If this is non-drug related medical problems that are resulting from the workplace, isn't it time for OSHA or a state health board to get involved? 1 guy, it happens. 2 possibly. If it is getting into the 7-8+ range, it is almost epidemic. As for holding a lottery to bring guys over from RAW to augment the roster: All that does is increase the number of people who could end up with this and lead to even more guys on the sideline.
If it >is< a Hep-C type thing, would they really have been stupid enough to bring Big Show over from ECW/Raw and had him and the Undertaker bleed all over each other at the GAB?
This isn't a rhetorical question, btw. After the Bob Orton/Johnny Ace saga a little while back, I genuinely don't know.
It doesn't necessarily mean that it's steroids or Hep-C either. It could also be related to painkiller abuse. One of the most popular prescription painkillers, Vicodin, contains 500mg acetaminophen (Tylenol). Tylenol is processed through the liver, can elevate liver enzymes and possibly cause liver failure if abused. Percocet, another favorite, contains Tylenol as well. We all know that many wrestlers use prescription painkillers and muscle relaxants. How many have been lost in recent years because of prescription drug abuse or the end result of that abuse?
This is a possibility, but I think it's likely to be Hep-C considering how it is spreading through the locker room.
"If you can't believe what you read in the comic books, what can you believe?" -- Bullwinkle
Originally posted by Jackson K PollockIf it >is< a Hep-C type thing, would they really have been stupid enough to bring Big Show over from ECW/Raw and had him and the Undertaker bleed all over each other at the GAB?
This isn't a rhetorical question, btw. After the Bob Orton/Johnny Ace saga a little while back, I genuinely don't know.
Actually, if it is Hep C, then Undertaker is probably the least likely guy on Smackdown to be infected. He does less shows than the rest of the guys, and after that debacle with Bob Orton a while back, I'd like to think Taker got himself checked out just to be sure.
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you... The thing is, Hep C isn't supposed to be easily transmittable. Blood to blood and that's it. Unless these guys are all sharing drug needles (which I don't think at all, especially with the Wellness program in place), the only way Hep C could be transmitted is by blading, and of the guys who are confirmed, I can't remember any of them blading recently if at all. (Khali? Never. Crazy? Doubtful. Lashley? Possibly, but I doubt it. Hardy? Possibly.) Throw the rumored ones in as well and it just doesn't hold up.
Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but it makes more sense, transmission-wise, for it to be something like mono (en.wikipedia.org), which is far more easily transmittable than Hep C. Plus, acute hep is a common side effect of mono.
Needless to say, though, I hope they figure this out and FAST.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
Originally posted by redsoxnationAs for holding a lottery to bring guys over from RAW to augment the roster: All that does is increase the number of people who could end up with this and lead to even more guys on the sideline.
That's a fair point, but if things are that bad they might have to shut down everyone who was on the SD roster at some point. There has to be some way to increase the roster depth and star power of the SD brand without creating a health danger.
At the very least, move Orton back, since he could potentially be infected (or affected by whatever this is) and he'd be a lot more useful as a top guy on a depleted roster than on the busy Raw-ster. And that would put Hogan on SD, which is fine since he's unlikely to be wrestling much (if at all) and I doubt he's showering with the lower-card guys or whatever.
I just hope none of this is going to turn out to be a matter of lives and careers rather than just a depleted roster for a while.
Originally posted by Texas KellyThe thing is, Hep C isn't supposed to be easily transmittable. Blood to blood and that's it. Unless these guys are all sharing drug needles (which I don't think at all, especially with the Wellness program in place), the only way Hep C could be transmitted is by blading, and of the guys who are confirmed, I can't remember any of them blading recently if at all. (Khali? Never. Crazy? Doubtful. Lashley? Possibly, but I doubt it. Hardy? Possibly.) Throw the rumored ones in as well and it just doesn't hold up.
Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part, but it makes more sense, transmission-wise, for it to be something like mono (en.wikipedia.org), which is far more easily transmittable than Hep C. Plus, acute hep is a common side effect of mono.
