Wellness exceptions

[Boo!]

WWE isn't a 'sport' or some other regulated industry so we all know their drug testing programme will only catch those it is allowed to. Over the years there have been obvious exceptions to it for one reason or another, but who are they?

IMO HHH has never undergone a drugs test in his life and I think John Cena (pre-absence) at times looked far too bulky not to be on some kind of enhancement. Given the amount of time these guys spend on the road, travelling and recuperating it's almost inconceivable they're able to train the long hours required to obtain a body such as this:



The only top guy I can remember to have fallen foul is Orton but that wasn't at all steroid related, apparently he was on other recreational drugs. He may have been on the juice at one point, like a lot of guys, but it's strange how the number of big/bulky guys they've had how few of the top ones (usually the biggest in terms of physicality) get caught out.

Which other exceptions from regular testing have there been in your opinion?

[Sparkybob]

Scott Steiner mention that Vince wanted him to take a wellness test and Steiner said the only way he'll take one is if HHH took one with him.

Vince never asked Steiner for a drug test again.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I really hate the 'just look at this guy, he must be on the juice' argument, because bunch of the guys getting wellnessed like Umaga and Funaki had physiques like beanbag chairs when compared to someone like Triple H.

Saying that, I'd not be surprised if their testing policy is corrupt somehow. The stupid thing about it is that WWE and the guys they are letting not get tested are just damaging themselves. I'm sure a guy who's not roided to f*** would last longer, which is better for WWE, and for the talent, and the talent doesn't get the associated health risks.

[BigWill]

Every large bodybuilder in the WWE.

Am I doing it right?

[Push R Truth]

I just believe some guys are off roids and on HGH which I doubt the WWE tests for.


And I'm not 100% sure I really care.

[Chris the Bambikiller]

What gizzarkhenry said. There are completely different body types around, some guys will stay skinny or average-looking despite working out a lot, others don't have to work out a lot to look massive, some gain weight really fast while others can "eat what they want" and won't, and so on. Yep, when I look at Cena in that picture, or Ryback, or Batista when he was champ, I have my suspicions, but let's not call it "obvious".

[Deleted]

If HGH isn't tested on Wellness then I wouldn't be surprised they are on HGH. I'm the guy who never believed in the only Cena or HHH is allowed to take steroids theory but I wouldn't be surprised if Cena takes prescription steroids when he's injured so he can comeback sooner.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Nov 12, 2013 14:00:00 GMT -5 @supersweetbotch said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Cena takes prescription steroids when he's injured so he can comeback sooner.

Which is a completely different thing? My grandmother took steroids when she had a lung infection, pretty sure she's not about to fail wellness.

[Zaq "That Guy" Buzzkill]

Nov 12, 2013 15:01:00 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Nov 12, 2013 14:00:00 GMT -5 @supersweetbotch said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Cena takes prescription steroids when he's injured so he can comeback sooner.

Which is a completely different thing? My grandmother took steroids when she had a lung infection, pretty sure she's not about to fail wellness.

Your grandma is clearly sucking up to management.

[JTG Fan]

I am a straight edge kinda guy who doesn't drink or smoke, let alone take steroids. But my take is that if guys take steroids, whatever. It's not nearly as bad as pill abuse or hardcore drug use. It doesn't give them an unfair advantage in the ring. It's merely cosmetic. Should they do it? No, because I genuinely don't care how many veins I see popping out of a wrestler's arm, but by the same token I don't think they are bad or unethical for doing it.

Basically, I don't care if somebody is on the juice or not and if certain guys get exempt from the testing.

[67 more]

As long as you have a valid prescription you can take what you like (except for soma pills, they've been completely banned by WWE).

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Nov 12, 2013 15:03:25 GMT -5 Zaq "That Guy" Buzzkill said:

Nov 12, 2013 15:01:00 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Which is a completely different thing? My grandmother took steroids when she had a lung infection, pretty sure she's not about to fail wellness.

Your grandma is clearly sucking up to management.

Ric Flair was taking bumps for my grandmother when you were still suckin' on yo' mamma's TITTY.

[Sparkybob]

Nov 12, 2013 15:07:25 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Nov 12, 2013 15:03:25 GMT -5 Zaq "That Guy" Buzzkill said:

Your grandma is clearly sucking up to management.

