LionDen
07-25-2007, 05:12 PM
The Sun in the UK has an interesting interview with the former Jeanie Clark, Steve Austin's ex-wife. In it, she gives an inside look at the rigors that the business takes on its employees. You can find the full article with pictures here (http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003560001-2007340225,00.html). Below is the article in full for your convenience.
'Steroids turn good men bad'
By SIMON ROTHSTEIN of THE LILSBOYS
July 24, 2007
ANOTHER former wrestling star has spoken out about the drug abuse that plagues the sport.
Below Jeanie Williams - the ex-wife of Stone Cold Steve Austin - pleads for the industry to change its ways before more young grapplers join the 105 who have already passed away in the last 10 years.
English born Jeanie has seen all sides of the business.
After meeting wrestler and long-term boyfriend Chris Adams, she left Southend-On-Sea to fight all over America as Lady Blossom, including a stint in major federation WCW.
She later became a wrestler's wife, having two children with grappling legend Austin. They were married through his glory years in the WWE and she even gave Steve the Stone Cold name that helped shoot him to fame.
But alongside the glamour, Jeanie saw the effects of steroids and other drugs first hand.
Chris was a major abuser of drugs and alcohol and was killed in self-defence by a pal.
Jeanie divorced Steve after wrestling's travel schedule got too much to take. He also had a dark side and was later accused of physically assaulting his two subsequent partners.
She is now back in Southend and is a full time mum.
Jeanie writes: I decided to speak out after reading about the shocking amount of wrestlers who have died.
I was saddened by both the number and how many of them I knew. Brian Pillman and Rick Rude were especially good friends with Steve.
Wrestling needs to sort out its steroid problem, as well as the schedule which forces people to take other drugs, so more don't die.
Wrestling is like a beauty pageant for women, the guys are competing to have the best body to get the best spots, which often leads to steroid abuse.
The schedule means they are also travelling a lot, even on their days off they will be flying.
When I was in WCW, most of the flights home were booked at around 6.30 in the morning.
You'd get back to the hotel from the arena after the show around midnight and need to get up around 3am to take the rental car back and check in for the flight.
So most of the guys would only have around two to three hours sleep and would want to sleep on the plane.
A lot of them would use Soma - a short-acting muscle relaxant - to sleep and then down energy drinks to wake back up again.
There is also a big problem with wrestlers taking anti-depressants, with the symptoms brought on by their other abuse.
The WWE and other wrestling federations won't admit that they're doing anything wrong, but they need to change and they need to change now.
The first thing I would do is introduce a system where the guys work for three weeks then have a solid week off to spend with their families.
And also give them holidays, like regular workers get, so they have something to look forward to.
The WWE badly needs to look at its Wellness Program too - the testosterone level it allows for is far too high and it lets guys take drugs if they have prescriptions.
I have seen how easy it is to get a prescription from a doctor for any amount of any drug, just like Chris Benoit did - who was injecting huge quantities of the steroid testosterone.
I personally knew of two or three medics when I was in the States who the wrestlers went to.
They're called 'mark doctors' and the wrestlers will look after them, take them backstage and sign autographs for their kids. And in return get the drugs they need.
I also know first hand how these addictions start.
When I was in WCW I got an injury and could hardly walk, so I had to take painkillers, and I was so tired that I would also take something to help me sleep.
I never got to the levels of addiction of someone like Brian Pillman, but I can see how many do.
And because the drugs are so addictive, you get a tolerance to them and need to start using more. If you try and stop, you go through a withdrawal and that can make you lose it as well.
I lived with Chris Adams - who along with brother Neil was also a famous judo star - for five years in the late 1970s and 1980s and we have a daughter together.
Even after we split up, and he married two more times to Toni and Karen, we stayed very good friends.
Chris was a really funny, sweet guy.
But he took a lot of pills - he told me he was getting testosterone, GHB, the anti-depressant Celexa and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax - and drank a lot too. Most of the guys did.
So there were times where he went off the rails.
He was a total Jekyll and Hyde character. He could be so nice, but then just snap and get really intense - often over something so trivial.
You would be laughing and joking about something and then he'd just lose it. I saw him snap at his mum and Karen's little boy.
He never beat me. He did hit Toni though, and pretty badly.
In 1986, Chris spent three months in prison after head-butting an airline pilot.
In April 2000, he and his then-girlfriend Linda Kaphengst suffered a GHB and alcohol overdose. She died and he was charged with manslaughter.
But before his trial, Chris was shot and killed by his friend Brent Parnell in a brawl.
I was back in England when he died, but when it went to court Brent was found not guilty as it was self defence. It didn't surprise me.
Steve Austin was also a sweet, lovely, polite guy.
We met when we were working together and I wasn't attracted to him for a long time.
He started sending me cards and letters and the main reason we got together is that I thought he was really nice.
We met in about 1989/90 and his problems didn't start until around 1997.
Steve never took steroids in front of me, so I don't know if he was using them at that time when he was in the WWE, but I do know that they were in our cupboard.
Like Chris, he had two personalities and would go off the rails at the most minor thing.
For example, once we were in a lift at a hotel and a guy got in and pushed the wrong button.
Steve just went off on him, yelling: "What the f*** are you doing, you stupid motherf***er."
He also had a lot of panic attacks and would sometimes go very quiet.
He never hit me, but the two partners he had after me both reported him to the police for domestic abuse.
