Dear Wrestlers: Get that Paper!
On the heels of a horrible week in pro wrestling, I was thinking about a lot of the wrestlers, fighters, and boxers I have interviewed. How some of them (even guys/gals I have interviewed) had passed away who are much younger than me. And while a lot of anguish and sorrow has come into my head, there is one thought of advice I would tell anyone.
Get your money! Be greedy and “get that paper” as Chad Ochocinco once said.
Too often we have heard of a lot of wrestlers, boxers and MMA fighters hanging around too long due to financial reasons. They didn’t take care of their money or they overspent and/or they didn’t make enough. Because of that we see them staying around too long and physically being diminished before our eyes. And don’t get me started on the mental toll these athletes go through.
The late Bray Wyatt spoke to Ryan Satin about how the loss of his best friend as well as Brodie Lee mentally and physically hurt him. Jorge Masvidal told me how Kimbo Slice’s death caused him to break down in tears. And several Bellator/UFC Kill Cliff MMA guys talked openly how badly Anthony Johnson’s passing as they had to go back to train in the same gym they shared with him.
And yet there are tons of fans who basically will tell fighters to not be greedy, don’t bitch about pay days and that they are selfish. That Brock Lesnar is overpaid or that Wrestler X was not worth the effort because of his mental state and so on.
Too often we don’t realize how badly hurt most of these athletes are after matches. How after UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter, Raquel Pennington basically was doing Ice Bath’s for a week due to the aching pain in her joints. How Brian Pillman after a few months in the WWE from his car accident couldn’t walk through an airport without searing pain. How one World boxing champion couldn’t even pee without blood coming out due to body shots.
A lot of WWE/AEW stars have worked through injuries that in other sports would have then on the shelf. Add to the fact of the mental stress of being away from their kids, having to pay for their own travel, save money so when they can’t wrestle in the big leagues, they don’t have to do small Indy shows.
My advice for anyone in the UFC, AEW, WWE or any combat sports is get your money and as much as you can. If you can get away with a Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar schedule, do it! You go through way too much physically and mentally in your industry than anyone would expect.
As much as WWE has done to improve things for their wrestlers over the last few years, they are still a business and look out for the bottom line. And now with Endeavor running things, you can bet that if they want to “trim the fat” they will do so without a doubt.
So to any wrestler who says that they are “WWE for Life” or “All in with AEW”, my advice is simple;
Take them for as much money as possible because the money won’t last forever!