treating some types of injury, but not for simple performance enhancement or cosmetic muscle-building.

WWE has been criticized by industry observers for pushing wrestlers with bodybuilder physiques -- the kind of excessive muscle mass that can be most easily achieved through steroid abuse.

It's a lot different at the local level. Sheldon Goldberg, head promoter of Jamaica Plain-based New England Championship Wrestling, said performers with his promotion are extremely fit, but they don't sport the excessive mass that is a red flag for steroid abuse. NECW wrestlers seen at a recent show in Quincy lived up to the promoter's claim.

But most local performers also aspire to go to the major leagues. While there are other companies where one can make a living, WWE -- with a fan base in the millions -- is easily the pinnacle of the industry.

"That's where everyone wants to end up," said MWF wrestler Beau Douglas.  "Everybody wants to end up there, if they're wrestling for the love of the business, especially, then they can perform on the greatest stage and really do something."

"Every time I see a death, I do sit down and say, 'You gonna stay in there your whole life?'" said D.C. Dillinger,  an NECW performer who aspires to make it to the WWE. (His real name is David Cahill.)  "You get kind of addicted to (performing)."

A ticket to the big show means directly confronting a host of issues, including the prospect of concussions, broken necks, multiple surgeries -- and the lure of steroids, which can allow a wrestler on the rise to quickly "bulk up" to WWE proportions if an opportunity comes knocking.  

A number of factors help sideline the issue at the local level. For one thing, no one is oblivious to the risks and side-effects of the drugs these days, as opposed to the 1970s and 1980s when steroids were not seen as especially harmful.  

Another factor, said one wrestler speaking off the record, is that steroids are expensive and indie wrestlers usually make very little money. Few can afford steroids, especially the steady dosage needed to maintain muscle mass over the long term.

But while they might be less prevalent than in WWE, steroids are still a presence and a concern on the local scene.

"You know it's there," says Mirade (whose real name is Dan Frongillo-Mirade). "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to take a look (and see) someone's physique change rapidly."

See also:

Benoit killings rattle Boston wrestlers 

Before the killings, a wrestling icon