FanHouse BrianAdams

Just yesterday we presented the news that Congress was planning a hearing to investigate the prevalence of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in professional wrestling. Now, SI.com is reporting that 14 wrestlers have been tied to a steroids/HGH pipeline. Their list of wrestlers implicated in the scandal includes Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero, Shane Helms, Randy Orton, John Hennigan, Ken Anderson, Shoichi Funaki, Brian Adams, Charles Haas, Edward Fatu, Darren Matthews, Adam Copeland, and Sylvain Grenier.

As a response, the WWE recently suspended 10 wrestlers for violating the company's drug policy. MJD quite humorously pointed out the euphemism employed by the WWE to describe the suspensions as violations of the company's "wellness policy." Right, and I'm a professional sportswriter. It's good to see the WWE taking some action towards suppressing the use of illegal drugs in the sport, which has ultimately proved to be quite dangerous. It makes you wonder though, will the product suffer as a result?
Sorry, No Photos

Two days after the death of pro wrestler Brian Adams, who was best known as "Crush" in the WWF tag team Demolition, the Hillsborough County medical examiner's office has ordered further tests.

An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday, but a cause of death has not been determined. The medical examiner's office will conduct tests that can take several weeks to complete, and a full autopsy report is expected in six to eight weeks.

The question everyone will want answered is whether Adams had anabolic steroids in his system, or whether the autopsy reveals evidence that past steroid use contributed to his death. Adams was reportedly arrested for carrying steroids in 1994, although he was acquitted of those charges.

Glen Britton promoted last weekend's Can-Am Strongman competition in Canada, but he said afterward that he would stop promoting strongman events.The reason? He doesn't think they're safe:

"We've had two athletes die this year, within four months of each other....That's one of the things that bothers me a lot," said Britton. "That's one of the reasons why I'm done, I'm not going to promote anymore."

It's surprising that at a time when pro wrestling is under a great deal of scrutiny about what role steroids might have played in the deaths of Chris Benoit, Brian Adams and other performers, Britton is just about the only person to express any concerns publicly about strongman competitions.

Jesse Marunde, who took second place at the 2005 World's Strongest Man, collapsed and died last month at the age of 27. Marunde had previously pleaded guilty to criminal possession of anabolic steroids, and it's hard to imagine that steroids didn't contribute to his death. But World's Strongest Man and IMG, the company that owns and operates it, won't say whether they're testing competitors for steroids or doing anything to make their event safer.

Professional wrestler Brian Adams, known as Crush of Demolition, was found dead today in Tampa, Florida. No cause of death has been given, but TMZ has the incident report filed by the Tampa Police Department. The full, one-paragraph report reads as follows:

Brian Adams was found by his wife unconscious in bed not breathing. She called 911 and Fire Rescue responded. Fire Rescue could not revive him and he was declared dead at the scene. The Medical Examiner's Office responded and transported the body to their office to be examined. The cause of death is unknown at this time. There were no visible signs of injuries.

The report lists Adams as 44 years of age, but other sources have put his age at 43. No matter the cause of death, whether it's fair or not, the professional wrestling industry will almost certainly be blamed for the sudden death of another relatively young retired wrestler.
Sorry, No Photos

The professional wrestler Brian Adams, best known as Crush in the tag team Demolition, has died at the age of 43, the WWE reported on its web site.

For those who aren't familiar with his work, here's a clip of Crush in action with Demolition:

The WWE says "details are unknown" about how Adams died.

This comes at the worst possible time for WWE head Vince McMahon and the pro wrestling industry, which is under increased scrutiny as a result of the Chris Benoit murder-suicide. There will no doubt be questions about whether steroids played any role in Adams' death. According to Adams' IMDB page, he was arrested on drug and weapons offenses in 1994 for carrying steroids and a stun gun. He was later acquitted of the drug charges.Sorry, No Photos

UPDATE: 'No Visible Signs of Injuries' in Death of Wrestler Brian Adams, Crush of Demolition