WWE: Is the Brand of Wrestling Too Dangerous for Its Own Roster?

There is a disclaimer on every WWE video that tells the fans the sacrifices the wrestlers and the support staff make in putting together shows across the country.

Broken bones, ruptured discs, neck injuries and long periods of recovery time. The end of the disclaimer is clear in its approach of “Don’t try this at home.”

Maybe the wrestlers on the WWE roster should heed the same warning and not try these moves in a wrestling ring.

While the “No Way Out” PPV is still five days away, the creative team and management of the WWE are left with some decisions to make about its superstars and injuries that could keep them off the card and change the dynamic of the title scene, most notably with the World Title match between Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio and the tag team division with R-Truth and Kofi Kingston.

But because of the alarming rate of injuries that have taken place (real injuries, not kayfabe or “programs”) in the last year and a half, is the WWE asking too much of its wrestlers and are the stunts and moves used in matches at too high a risk these days?

Are WWE performers putting their bodies on the line too much and in effect, paying the price with injuries that put them out of action for extended periods of time?

Right now, Alberto Del Rio re-injured himself, which puts a huge question mark on the World Title and his match with Sheamus Sunday night. Del Rio had already been out of action and had just returned to the ring from a severe groin injury.

It has been confirmed that R-Truth has a broken foot, which puts his position in the tag team title picture with Kofi Kingston in doubt as well. Kingston had already had to drop the straps when he held the titles with Evan Bourne violated the company’s wellness policy and then subsequently injured his foot.

Randy Orton, before his second offense of the wellness policy, had been out of action due to an injury. Wade Barrett, who was on the fast track to a possible World Title push, suffered an injury right after the Royal Rumble.

Sin Cara just returned from a knee injury he suffered at Survivor Series. And Christian just returned to action and claimed the Intercontinental Title.

And the list continues if you count Ted DiBiase Jr. and other mid-level wrestlers.

Today’s wrestling or “entertainment” as Vince McMahon so wants to be the focus, is asking its performers to move at a faster speed, use more dangerous moves and put themselves further out there for injury.

It’s not like injuries in the past where you could be hurt from a hold that would have been just as devastating in the 1980s or 1990s.

Wrestlers know what they are getting into. They sign up for this, and the advent of the hardcore wrestling we have seen in years past has given way to this “extreme” need to be bigger, stronger, faster and now riskier than before.

Ratings and fan appreciation are paramount, so wrestlers are pushed harder. But is this the best thing for the business.

The more risks have meant more injuries and that means a lack of top-level talent of younger stars. And the flip side would be that because of this, younger stars may be pushed faster than they should be and therefore fail at the top level or the WWE goes back to relying on veterans, which means the younger stars do not get he push they need to be successful.

It seems no one can win in this situation.

But if the WWE is going to continue to have injuries that affect the way we watch the programming and the matches that are set for PPV events, then maybe the risks the wrestlers take should be limited in a small capacity.

The WWE doesn’t have enough talent right now with injuries and suspensions to truly field top-level talent in top-level programs.

And in the end, all that does is hurt the brands we are watching.