It killed not only these wrestlers, but also probably others who did not gain media attention. Now about the issue of Creatine causing water retention. Since Creatine is now well proven to increase muscle mass, and since muscle contains lots of water, more muscle means that anyone taking Creatine will have more water in their body. It is as simple as that. Wrestlers need to take ample water and avoid dehydration, whether or not they take Creatine.
Creatine does cause rapid increase in muscle mass for many people.
Some think the Creatine does this is by getting into the muscle and drawing water into the muscle fairly rapidly. This in turn encourages the muscle to build up more muscle protein and size. Others think that the extra energy that Creatine provides allows people to exercise more and thus build bigger muscles. The bottom line is that all the studies show you will get stronger if you take Creatine. If you decide to take Creatine there are several issues that you need to consider.