Jesse Sorensen broke a vertebrae while wrestling on a TNA pay-per-view in February, 2012. Sorensen attempted to come back, but could not. He was instead given a job as a TNA production assistant. A few days ago, he was released.
A friend of Sorensen’s claimed on-line that TNA owner/operator Dixie Carter had backed out of a promise to employ Sorensen for life.
Carter is a dope. She makes a lot of bad decisions.
Terminating Sorensen wasn’t one of them.
Sorensen, thank God, isn’t paralyzed. He’s functional. He lives a normal life. He just can’t wrestle.
Sorensen should just get another job. He wasn’t going to make a fortune in wrestling. Had he not been hurt, Sorensen wasn’t going to morph into Tiger Mask. He’s not a star. Had TNA indeed employed Sorensen for life, his injury would have been the biggest career break (pun intended) possible.
People, especially his colleagues, need to stop whining on his behalf.
If wrestlers really care about injured compatriots, start a union. Get health plans in place. Insurance. That’s how the boys can take care of each other.
But that’s not going to happen.
If wrestlers really care about Sorensen, chip in. If every full-time professional wrestler in this country each contributed a grand, it wouldn’t sustain Sorensen forever. But it would give him a tidy little sum to restart his life.
But that’s not going to happen.
Wrestlers love to bitch about the inequities of the business. But wrestlers rarely help each other. Give DDMe credit for that, anyway. Can you imagine Hulk Hogan sliding a couple thousand bucks Sorensen’s way? I can’t.
Sorensen’s story isn’t tragic. Darren Drozdov’s story is tragic. What happened to Owen Hart was tragic. What happened to Sorensen is just a speed bump.
Don’t cry for Sorensen. Lots of people are a lot worse off. Lots of ex-wrestlers are a lot worse off.
Sorensen isn’t Carter’s responsibility. Wrestling doesn’t owe Sorensen a living.
Feel free to #AskDixie, though. That idea sure went to hell at the speed of light. Carter is the Wile E. Coyote of promoters. She keeps falling off cliffs.
Hey, Dixie…have you ever had sex with any employees? #AskDixie
Follow Mark Madden on Twitter: @MarkMaddenX
