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#Post#: 13249--------------------------------------------------
Top ten biggest Falls from Grace in Wrestling
DIR By: tnafanforum
Date: June 9, 2013, 8:14 am
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Not many people can understand the pressure of being famous.
The millions of fans, the money, the expectations of maintaining
a certain look.
Some are able to handle their time under the spotlight. Many
cannot.
With every type of celebrity (sports, music and acting) plenty
of people have fallen from great heights. Wrestling is no
exception.
In fact, wrestling may have the highest percentage of beat down,
broke and deceased stars in any field of entertainment.
Due to the brutal schedule, the drugs and the way they put their
body on the line, they often end up a shell of their former
selves on the way out.
Here are 10 cases of wrestlers who seemed to have it all but
fell from grace.
Number 10 is Jake snake Roberts
If you’ve somehow managed to miss out on what Jake has
been up to after leaving the WWF, check out the eye-opening
documentary Beyond the Mat.
In that film, Roberts is shown on camera smoking crack and
openly talking about his demons. His strained relationship with
his daughter is also focused on, making it hard to watch what
has become of yesterday's hero.
Roberts is one of the best remembered wrestlers from the 1980s.
He cut compelling promos in an age of cartoonish yelling and
gave the wrestling world the DDT.
His name is also one that is often brought up for stars who
never held a world title. There may have been a good reason for
that: Jake was unreliable.
Jake spiraled out of control post-WWF from one embarrassing
independent show to the next and seemed to hit rock bottom many
times over.
There may be hope though.
Currently, Roberts is living with Diamond Dallas Page trying to
get in shape for one last run. He's eating healthy and is on
DDP's Yoga workout program.
According to Arda Ocal, who spoke with Jake, has said he has
lost over 75 pounds and has been drug- and alcohol-free for over
three months.
Number 9 is Lex Luger
At one point, Lex Luger was destined for a run with the WWF
Championship.
With his Lex Express bus, he was the heir apparent to
Hulkamania. It never quite worked out for him in the WWF, though
he did eventually capture the gold in WCW.
For a time, Luger was one of the biggest stars in wrestling
during the late '80s and throughout the '90s.
Once WCW folded though, Luger’s life went to some dark
places.
He was never brought back into WWE as a wrestler, and only had
one match in TNA—before fading away from the spotlight.
In 2003, he was arrested for domestic dispute after allegedly
beating up his girlfriend Miss Elizabeth and later for driving
under the influence.
Things got even worse for Luger as Elizabeth later died of an
overdose inside his house.
Luger ended up serving five years probation but slowly began to
turn his life around when he found religion.
In 2007, he then suffered a nerve impingement, and was a
quadriplegic for over two months.
These days, Luger physically looks like a shell of his former
self, but mentally he seems to be doing better than ever.
Number 8 Sunny.
Sunny was perky and beautiful. She worked her way up as the
manager of the Bodydonnas to becoming one of the most popular
characters in the WWF.
Her relationship with her long-time boyfriend Chris Candido was
often rocky though, as tales of drug abuse seemed to get them
kicked out of every major company they passed through.
Sadly, Candido passed away in 2005, leaving Sunny by herself.
Understandably, she didn't seem to be doing too well.
Eventually, Sunny appeared to get her act together. She was
inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011 and looked stunning.
Since then though, it sounds like her life has been a disaster.
At one point, she was arrested five times in a matter of weeks.
WWE put her through rehab, but she was having troubles with the
law as soon as she got out. WWE then publicly announced that
they would no longer pay for her continued treatment, which is
the first time that has ever happened.
Let's hope this story can still have a happy ending.
Number 7 is Matt Hardy
For years, many fans were waiting for Matt Hardy to get his shot
at the big time.
But he was always cast in the shadow of his younger brother,
Jeff. Still, there were signs that he could break out. After his
feud with Edge, though, he seemed destined for a life in the
midcard.
After years of taking crazy bumps, Hardy became addicted to pain
killers.
His constant online presence went from entertaining to downright
bizarre. He looked out of it in these videos and came across as
very vindictive against the fans and wrestling news websites.
In response, WWE seemed to try to shame him into getting his
life back together and even had Cody Rhodes call him out for his
weight gain on SmackDown before a match.
Hardy then got his wish and was released from the company.
Things only got worse for him as he was involved in multiple car
accidents, was arrested and teased that he was going to commit
suicide.
His run in TNA was also very short lived and embarrassing.
After multiple arrests, Hardy was forced to go to rehab. He was
then kicked out for alcohol use which he blamed on mouthwash.
Fortunately, Hardy does appear to be doing better these days.
He’s been open about his drug abuse and sounds far more
coherent in his online videos. He also seems in better physical
condition judging by his recent Ring of Honor appearances.
Number 6 has got to be Ric Flair
He may be the greatest wrestler of all time but he continues to
make one big mistake after another in his personal life.
As evidenced by Shane Ryan's brilliant but devastating piece on
the Nature Boy, Flair just can't change his partying and playboy
ways.
He has also reportedly been beat up by his last three wives,
been kicked out of his own home and is a financial mess.
At one point, he owed $700,000 to one of those ex-wives.
For newer fans, it may be hard to believe that Flair is held in
such high regard. When he does show up on TV these days, he
comes across as a caricature of his former self.
He dances around, drops some elbows, and "woooos" all over the
place. It doesn't make money like it used to, though.
