Just over two and a half years after World Wrestling Entertainment star Chris Benoit murdered his wife and their seven-year-old son before killing himself — becoming the most sensational of the hundreds of early deaths of wrestlers in recent years — the occupational health and safety of the wrestling industry is officially an issue in the U.S. Senate race in Connecticut of Linda McMahon, the former CEO of WWE.
Two days ago this blog solicited all four candidates in that campaign for comment on what I have been calling “The Question.”
McMahon did not respond. Nor did Richard Blumenthal or Peter Schiff.
Rob Simmons — McMahon’s main opponent for the Republican nomination, with Democrat Blumenthal as the likely opponent in the general election — issued the following statement:
“The voters of Connecticut are absolutely entitled to consider Linda McMahon’s disturbing record in pro wrestling when it comes to the health and safety of her employees, and Mrs. McMahon should be willing to give a straight answer to this question. There is no reason pro wrestling can’t be fun and entertaining AND safe and healthy for the performers. Instead of foot dragging in the face of increasing evidence that her employees and former employees continue to die early and potentially avoidable deaths as a result of their ring-related activities, McMahon should be the first to step up to the plate and lead the effort for real, effective reforms to ensure their health and longevity to the best of WWE’s ability. If Mrs. McMahon won’t ensure a safe and healthy environment for her own employees just because it threatens her bottom line, how can she make a credible claim to do it for Connecticut families?”
Irv Muchnick
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