My response to my coworkers were harsh as I often assumed they were talking about not very well known talent. Then I see Jake "the Snake" Roberts depending upon the kindness of his fans for a needed surgery. Though it does underscore my point that these wrestlers as athletes and entertainers have to work very hard to take care of themselves. But then easy said...
Pro wrestlers especially the world famous superstars of the WWE are considered independent contractors. I'm not going to get into the legality of this, however, this distinction allows WWE and other promotions to avoid having to provide their performers benefits. Benefits that even I as a worker take for granted such as health insurance, 401K, even paid time off. Wrestlers seem to perform 365 with few breaks, of course that's not to say they don't take time off and hopefully it won't be because of injury.
A lot of these wrestlers once they retire die young. They noted a few high profile wrestlers who died such as Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, King Kong Bundy whom all died in their 50s or 60s. You will see in the above clip that Piper predicted accurately that he wouldn't make it to 65.
WWE is a company that made close to $1 billion as you see in the above clip. And aside from their regular pay per their contracts no other guarantees other than the dates they work. The performers as Piper states do get a wonderful entrance plan however not an exit plan. I would expect the wrestlers who truly plan for their futures outside of the business will often find a way.
Then again could a publicly traded corporation as WWE do a better job of taking care of their past and present performers? It's noted that some progress has been made to better protect the wrestlers from chairshots to the head and more concerns about concussions. However, perhaps WWE could allow their perfomers some benefits, especially as far as their health care.
BTW, I'm glad to be one of many passionate fans of the WWE Universe. I'm glad the fans stepped up to the plate when wrestlers request a little help for their own medical expenses. It just goes to show we appreciate their efforts to entertain us and we hope that companies like WWE will better take care of them in the future.
Finally, I've generally avoided late night comedy in recent years especially during the Trump era. I want to be entertained not subjected to diatribes with regards to a politician they're opposed to. A good job directed towards anyone in the political establishment goes a long way. However this piece is refreshing and at times had me rolling. It was serious but we're still talking about a comedy show, perhaps there are times when current events and humor can sometimes converge. This is one of them and consider the outrageous activies on Raw or SmackDown which lends itself to the humor of this segment.
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