Black Widow
04-09-2008, 10:01 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/09/08
A Locust Grove man, whose daughter was storing her belongings in a bedrooom crawlspace, came across another potentially troubling link between drugs and the world of professional wrestling.
The Rev. Judson Powell alerted authorities after his oldest daughter recently discovered a box of steroid paraphernalia that appears to have ties to an active World Wrestling Entertainment performer, one of four wrestlers who lived in the house previously.
Citing the ongoing investigation, Henry County police captain Jason Bolton declined to corroborate names. He confirmed there was a professional wrestler involved. Bolton added, however, the department was working with WWE officials to get to the bottom of the matter.
Powell said Tuesday that one of the boxes found contained "20 to 25" syringes and eight vials of a substances labeled as human growth hormone and testosterone.
The other contained personal items, such as two signed contracts between Mike Hettinga —wrestler Mike Knox's real name— and the WWE. The box also included a WWE dress code memorandum, a medical prescription and other bills and airline tickets in Hettinga's name, Powell said.
Efforts to reach Hettinga were unsuccesful. He did not respond to four calls to his cell phone Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Powell, who moved into the home with his wife and six of their seven children last August, said the discovery of the materials came as a complete surprise.
"I was very shocked," the 45-year-old United Urban Ministries preacher said. "I was obviously very concerned for [my daughters'] well-being because they could have gotten into that stuff. That could have been a nightmare. How could you be so dumb as to leave that stuff around?"
The WWE declined to confirm whether Knox, who specifically performs for Extreme Championship Wrestling, an arm of the WWE, was the performer in question. The Connecticut-based organization acknowledged in a statement from spokesperson Jennifer McIntosh that four professional wrestlers lived in the house at one time, but only one is currently an active performer under a WWE contract.
That performer in question has denied to both Henry County police and WWE officials that any of the items discovered at the house belonged to him, the WWE statement added.
The incident is the latest drug-related incident to befall the WWE. Chris Benoit's brutal murder of his wife and 7-year-old son and his subsequent suicide at the family's Fayetteville home last summer garnered national and international headlines. It also served to bring added scrutiny to the wrestling's underside that includes copious amounts of pain killer abuse.
More than 100 wrestlers under the age of 50 have died from various causes, including drug and steroid abuse, in the past 10 years, according to a list compiled by the London Sun and other publications.
Last month former World Championship Wrestling performer Chase Tatum, 34, was found dead in his Buckhead home, of an apparent drug overdose. Toxicology reports are pending from the Fulton County medical examiner's office.
Powell had ironically been following all of the prior events with great interest, never envisioning what might happen next or his role in it.
"You kinda figure all that stuff is going on," he said. "You just never think it's going to end up at your door."
ajc.com
Published on: 04/09/08
A Locust Grove man, whose daughter was storing her belongings in a bedrooom crawlspace, came across another potentially troubling link between drugs and the world of professional wrestling.
The Rev. Judson Powell alerted authorities after his oldest daughter recently discovered a box of steroid paraphernalia that appears to have ties to an active World Wrestling Entertainment performer, one of four wrestlers who lived in the house previously.
Citing the ongoing investigation, Henry County police captain Jason Bolton declined to corroborate names. He confirmed there was a professional wrestler involved. Bolton added, however, the department was working with WWE officials to get to the bottom of the matter.
Powell said Tuesday that one of the boxes found contained "20 to 25" syringes and eight vials of a substances labeled as human growth hormone and testosterone.
The other contained personal items, such as two signed contracts between Mike Hettinga —wrestler Mike Knox's real name— and the WWE. The box also included a WWE dress code memorandum, a medical prescription and other bills and airline tickets in Hettinga's name, Powell said.
Efforts to reach Hettinga were unsuccesful. He did not respond to four calls to his cell phone Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Powell, who moved into the home with his wife and six of their seven children last August, said the discovery of the materials came as a complete surprise.
"I was very shocked," the 45-year-old United Urban Ministries preacher said. "I was obviously very concerned for [my daughters'] well-being because they could have gotten into that stuff. That could have been a nightmare. How could you be so dumb as to leave that stuff around?"
The WWE declined to confirm whether Knox, who specifically performs for Extreme Championship Wrestling, an arm of the WWE, was the performer in question. The Connecticut-based organization acknowledged in a statement from spokesperson Jennifer McIntosh that four professional wrestlers lived in the house at one time, but only one is currently an active performer under a WWE contract.
That performer in question has denied to both Henry County police and WWE officials that any of the items discovered at the house belonged to him, the WWE statement added.
The incident is the latest drug-related incident to befall the WWE. Chris Benoit's brutal murder of his wife and 7-year-old son and his subsequent suicide at the family's Fayetteville home last summer garnered national and international headlines. It also served to bring added scrutiny to the wrestling's underside that includes copious amounts of pain killer abuse.
More than 100 wrestlers under the age of 50 have died from various causes, including drug and steroid abuse, in the past 10 years, according to a list compiled by the London Sun and other publications.
Last month former World Championship Wrestling performer Chase Tatum, 34, was found dead in his Buckhead home, of an apparent drug overdose. Toxicology reports are pending from the Fulton County medical examiner's office.
Powell had ironically been following all of the prior events with great interest, never envisioning what might happen next or his role in it.
"You kinda figure all that stuff is going on," he said. "You just never think it's going to end up at your door."
ajc.com