Much of the reaction to the report here of Randy Orton’s rumored suicide attempt in the spring of 2006 looks through the wrong end of the lens. This is typical of a mentality holding that the paramount value is to protect the business. In reality, such a stance is destroying the pro wrestling business.
And it’s doubly ironic because if the story is proven true – as I’m confident it will be – and proceeds to reach a certain threshold of public awareness, Orton’s bosses at World Wrestling Entertainment will have no qualms about incorporating it into a new storyline. (As I post this, Teddy Long is “semi-comatose†from a Viagra reaction.) They won’t miss a beat, and the fans will buy tickets and pay-per-views on the basis of a fiction loosely based on a fact.
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