Reported by Adam Martin of WrestleView.com
On Thursday, November 17, 2005 at 2:22 AM EST

With the passing of Eddie Guerrero this past weekend, the lifestyle of WWE wrestlers have no doubt been put under the microscope a little more lately than ever before and has caused many to question how the company can allow a situation like this to operate and be deemed acceptable.

With these questions come some answers that many people may not want to hear. It has been heavily documented in the past that WWE doesn't have doctors on staff with the power to order a wrestler off the road if they are becoming over stressed with the road schedule they are on, thus playing a role with their health in turn. The problem many have with this statement is that the fear within WWE is that those who take time off will in turn be de-pushed and lose the spot they helped build for many months, or even years for some. In Eddie Guerrero's case, some have argued that if expensive, elaborate tests were put into place that could help determine an individuals stress level, then it could help establish a ruling of giving a wrestler a month or two off to rest up and keep themselves healthy, possibly saving a career or even a life in the process.

According to recent reports, there is said to be a top wrestler in WWE today who many consider to be on the "unofficial death watch" whose death, due to his credentials, would make news coverage of Guerrero's death this past week look very minor in comparison. It is said to be no secret to those in WWE about this current top wrestler's situation and if it isn't something that has been made aware to Vince McMahon by now, many are lobbying to the higher-ups that the current system needs to be changed and changed fast. Says one WWE source, "It's one thing to show how much you care about a colleague by crying on the air after he dies. It's another to care enough about someone to do what it takes while he's alive to keep him from dying - even at the expense of box office receipts, storyline interruptions, and being deemed pushy, nosy, or a nark."

Following the passing of Guerrero this week, former WWE star Andrew "Test" Martin issued a statement on his official website speaking of this situation and some of the things he was around while he was with the company. "I can remember hearing a conversation from some unnamed WWE head guys talking about how this certain person needs to go to rehab but they couldn't send him because he was too important to the show," said Martin. "That's the reality people. That is how we are treated. Look at me. I break my neck in the ring and had to have two discs taken out of my neck and a steel plate put in and was told at the time by Johnny Ace when I asked if my job would be in jeopardy, 'We don't fire people with injuries like that.' Hmm, that's funny, because two months after surgery I got fired because I wasn't working."

Either way, the current system within WWE has come to the forefront and it remains to be seen if any changes will take place.

News Derived From: Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter