It was just yesterday when the news broke out of mixed martial arts competitor Justin Levens killing himself and his wife. Though Levens wasn’t a wrestler, his suspension for a positive drug test and his violent end brought to mind way too many wrestlers who met a violent end out of the ring. Levens, Chris Benoit and too many other names come to mind. Now, in no time flat, Mike “Mad Dog” Bell is added to that list.
Mike “Mad Dog” Bell, a former pro wrestler, was found dead at a rehab facility in Costa Mesa this past Sunday. There is no official cause of death, but many people will undoubtly make up their mind about what killed Mike “Mad Dog” Bell until official word comes out.
Bell was employed as a “jobber” on WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” programs, as it was his job to take falls and promote other fighters. Bell was never officially under contract with the World Wrestling Entertainment organization.
But Mike “Mad Dog” Bell achieved a bigger level of fame when his brother documented his addictions. Earlier this year, Bell’s brother Chris released the documentary Bigger, Stronger, Faster* which documented Mike’s addictions to alcohol and painkillers.
Not only did Bigger, Stronger, Faster* document Mike Bell’s addictions and struggle to recover, it also took on the entire American sporting culture. The Bells documented how the musclemen in wrestling and in movies in the 1980’s inspired them to get into wrestling themselves.
But drugs and steroids became a part of Mike Bell’s life as a result. Bigger, Stronger, Faster* won raves from critics by addressing the sports culture and mentality, which leads to the introduction of steroids. Since the Barry Bonds, BALCO and steroids scandals broke in baseball, these issues had already become big sports talking points in a way that the wrestling steroid scandals had not.
But for all the talk of steroids and illegal drugs in other sports, they don’t lead to death and other mental problems the way that it does for ex-wrestlers. Since Mike “Mad Dog” Bell’s addictions were well known, he will be added to the long list of wrestlers and competitors in the ring that could not live their lives after being claimed by drugs and steroids.
With Justin Levens claiming the life of himself and his wife, and Mike “Mad Dog” Bell losing his battle, the culture they both lived and performed in took their latest huge blows this week.
Bell died at the age of 37.
Sources
National Post- “Pro wrestler ‘Mad Dog’ Bell found dead” http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/12/19/pro-wrestler-mad-dog-bell-found-dead.aspx
