Whether the public takes it seriously or not, wrestling is a hard sport to commit to. It involves putting one’s body under incredible strain with worrying regularity, which doesn’t even cover the risk of serious injury that comes with the dazzling stunts involved.
It’s obvious that there’s a large amount of physical stress involved.
But it also shouldn’t be ignored that the life of a wrestler can come with serious mental strain. According to Bleacher Report , wrestlers are frequently asked to wrestle under serious injuries, they don’t get vacations, and they need to stay alert and physically prepared at all times.
It’s a demanding career, both physically and mentally.
And although we may never know what haunted the mind of one former wrestler, it is clear that this toll can have tragic consequences.
On Thursday, 39-year-old Ashley Massaro was found unconscious at her home in Suffolk County, New York.
As TMZ reported , she was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital and her death was considered “non-criminal.”
From 2005 to 2008, Massaro wrestled for the WWE.
This kick — known as the baseball slide — was the first move she performed in that major ring and the start to her road to building a fanbase she affectionately referred to as “punx.”
However, wrestling is just one of the pursuits she’s had over the years.
Massaro also acted in Smallville , made the covers of Playboy and Maxim , and hosted for MTV, E!, and Fuse.
In recent years, she also hosted a show on 9.43 The Shark.
However, we now have a likely reason for why her life suddenly came to an end on Thursday.
As TMZ reported , Massaro was found hanging and since her death was ruled as “non-criminal,” it seems likely that she died by suicide.
Massaro had been involved in a class action lawsuit against the WWE.
Massaro and fifty-nine other wrestlers accused the WWE of failing to protect their employees from repeated head trauma and concussions that could eventually lead to long-term brain damage.
In a signed affidavit, Massaro outlined the injuries she sustained.
As reported in The Blast , Massaro wrote, ” Aside from my on-going physical injuries that were sustained in the ring, and my former battle with addiction, to this day I suffer from depression, for which I take medication; migraine headaches; and severe short-term memory loss.”
In 2018, the lawsuit was dismissed in court.
In a statement made to The Blast , WWE claimed Massaro apologized for her involvement in the lawsuit, although she did not retract her statements made in the affidavit.
In a statement, Massaro’s lawyers outlined one of her wishes.
As CNN reports, Massaro’s lawyer Konstantine Kyros said, “It was her desire to donate her brain to be studied.” Several wrestlers who Kyros has represented have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy post-mortem.
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CM Punk, who shared a similar punk aesthetic with Massaro during their time at WWE, called into the WMGM station in New Jersey to comment on her passing.
He said, “Tremendously sad way to go. Thoughts obviously go out to her family, especially her daughter. It’s May. It’s Mental Health Month …”
“If you’re depressed and things aren’t going your way, there’s no reason to feel alone.”
“Just reach out to somebody. Text a friend. Call somebody. There’s hotlines. There’s ways you can get help.”
The U.S. Suicide Prevention Hotline can be reached at: 1-800-273-8255.
h/t: TMZ