Needless to say, though, I hope they figure this out and FAST.
Except Hepatitis can live in not only fresh blood, but dried blood as well. If someone blades and then heads into the back to clean up, that's really all it would take to create a hazard. And I really doubt that this could be Mono. The primary symptom of Mono is extreme lethargy. These guys would be laid out well before it got to the point where they had elevated enzymes.
K, had a conversation with the Doc this morning about this situation - I asked (she has no idea about the situation) "Let's say several people, all somehow associated came down with elevated enzymes in the livers - what might you think?
She said, well, Cirrhosis of the liver from a ton of drinking, advanced age, and then she said they might have a virus.
I asked, what if it were all young men, all athletes on the same team.
She said that the most likely scenario was Hepatitis A, which she said is often got from eating bad food, often shellfish. Heb B, as she said, comes from exchange of fluids, and she thought that would be unlikely from wrestlers bleeding (she was on to me now), and Heb C is more of a chronic and difficult to get rid of thing that can kill you if you don't care for it.
all three are treated similarly, lots of antibiotic shots for several weeks - just that Hep C usually doesn't respond quickly if ever.
We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.
The reason these are primarly SmackDown names - according to the sheets - is there was a seperate test done for them (as opposed to one with everyone - maybe at a brand's house show?)
Tatanka's on the suspension list now, sayeth PWInsider. Good lord.
To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires, and lights, in a box.-Edward R. Murrow
Originally posted by Peter The HegemonAt the very least, move Orton back, since he could potentially be infected
Heh. I don't think I read that the way you meant it.
But seriously, if blading is at all a serious contributor to this problem, can we get rid of it. I believe I said something similar when the Undertaker/Orton Sr. story came out, but Jesus, this is getting way out of hand. Can anyone think of a single coherent argument why they should be blading instead of using capsules or something?
Originally posted by AWArulzShe said that the most likely scenario was Hepatitis A, which she said is often got from eating bad food, often shellfish. Heb B, as she said, comes from exchange of fluids, and she thought that would be unlikely from wrestlers bleeding (she was on to me now), and Heb C is more of a chronic and difficult to get rid of thing that can kill you if you don't care for it.
all three are treated similarly, lots of antibiotic shots for several weeks - just that Hep C usually doesn't respond quickly if ever.
Let me share my medical laboratory knowledge:
Hep A can live happily in poop, that's why you could get it from raw shellfish if the preparer didn't wash his hands. Hep A has a couple recorded cases of being caught from filthy public toilets.
I would hope these guys had their Hep B vaccinations. I mean, I had to get it before I could be a camp counselor, and these are guys who freakin' bleed on each other for a living!
What makes Hep C extra dangerous is that about half the people who catch it will be carriers with no outward symptoms for 10-20 years until BAM! you are sick as a dog and could been infecting anyone exposed to you blood or who you had sex with all that time.
Hepatitis is the most common blood borne infection for health care workers to get. It is so dangerous because it can live for a good long while in dried blood and really only bleach is going to kill it. If you get infected blood on only the tiniest scrape or paper cut you can get it. We've got to get yearly tested where I work.
If it's not Hep, I don't know why all these guys are being pulled. The test for hepatitis isn't hard and can even be done off the same tube you test liver enzymes on. If it was just due to drinking and medication use you wouldn't think they would still be off the show.
Ya know, given the large number of wrestlers who've contracted this ailment, it wouldn't be out of the question for a "sick" wrestler to sue the WWE for an unsafe work environment, should a causal link be established...
There'd be no point to a lawsuit. Number one, it would be career suicide. Not only the WWE, but no wrestling company would hire a guy who sued because of the standard hazards of professional wrestling. Number two, the WWE could probably demonstrate that their testing under the new wellness program is in fact making the work environment safer. An outbrake like this a couple years ago could have spread through the entire roster and possibly done some serious damage to the health of the wrestlers without ever being caught. Number three, even ignoring the other two conditions, an idividual wrestler, or even a class action suit this small, would be unlikely to be able to hire the kind of lawyers you'd need to fight the WWE in court.
