Josh Stewart Talks Wrestlers Rescue with Dawn Marie
September 9th, 2008Dawn Marie Goes To The Mat For Wrestlers In Need
By Josh Stewart
Josh Stewart of the Long Island Press intervews Dawn Marie about Wrestlers Rescue.
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As opposed to the chaos that was ECW, the most antisocial behavior Dawn Marie deals with these days is when 2 ½-year-old son Matthew starts throwing rocks.
She likes it that way. In her life as a real estate title closer she’s rarely recognized as a former Extreme star and WWE Diva. She’s good at going incognito, sans makeup and suggestive clothes, a skill that benefited her when autograph seekers would flock to groups of WWE Superstars in airport terminals.
“It’s my alter ego,” Dawn laughs about her provocative in-ring behavior. “My character is everything I always wanted to be.”
But now she’s back in the spotlight, in a much different role. Dawn Marie is bringing attention to her brainchild, Wrestlers Rescue, an organization kicking off with a fund-raiser this Sunday, Sept. 14 in Piscataway, N.J.
In actuality, the movement started one day in Chicago not long ago, when she watched a legend humbled and just couldn’t take it anymore.
The stories of wrestlers retiring physically broken and financially shaky is seemingly as old as the collar-and-elbow tie-up. And while the major pro sports have responded with rookie symposiums, financial counseling and pension plans to guide and support those in a business with a limited lifespan, pro wrestlers pretty much fend for themselves as independent contractors.
“We all complain about it, we all say, oh, man, we don’t have any healthcare, we don’t have any pensions, we watched our heroes and the people we looked up to our whole life wind up broke or injured or dead, and it hurts us, we always complain about it,” she says, adding that only 5 to 10 percent of those in the business earn the kind of top-flight salaries that ensure financial independence. “But there’s a difference between complaining and doing something about it.”
It was former WWF Champion and WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik, who she explains can’t get the knee surgery he needs to walk, that really lit a fire under her.
“The last straw was when I was sitting in Chicago at a convention called the Wizard, and The Iron Sheik was at a table directly in front of me, and this man was falling asleep at the table,” she remembers. “As fans came by, he would lift up and be like, ‘Sheikie Number 1.’ It was like a record, like you’d hit play. ‘Sheikie Number 1,’ doing it out of his sleep. And that broke my heart.
The mission statement of Wrestlers Rescue aims to fill that vacuum of support. A five-year plan starts with raising awareness of the issues and fund-raising for retired wrestlers who have injuries due to a career in wrestling. In time, the organization hopes to establish a financial advisory that active wrestlers can call upon to plan for their future. The long-range goal is getting enough alumni under the group’s umbrella that they can purchase healthcare at discounted rates for active and retired performers and their families.
“I would love nothing more than to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with [TNA President] Dixie Carter on one side and Vince McMahon on the other for this cause,” she explains. She later adds, “Whether that means a lot of help or a little bit of help, everything is welcome. I’m not here to create controversy, I’m not here to create bad press. I’m here to raise awareness for people who need help in the later season of life.”
What: Wrestlers Rescue Convention & Autograph Signing
When: Sun., Sept. 14, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Radisson Hotel, 21 Kingsbridge Rd., Piscataway, N.J.
Cost: $15 advanced, $20 at the door
Appearing: LI’s own Ashley Massaro, Mick Foley and Brimstone, along with Torrie Wilson, James J. Dillon, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Sandman, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, and many, many more!
Contact: 732-980-0400, www.wrestlersrescue.org, wrestlersrescue@aol.com
Click here to read the full interview.
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