Former pro wrestler dies at 44.

[Swede]

Wrestling has lost another former superstar, as Jorge Gonzalez has passed away at the age of 44. Gonzalez, who spent a short time in both WCW and the WWF, was one of the tallest men to ever compete in the squared circle.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2010/09/24/15473896.html

[Dawson Leery]

1. All of these former WWE/WWF workers

dying is but a mere coincidence. That is what Linda "Steroids" McMahon says and she is absolutely trustworthy! :sarcasm:

[merqz]

2. Why steroids? Have you read the studies?

I have. The medical evidence for their dangerousness is very slim. Apart from the hepatoxic orals, that is. Ironic to many that the injectables are far safer than the orals, but I digress. I'd be far more concerned about the massive quantities of stimulants and diuretics vs. the anabolic androgenic steroids. Many of these guys also take/took MASSIVE quantities of pain killers and anti-inflammatories to get them through the brutal regime.

[flvegan]

3. Not only that, but he spent the last 15 years in a wheelchair as a diabetic.

But don't let that stop anyone from screaming "STEROIDS!!!"

[merqz]

4. yup. During testimony before the Senate

prior to passage of the Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990 (that was spearheaded by the Ben Jonson 'scandal' iow omg an olympic sprinter was caught using AAS. I'm shocked) BOTH the DEA and the AMA actually presented testimony AGAINST their being scheduled as controlled substances (they were prescription but not scheduled). The reason it passed was to protect "the children", of course. Most people's knowledge of them comes from after school specials, hysterical media reports, etc. not scientifically validated peer reviewed studies or even interviews with people who used them.

[w8liftinglady]

5. not that I'm an expert on the subject...ahem

but I have known many men...and women who have used anabolic steroids,diuretics,growth hormone...in search of the dream...those and the drastic diets required do cause a great deal of complications.i was fortunate as a powerlifter,because we juiced strictly for strength,but many of the bodybuilders I trained with(and,yes...one was "Mr. Universe") suffered severe medical complications.steroids were a lot easier to get 15 years ago,and abused to a much greater extreme than they are today...so I am guessing the damage was done when he started out....and yes,liver and kidney failure are the unfortunate side effects of years of steroid abuse.

[flvegan]

7. Google imagesearch El Gigante.

Steroids are incredibly easy to get today, maybe even more so. And during his tenure, he could have been juiced on "legal" andro, etc. I don't think that was the case though.

But yes, severe abuse of anabolics can be quite detrimental to one's health.

[w8liftinglady]

8. yeah,he looks like he had acromegaly...

the juice,however,is a lot harder to get-it comes from overseas,unless you are a "pro".it used to be fairly easy to find a doc to prescribe for 'sexual dysfunction"....or find a vet that would dispense fairly freely-not so much anymore(due to increased testing more than anything).

[TlalocW]

6. The guy was 7 foot 7 inches tall

When you get that tall, you have unique health problems.

TlalocW