Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
This is the 274th installment of the ‘Wrestling with Sin‘ series. A group of stories that delves into the darker, underbelly of pro wrestling. Many of the stories involve such subjects as sex, drugs, greed and in some cases even murder! As with every single story in the Sin series, I do not condone or condemn the alleged participants. We simply retell their stories by researching interviews, newspapers, magazines and various other sources of media.
Bedside Manners
In 1985, Mike Von Erich was admitted to a hospital in the Dallas, Texas area. He had suffered an apparent shoulder injury. While at the hospital, Mike allegedly became irate and physically assaulted his doctor. The doctor would suffer a broken jaw and two teeth knocked out.
The doctor would press charges and the case went to trial in 1987. Von Erich faced a $1,000 fine and a year in prison. Mike’s father Fritz and the Von Erich’s lawyer both contended that it was the doctor who was the aggressor and struck Mike on his injured shoulder which prompted Mike to retaliate. No word if there was a verdict in this case. Sadly, just a couple of months later…Mike Von Erich committed suicide. He was just 23 years old.
The Allure of Being a Fan
At a Ring of Honor show in Portland, Oregon in June of 2019…a fan claimed he was cheering the babyfaces and heckling the heels like a typical wrestling fan. When The Allure faction of Angelina Love, Mandy Leon and Velvet Sky came out for a match…the fan claimed he heckled them, just like any other heel. According to him, Velvet Sky became offended by his remarks and the two had a verbal confrontation at ringside. That is when the fan said that Mandy Leon put her hand in the fan’s face and then spit on him.
A little later on, the fan claimed ROH security escorted him backstage and was confronted by Bully Ray (the boyfriend of Velvet Sky). The fan stated that Bully Ray used intimidation tactics on him by getting in his face and scolding him. Bully Ray then told the man to “go be a fan” and was escorted back to his seat. The Allure all claimed that the male fan was verbally sexually harassing them and that they saw “evil intent” in his eyes. Bully Ray admitted to taking him backstage, but was professional and cordial the whole time.
Some witnesses claimed that the fan said nothing out of line that should have warranted such an action by either Allure or Bully Ray. Ring of Honor management launched an investigation into the matter and issued this statement:
“We have now concluded our internal investigation into the events that occurred in Portland on June 2nd and have taken appropriate actions with all parties involved. Our Code of Honor, which calls for sportsmanship, respect and honor in- and outside of the ring is a core value of this company and one we will continue to strive to uphold. To all of our loyal and dedicated fans, we apologize for the incident that transpired and we encourage all of our fans to continue attending our events. Furthermore, we promise to continue delivering the best wrestling and the best live experience on the planet. In adherence to Ring of Honor policy, we will not comment further on these matters.”
Dyna-mighty
Dynamite Mahoney was a professional wrestler who mainly competed in the southern territories back in the 1930’s to mid 1950’s. He was both a former Florida and Georgia heavyweight champion. During the early portion of Mahoney’s career, he was considered a true rising star perhaps destined to one day be a world champion. Just one year into his career in 1932, Mahoney wrestled a 2 out of 3 falls match against Bearcat Jones in Pensacola, Florida.
After the match, Mahoney was stabbed in the chest near his heart by an overzealous fan. Mahoney was rushed to a nearby hospital and was in critical condition. The “fan” was an ex convict and was arrested at the scene. Thankfully, Mahoney survived after being stabbed. Not only that, but Mahoney would return to wrestling just a few weeks later.