The Disappearance of Ludvig Borga

Watching old episodes of Raw on the WWE Network continues to open my eyes to tons of different things. Wrestling in 2015 is so different than it was 20 years ago, and not just in the obvious ways how storylines and actual wrestling have changed in those years. One thing that continually sticks out for me is how guys just sort of disappear. It usually is a guy going from the WWE to WCW, but there are other guys who are just never seen or heard from again.

Ludvig Borga belongs in that latter category, and he is a fascinating case in that he continually got pushed up the ladder and basically beat everyone in his path. He even ended Tatanka's undefeated streak, which was especially tough for me as a devoted Tatanka fan in my youth. He seemed to be well on his way to being a main eventer as he geared up for a feud with Lex Luger. Luger ended up pinning him at the end of a Survivor Series match, but outside of that, I can't think of any time where someone actually pinned or submitted him.

And then he basically just disappeared. A nearly unbeatable monster who was actually pretty solid on the microphone for a foreigner. Instead of just grunting, he was at least able to convey anger and how easily he could crush Americans. To boil him down, he was basically a better on the mic, but not quite as good in the ring version of Rusev. And really, worse in-ring skills are the norm for this era of wrestling, as the technical skills of guys is leaps and bounds better today than it was 20 years ago. Despite all of this, after he left WWE in early 1995, he never again worked for another major wrestling promotion.

Despite having brief careers in mixed martial arts, boxing, and even in Finnish Parliament, he struggled with both alcohol and mental illness and committed suicide in 2010 at the age of 47. The saddest thing about this is that it doesn't count as any sort of surprise to me. Growing up following pro wrestling, early deaths are the norm, and it's more shocking that some former wrestlers have made it as long as they have.

Borga's abrupt ending in pro wrestling mirrored his own and many other pro wrestlers' lives, so we can still appreciate their talent while the thought of "What if..." hangs in the back of our minds.

Jose Canseco And The Power Of Twitter

Jose Canseco loves Twitter. Although he will take extended breaks here and there. He always comes back to it, because those two were made for each other. Twitter uses Jose for cheap entertainment, and usually it's a one-way game where Jose continues to give and give, but things changed recently. Jose used Twitter and went from being unemployed to being paid to play baseball in one of the best party cities in North America. How did this all happen? Let's go through things.

Never give up your dream .I love baseball and I dream about playing again in the majors .just (cont) tl.gd/frsq8r
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) February 11, 2012

Jose shared his dream of playing baseball again, hoping the Twitter world would notice and he could get back in the game that he loves. But instead of just hoping it would happen, he decided to spice things up to make sure that people would notice.

I fight for the truth and the right to play baseball
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) February 11, 2012

This is another amazing tweet from an amazing man. Jose Canseco fights for two things in this world. The first is the truth, which seems pretty reasonable. The second is the right to play baseball, something that I do not remember was a great struggle for revolutionaries throughout history. I don't think anyone is stopping Jose from playing baseball, but it would be quite a scene to see him at an old sandlot diamond and people chasing him off, as they said they didn't want his kind around here. He would assume it was for steroids, but in that small town, they probably just hate people who were on The Surreal Life and/or Celebrity Apprentice.

Life is not worth living if you can't try difficult things
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) February 11, 2012

Baseball is difficult at any age that's y its the greatest
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) February 11, 2012

Jose takes it to the extreme, by saying life isn't worth living if you can't try difficult things, followed by saying that baseball is difficult. Ipso facto, if you do not let Jose play baseball, you are basically committing murder.

Do you haters need a hug think possitive and you will never hate again and good things will happen (cont) tl.gd/frtcag
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) February 11, 2012

This isn't an interesting tweet, because Jose has about a thousand that talk about haters, but it became interesting when he followed it with this tweet.

This is my baby chapstick . lockerz.com/s/182802536
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) February 11, 2012

I was so terrified to find out what his "baby chapstick" meant. It's not just me, baby chapstick could mean his dick, right? I mean, it's extremely self-deprecating, because chapstick is small enough, so baby chapstick is just sad. I reluctantly found out what it meant, and was very pleased that it was just his dog. And if you're asking what this has to do with getting him back in baseball. Hell, I don't know, but sure enough, the next day he drops this bomb.

Back in baseball I knew I would play this year you just gotta believe in your dreams .
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) February 12, 2012

And that's all it took. Just insinuate that you'll kill yourself if you don't get something, give your dog a name that could also describe your penis, post a picture, and boom, you're playing baseball again. Not only that, Jose is going to be playing for a team based in Cancun. Outside of trying to cheat on his girlfriend with college coeds on spring break, what will Jose be doing?

Never been to mexico before except border towns where i had some issues .can't wait to see mayans and there ruins they were badass
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) February 12, 2012

Um, who wants to be the bad guy? Anybody? Well, I guess I'll do it. As far as I know, there really aren't Mayans anymore, so I hope you aren't counting on hanging out with them on your journey. Little known fact about the Mayans, they aren't around anymore because the Spaniards took away their right to play baseball. Huge ritualistic suicide after they all wrote in their diaries how hard life is. Tough break.

But thanks to Twitter, suicide threats, and small dogs named after small dongs, Jose Canseco is back in baseball. Best of luck, Jose.