Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
This is the 403rd 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.
I Have Some Reservations About You Driving.
Jim Brunzell recalled a story where he, Rene Goulet and Wahoo McDaniel were staying on an Indian reservation in South Dakota. Wahoo was being honored by a tribe and partied all night long. Brunzell claimed that McDaniel was drinking heavily and took other drugs in the course of the evening. The wrestlers couldn’t stay over at the reservation because they had to make a show up in Canada the next day.
Brunzell said that Wahoo insisted on driving as the rental car was in his name. The other two wrestlers reluctantly agreed and they were on their way. The roads were covered in snow and ice and despite that, Brunzell said that McDaniel was driving over 80 miles per hour. Suddenly, Brunzell who was sitting in the passenger seat, noticed Wahoo slumped over the wheel passed out. Their vehicle was still going at a high rate of speed and was beginning to slide.
Brunzell claims he had to push McDaniel over, push on the brake and steer the car into an embankment. Luckily, due to Brunzell’s quick actions, all survived the incident and Wahoo McDaniel never remembered anything about that night.
Charity Calamity
In December of 2001, a benefit show was organized in Revere, Massachusetts for wrestler Butch Miller who was dealing with some medical issues. Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart emailed the organizers stating that he wished to attend the event and would be happy to donate a ring worn Hart Foundation leather jacket to be auctioned off with the proceeds to go to Miller’s medical bills.
After talking back and forth and eventually agreeing to pay Neidhart to fly down from Calgary, the Anvil was a “no show.” It was later revealed that Neidhart allegedly was going to use the charity event as an excuse to fly down and spend Christmas with a mistress who lived in the area. When the woman broke her plans with Neidhart, he in turn decided not to attend the event for Butch Miller. This, despite the organizers paying for his flight and advertising him for the event.
The promoters decided to post Neidhart’s private phone number on their website and urged fans to call and issue their complaints to Neidhart about him no showing. Jim Neidhart then issued a statement apologizing for the issues and stated that he personally donated $500 to Butch Miller. Miller and his longtime tag team partner Luke Williams denied ever receiving any money from Neidhart.
Ricardo’s Road To Recovery
Ricardo Rodriguez was a former wrestler/ring announcer/ and Spanish color commentator for WWE. After he was released in 2014, Rodriguez said he developed insomnia. His lack of sleep, led him to fall into a deep depression and he started drinking. Before he knew it, he became an alcoholic. He gained a significant amount of weight and shuttered himself from friends and family.
Realizing that his drinking was getting out of control, Rodriguez entered rehab. In 2020, he happily announced on social media that he was celebrating one year sober. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, he admitted that he fell off the wagon in 2022 and has reentered rehab. We wish him the very best in his battle with alcoholism.
Destination Prison…Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Oh no!
In 2012, Dori Prange aka ‘Ruby Soho’ in AEW, was arrested twice in two different states in a matter of weeks. Both arrests stemmed from her driving with a suspended license. According to Prange, she was first stopped, arrested and booked in Chicago, Illinois and had to go to court to pay several fines. A few weeks later, she was pulled over again…this time in Lebanon, Indiana. She said that her vehicle fit the description of a drunk driver that caused property damage in the area. Even though it wasn’t her or her car that was involved in that incident….police arrested her for a suspended license and placed her in jail.
She was eventually released on bond. At the time of her arrests, Prange was wrestling for Ohio Valley Wrestling and was attempting to get a job with TNA wrestling.