By James Caldwell, PWTorch.com assistant editor

Former WWE diva Dawn Marie is trying to make a difference in pro wrestling through her "Wrestlers Rescue" organization that tries to provide reasonable income and/or medical coverage to former pro wrestlers who are unable to supply income after finishing their wrestling careers.

Dawn was released by WWE in July 2005 while pregnant with child, then took legal action against WWE for wrongful termination. Both sides reached a financial settlement, but Dawn says she wants to help the wrestling business after her time in the national spotlight was up.

"When your time is out, the next person comes in and you fade out. Nobody knows what happened to you," Dawn said in an interview with Alex Marvez for his syndicated column. "Then you realize the damage you did to your body that doesn't show up until years later. That's not even including the damage done to families when you're away performing 275 nights a year on the road ... I saw this all happening and it bothered me."

Talk of unions in pro wrestling has been around for several decades, but nothing tangible has been created out of the talks. Dawn says wrestlers talk about it, but only in small circles and not to the point of doing anything.

"People just don't do it out of fear. Where else are you going to go? It's not like you work at a bank and if you're miserable can go down the street and work at another bank," Dawn said.

Her belief is shared by many observers of the wrestling business that unionization is unlikely when the top percent of wrestlers in WWE are making plenty of money and living comfortably.

"The guys at the top - those in the three to five percent who make millions - could make a difference if they stood up, but they're not going to," Dawn said. "They're in a cushy place and are most likely not going to need assistance down the road because they have money."

Dawn says she went through mental stress post-wrestling and has given birth to a second child since July 2005, but now she is in a position to give back to wrestling through "Wrestlers Rescue" despite being off WWE TV.

"I could either sit there and complain about the business or try to make a difference," she said. "I chose to try to change it."

Links: Dawn Marie interview with Alex Marvez and Wrestlers Rescue website.

Caldwell's Analysis: The late Jim Wilson's book "Chokehold" is a great resource for studying the history of wrestlers trying to organize in opposition to the larger "monopolies" in pro wrestling history. There simply hasn't been a break-through in that department, and it's interesting to see how wrestlers who are at the top of the ladder change have historically changed their perspective on how to make a difference in the wrestling business from when they're either on the way up the ladder just starting out or on the way down the ladder when they're out of the spotlight and not pulling in millions of dollars.

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