Originally posted by Tenken347There'd be no point to a lawsuit. Number one, it would be career suicide. Not only the WWE, but no wrestling company would hire a guy who sued because of the standard hazards of professional wrestling. Number two, the WWE could probably demonstrate that their testing under the new wellness program is in fact making the work environment safer. An outbrake like this a couple years ago could have spread through the entire roster and possibly done some serious damage to the health of the wrestlers without ever being caught. Number three, even ignoring the other two conditions, an idividual wrestler, or even a class action suit this small, would be unlikely to be able to hire the kind of lawyers you'd need to fight the WWE in court.
Your point about a lawsuit being career suicide is dead-on; whoever files that lawsuit will almost certainly be blackballed by the WWE for life, and the WWE undeniably has the resources to make things highly unpleasant for the plaintiff. But I disagree with your other arguments.
Lawyers ABSOLUTELY LOVE to grab lawsuits like this -- when a rich, wealthy company can be nailed for damages -- 'cause the lawyers will traditionally retain 1/3 of ANY settlement. That's why all those PI commercials air on TV ("We don't get paid until YOU get paid! Call Lawyer Bob at 1-800...") And if the WWE knowingly allowed its workers to participate in an unsafe work environment to the detriment of a wrestler, then the WWE is fucked. And even if the WWE had no knowledge of the environment being unsafe, but could be shown to be negligent in issues of safety, then the WWE is fucked, regardless of any contracts that are signed (you can't get off the hook for negligence through a contract, according to current contract law).
The WWE will likely argue that the wrestlers knew the poential risks; the company had reasonable safeguards in place; the WWE's handling of safety issues is in accordance to industry standards; etc. But even that might not be enough, as I doubt it would be difficult for a plaintiff to prove that the WWE could have done more to protect its wrestlers, but opted not to -- which is a time-tested tactic in many PI cases.
In fact, because of this, I'll bet that the WWE will be VERY reluctant about releasing any wrestler who's been stricken with these ailments, precidely because of a potential lawsuit.
Not to drag this out any further, but part of the argument I was making was that the damages wouldn't be high enough for just one or a few wrestlers to interest a big-time attorney. Big-time lawyers are usually attracted to large class-action suits where they retain a third of a very large settlement, often in the hundreds of millions due to the number of people injured by the company. There's no way a court would pay out damages in that amount for the number of guys that would be willing to sue. These guys would wind up with less impressive lawyers, and the WWE's guys would probably eat them alive.
The WWE doesn't have a very good record in court cases lately, actually. The last major case they won was probably the Nicole Bass case.
In the real world, WWE believes that no matter what our race, religious creed or ethnic background in America, we all share the common bond of being Americans. American-Arabs are a part of the fabric of America, and they should be embraced by all of us.
Originally posted by Tenken347Not to drag this out any further, but part of the argument I was making was that the damages wouldn't be high enough for just one or a few wrestlers to interest a big-time attorney.
You're right about the ACTUAL damages, but that's not what the lawyers would be after. The ACTUAL damages would be limited to loss of pay, medical costs, and possibly the loss of one's livelihood. Not much to sink your teeth into. So the big money would be in the PUNITIVE damages.
Basically, the strategy would be for a lawyer to establish that this big, bad, billion dollar sports-entertainment company needs to be "punished" for their harmful behavior. And punitive damages can be very, very steep here. I'm talking eight-figures steep, in this instance.
1/3 of eight-figures -- plus all the free publicity & TV face-time from this lawsuit -- would be more than enough to motivate a large number of lawyers.
(edited by rv581 on 27.7.06 0825) "Who ate my sandwich???"
Woo Hoo! Amidst all the confusion regarding Velocity and Heat and which was going to be on when, the WWE did the best thing they could possibly do. They left Saturday night alone.