Had Flair not lived such a crazy lifestyle, he could have had a
respectful slide into his 50s and 60s. It's not hard to imagine
he would always have had a TV presence,
Instead, Flair's continuing story has devolved into an
increasingly strange and sad one with each passing year.
Now we are in the top five
Number 5 has got to go to Tomko (he was close to being number
one)
At one point, Travis "Tyson" Tomko looked to be a breakout star
in TNA (well, as much of a breakout star that can be made in the
company).
Instead, in a classic Vince Russo swerve, Tomko didn’t
turn babyface when all signs pointed to it. He went back to
playing a heel, but the fans no longer cared and his character
never recovered.
Later, Tomko left TNA to rejoin WWE. He signed a contract with
the company, but never showed up on TV.
When he returned to TNA, he looked like he’d put on a bit
of weight and was noticeably slower. This run didn’t last
long either and he found himself without a job.
Tomko became desperate, and robbed a pharmacy to steal
Oxycodone. He then went to a nearby Chili's and allegedly shot
up in the men's bathroom.
He has entered WWE rehab, but at the age of 36, it's hard to
believe he'll get another shot in a major wrestling company
again.
Number 4 Is Scott Hall was one of the most naturally gifted
wrestlers on the planet.
He had the looks, wrestling ability and the intangible
“it” factor that is so hard to come by.
His career, though, was highlighted by one big mistake after
another. Perhaps no wrestler has received as many chances to
clean up their act as he has been given.
The ESPN documentary series E60 may have finally shed some light
on why Hall is so troubled.
While working as a bouncer, he got into a fight with a man and
shot him in self-defense. Hall was cleared of all legal
wrong-doing but never recovered psychologically.
It didn’t matter how much money he made or how popular he
became, his personal life was in shambles.
Along with his tag partner Kevin Nash, Hall helped usher in a
new boom period in professional wrestling in 1996.
But over the next 17 years, it's been one tough ride.
He was suspended on a couple of occasions in WCW, hired and
shortly released from WWE, released from TNA multiple times, got
divorced, been in and out of rehab more than any other WWE
talent and was also arrested on multiple occasions.
Hall doesn’t show up in any form for the WWE these days.
He wasn’t there for HBK’s Hall of Fame induction, he
didn’t participate in the new NWO DVD and it’s
doubtful he’ll get his own induction to the Hall anytime
soon.
For his family, friends and fans it’s hard to watch what
Scott Hall has become.
There is some hope, though.
Just like Jake Roberts, Hall has recently joined Diamond Dallas
Page's "Accountability Crib." He's been alcohol free, and
working out for weeks now. An Indiegogo drive has also raised
over $80,000 to help get him a hip replacement so he can get
back in shape.
Here's hoping that "The Bad Guy" can be a good guy once again.
Number 3 is
Fans familiar with the Monday Night Wars may only remember Chris
Adams as a jobber in WCW.
Older fans may recall his time in World Class Championship
Wrestling where he held their heavyweight title multiple times.
He also had a great run in Dynamic Duo, a tag team with Gino
Hernandez.
"It was fun, and we were making so much money that we didn't
care," Adams once said about his time with Hernandez.
Due to the death of his tag partner and spending time in jail
after head-butting a co-pilot on a plane, Adams' career started
to stumble.
He wasn’t pushed as aggressively but became an influential
trainer. Steve Austin and Scott Hall were among his students.
Those good times didn't last. Adams had other run-ins with the
law. He was arrested for drunk driving and for beating his wife.
Sadly, Adams’ dark side only grew later in life.
In 2000, Adams and his girlfriend both overdosed on drugs. While
Adams recovered, his girlfriend died.
From this fallout, he was indicted on manslaughter charges. He
never faced trial, though, as he was shot to death shortly
after.
Adams met his end in a drunken fight with an old friend, but it
was ultimately ruled self-defense.
Chris Adams had so much potential and was able to achieve a high
level of success, but he never became the star he should have.
Number 2 this one is a blast from the past and it has got to be
Dino Bravo
It was just over 20 years ago that Dino Bravo died.
In 1993, at the age of 44, Bravo was shot 17 times while sitting
in a chair at home.
He found himself involved in an alleged illegal cigarette
smuggling and was believed to have been taken out by the mafia.
The former WWF tag team champion was wrestling's "world's
strongest man" before Mark Henry.
He faced off against some of the company's top names in the
'80s. At one point, it was rumored that he'd take on Hulk Hogan
in a face vs. face showdown in Montreal, but the match was
cancelled as there were fears that the crowd would cheer for
Bravo more.
The very muscular strongman's body began to break down and he
retired to pursue a life of training, and crime.
The details of Bravo's death are sketchy but two things are
certain: it was a violent way to go, and his murder has never
been solved.
Number one is Chris Benoit
During his time, Chris Benoit was one of the most widely
respected wrestlers on the planet.
No one could match his intensity in the ring, and he truly
seemed to give it his all every time out. During his run in WCW
though, fans were frustrated with his lack of a push.
Once he came to the WWF, things began to change.
Over the course of a few years, Benoit worked his way to the
top, and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at
WrestleMania 20.
It was one of the most emotional wrestling moments of all time
as the show ended with him and Eddie Guerrero embracing. It
capped things off on a perfect note.
That is my top ten list I tried to mix it up , but who is your
top ten wrestlers who have messed up and costed them everything.
HAVE YOUR SAY
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