Jim Ross talks frankly about drugs in pro wrestling
Jim Ross on drugs in pro wrestling
Jim Ross recently on his Grilling JR podcast. This weeks episode focuses on WrestleMania 2000, and during the episode the subject of performers turning to drugs to help combat issues during the road came up.
“It was two, three or four guys right? It wasn’t ‘the boys,’ it wasn’t the whole f*cking roster” Jim Ross began. “It was a few guys that had drug problems, and they died. That was their penalty for being f*cking ignorant. They died, they abused drugs and they f*cking died because they didn’t have enough goddamn sense to get off of [them].”
JR would elaborate further, saying “there’s always issues, ‘oh I’m hurt. I’m working every day. I’m on the road 300 days here.’ Then book and take some time off. ‘Oh you can’t do that because you lose your spot. If you lose this spot you lose your push.’ It’s a self fulfilling prophecy with some of these guys man. There’s always an excuse, always an excuse for an issue that is not their fault. They are only trying to make a living and, quote unquote, ‘feed my family. I want to feed my family.’ Feeding your family!? You shouldn’t need a parade because you want to feed your family. It’s our obligation as human beings to take care of our loved ones. Simple as that.”
JR would finish by saying “that’s why you should stay home during this goddamn [corona]virus. Do you think I’ll stay home by myself? Hell no. I could do a podcast every day if you want to. Because I got plenty of time. So I just, some of those excuses over the years? It’s gotten worn thin, and they’re not even creative anymore. They’re the same ones, they have been repurposed. So a young wrestler hears this about this guy, and ‘we use that one.’ It’s crazy. So, you know I think that the whole thing was; it started a downward spiral of bad publicity. And we didn’t need it and didn’t want it. A lot of us are working our ass off really I’m telling you man. Vince told me time, ‘JR this job in this world, this business and WWE you gotta learn to…you got to acquire the taste of sh*t.”
