Gawker asks “Did Steroid Panic Kill Ex-WWE Wrestler?” Well, yes, probably, but why are we talking about Chris Benoit?
The article actually turned out to be about Abismo Negro (Abismo working in WWE – and apparently as Maniaco when Maniaco was Abismo Negro; AAA is confusing, ask Dr. Lucha) and not only pushes the steroids idea and the drug violence. It’s tough rule out anything with what’s being made public here, but both seem unlikely at this point
I only bring this up because Dave wrote a detailed story – explanation? educated guess? it’s just stated as is – about Abismo’s death. Might have this out there if everything else is going to be guessed:
Abismo Negro’s last match was not Rey de Reyes on 3/14 in Guadalajara, but a house show on 3/16 in Mazatlan. He was described as despondent at the show, complaining, even though he had just returned, that he wasn’t being used well enough or paid well enough. Others felt he was lucky that he was even taken back after all the no- shows and drug problems. He wasn’t booked on another show for a few days, so he stayed in Mazatlan and went on a cocaine binge, and ended up no-showing the cards on 3/20 and 3/21, and then, apparently having run out of cash, he took a bus back home to Mexico City on 3/22 instead of going to Monterrey, where he was booked. The current belief is he suffered a heart attack, collapsed, and fell into the river where he drowned.
It is not news that Abismo Negro had a cocaine addiction, and it’s not a surprise it led to his death (just that end result was heart attack/drowning instead of the more conventional overdose.) AAA was not surprised he died a drug related death, just that he died one that particular day.
AAA’s spoken their condolences to Abismo’s family and honoring his professional career by not using his name again. What they haven’t said yet is how they’ll work to prevent this happening again. If Abismo Negro was the only one abusing drugs as he did, AAA wouldn’t have allowed it to continue. That he got away with it, and kept coming back despite continual problems with it, indicates it’s common enough in AAA where everyone’s allowed to do whatever as long as they make the next show.
I don’t run a wrestling company, so maybe I’m not seeing a lot of what they see. Thankfully, I don’t also have to console grieving widows either. AAA said anything about the underlining problems here, treating this death like a random occurrence. I hope they’re proved to be correct, but every underlining indicator suggests Abismo Negro’s passing will not be remembered as a unique moment, but as the first in a depressing trend.