A short while after Steve and I split up I moved back to Southend and am a full-time mum.
I don't miss the wrestling business at all. I am so much happier now!
'Steroids turn good men bad'
By SIMON ROTHSTEIN of THE LILSBOYS
July 24, 2007
ANOTHER former wrestling star has spoken out about the drug abuse that plagues the sport.
Below Jeanie Williams - the ex-wife of Stone Cold Steve Austin - pleads for the industry to change its ways before more young grapplers join the 105 who have already passed away in the last 10 years.
English born Jeanie has seen all sides of the business.
After meeting wrestler and long-term boyfriend Chris Adams, she left Southend-On-Sea to fight all over America as Lady Blossom, including a stint in major federation WCW.
She later became a wrestler's wife, having two children with grappling legend Austin. They were married through his glory years in the WWE and she even gave Steve the Stone Cold name that helped shoot him to fame.
But alongside the glamour, Jeanie saw the effects of steroids and other drugs first hand.
Chris was a major abuser of drugs and alcohol and was killed in self-defence by a pal.
Jeanie divorced Steve after wrestling's travel schedule got too much to take. He also had a dark side and was later accused of physically assaulting his two subsequent partners.
She is now back in Southend and is a full time mum.
Jeanie writes: I decided to speak out after reading about the shocking amount of wrestlers who have died.
I was saddened by both the number and how many of them I knew. Brian Pillman and Rick Rude were especially good friends with Steve.
Wrestling needs to sort out its steroid problem, as well as the schedule which forces people to take other drugs, so more don't die.
Wrestling is like a beauty pageant for women, the guys are competing to have the best body to get the best spots, which often leads to steroid abuse.
The schedule means they are also travelling a lot, even on their days off they will be flying.
When I was in WCW, most of the flights home were booked at around 6.30 in the morning.
You'd get back to the hotel from the arena after the show around midnight and need to get up around 3am to take the rental car back and check in for the flight.
So most of the guys would only have around two to three hours sleep and would want to sleep on the plane.
A lot of them would use Soma - a short-acting muscle relaxant - to sleep and then down energy drinks to wake back up again.
There is also a big problem with wrestlers taking anti-depressants, with the symptoms brought on by their other abuse.
The WWE and other wrestling federations won't admit that they're doing anything wrong, but they need to change and they need to change now.
The first thing I would do is introduce a system where the guys work for three weeks then have a solid week off to spend with their families.
And also give them holidays, like regular workers get, so they have something to look forward to.
The WWE badly needs to look at its Wellness Program too - the testosterone level it allows for is far too high and it lets guys take drugs if they have prescriptions.
I have seen how easy it is to get a prescription from a doctor for any amount of any drug, just like Chris Benoit did - who was injecting huge quantities of the steroid testosterone.
I personally knew of two or three medics when I was in the States who the wrestlers went to.
They're called 'mark doctors' and the wrestlers will look after them, take them backstage and sign autographs for their kids. And in return get the drugs they need.
I also know first hand how these addictions start.
When I was in WCW I got an injury and could hardly walk, so I had to take painkillers, and I was so tired that I would also take something to help me sleep.
I never got to the levels of addiction of someone like Brian Pillman, but I can see how many do.
And because the drugs are so addictive, you get a tolerance to them and need to start using more. If you try and stop, you go through a withdrawal and that can make you lose it as well.
I lived with Chris Adams - who along with brother Neil was also a famous judo star - for five years in the late 1970s and 1980s and we have a daughter together.
Even after we split up, and he married two more times to Toni and Karen, we stayed very good friends.
Chris was a really funny, sweet guy.
But he took a lot of pills - he told me he was getting testosterone, GHB, the anti-depressant Celexa and the anti-anxiety drug Xanax - and drank a lot too. Most of the guys did.
So there were times where he went off the rails.
He was a total Jekyll and Hyde character. He could be so nice, but then just snap and get really intense - often over something so trivial.
You would be laughing and joking about something and then he'd just lose it. I saw him snap at his mum and Karen's little boy.
He never beat me. He did hit Toni though, and pretty badly.
In 1986, Chris spent three months in prison after head-butting an airline pilot.
In April 2000, he and his then-girlfriend Linda Kaphengst suffered a GHB and alcohol overdose. She died and he was charged with manslaughter.
But before his trial, Chris was shot and killed by his friend Brent Parnell in a brawl.
I was back in England when he died, but when it went to court Brent was found not guilty as it was self defence. It didn't surprise me.
Steve Austin was also a sweet, lovely, polite guy.
We met when we were working together and I wasn't attracted to him for a long time.
He started sending me cards and letters and the main reason we got together is that I thought he was really nice.
We met in about 1989/90 and his problems didn't start until around 1997.
Steve never took steroids in front of me, so I don't know if he was using them at that time when he was in the WWE, but I do know that they were in our cupboard.
Like Chris, he had two personalities and would go off the rails at the most minor thing.
For example, once we were in a lift at a hotel and a guy got in and pushed the wrong button.
Steve just went off on him, yelling: "What the f*** are you doing, you stupid motherf***er."
He also had a lot of panic attacks and would sometimes go very quiet.
He never hit me, but the two partners he had after me both reported him to the police for domestic abuse.
A short while after Steve and I split up I moved back to Southend and am a full-time mum.
I don't miss the wrestling business at all. I am so much happier now!