Former WWE talent and TNA Knockout Christy Hemme pulled no punches in the ongoing fight to recognize pro wrestler’s mortality rates, how it needs to change, and their general equality. In her white paper/persuasive report, Hemme argued that neurodegenerative diseases correlates to heart problems, thus causing a higher death rate among pro wrestlers.
In Hemme’s 11-page report, “Wrestlers Are Wrestling: Occupational Risk and the Structure of Professional Wrestling,” the former pro wrestler tied her theory to 500 wrestlers who died before the age of 65. Of those 500, she provided a dataset of 142 that died from cardiac related issues. In her findings, she concluded that those within the combat sports umbrella like pro wrestlers face higher death rates from neurodegenerative diseases than the general public at 68 percent.
Further analyzing her findings, Hemme, along with reports from cardiologist Michael Tempelhof, argued that repeated hits to the head, along with lack of sleep, frequent travel, stress, alcohol and drug use, and pressure to perform while injured for fear of losing their spots can disrupt the autonomic nervous system, a part of the brain that regulates heart and blood pressure.
Her report is urging the professional wrestling industry as a whole to take a closer look and correct how pro wrestlers and their health are viewed. Some of the grey areas that Hemme would like the industry to change is worker classification, worker organization, and compensation.
Read the full article here