Ric Flair was taking bumps for my grandmother when you were still suckin' on yo' mamma's TITTY.

Her 24 inch pythons on her arm now make sense

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Nov 12, 2013 15:10:37 GMT -5 Sparkybob said:

Nov 12, 2013 15:07:25 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Ric Flair was taking bumps for my grandmother when you were still suckin' on yo' mamma's TITTY.

Her 24 inch pythons on her arm now make sense

In those days you did what you had to to get ahead!

[rnrk supports BLM]

Nov 12, 2013 12:04:07 GMT -5 BigWill said:

Every large bodybuilder in the WWE.

Am I doing it right?

In a way, there's something morbidly hilarious about the fact that the two big, high-profile wrestler deaths associated with steroid abuse that lead to the creation of the current Wellness policy were two of the original guys labelled "vanilla midgets", wrestlers who smarks whined for years were being held down because they weren't 'roided-up bodybuilders... yet now, years later, the same folk are still blithering the same "the guy with big muscles is obviously on steroids JUST LOOK AT HIM" spiel.

[Herman The Tosser]

Nov 12, 2013 12:17:35 GMT -5 Push R Truth said:

I just believe some guys are off roids and on HGH which I doubt the WWE tests for.


And I'm not 100% sure I really care.

I think the only way to properly test for HGH is a blood test, which WWE won't do.

I'd be prepared to believe Cena if he insists he's clean. I've heard he denies using even backstage, and as a rule, you don't work the boys in the back. Plus, he tends to stay the same size and come back the same size from injuries, suggesting if nothing else, he's not stopping and starting again in these times. You see some guys come back smaller after injuries suggesting something changed in what they did while they were away. For example, HHH's second quad tear in 2007 at New Year's Revolution, returning at Summerslam that year - he lost some mass and came back smaller. He was quite bulky in 2006 anyway so that extra mass can't have helped his quads.

I am not even remotely qualified in this field, and I am not claiming any of this to be 100% true or anything, just my observations & theories.

[BigWill]

Nov 12, 2013 15:06:03 GMT -5 67 more said:

As long as you have a valid prescription you can take what you like (except for soma pills, they've been completely banned by WWE).

It doesn't exactly work out like that. Not only does one need a valid prescription, but the doctor needs to have a valid reason to give out the prescription, and it has to be in the proper doses. For instance, there have been plenty of cases where doctors have lost their licenses or have gone to jail for enabling a person's drug habit. This would apply to steroids as well.

[Deleted]

Nov 12, 2013 19:33:03 GMT -5 Herman The Tosser said:

Nov 12, 2013 12:17:35 GMT -5 Push R Truth said:

I just believe some guys are off roids and on HGH which I doubt the WWE tests for.


And I'm not 100% sure I really care.

I think the only way to properly test for HGH is a blood test, which WWE won't do.

I'd be prepared to believe Cena if he insists he's clean. I've heard he denies using even backstage, and as a rule, you don't work the boys in the back. Plus, he tends to stay the same size and come back the same size from injuries, suggesting if nothing else, he's not stopping and starting again in these times. You see some guys come back smaller after injuries suggesting something changed in what they did while they were away. For example, HHH's second quad tear in 2007 at New Year's Revolution, returning at Summerslam that year - he lost some mass and came back smaller. He was quite bulky in 2006 anyway so that extra mass can't have helped his quads.

I am not even remotely qualified in this field, and I am not claiming any of this to be 100% true or anything, just my observations & theories.

I think HHH is one of the only people (along with vince) who actually DOES use "steroids". The others use enhancements that are legal under the policy.

A guy like Big E, you don't get that from steroids. You get that from taking several thousands of protein calories in spaced out throughout the day, while lifting. Steroids won't actually give you what Big E has.

Ditto Ryback.

I used to suspect Cena. I don't anymore. He almost assuredly DID use steroids during his recent recovery (legal under the policy). I don't believe he uses regularly and I don't think they would actually benefit him if he did vs using other available legal supplements other other than making him look more cut. His build doesn't come from someone that works out every day, where steroids have their maximum benefit through increased muscle recovery. He looks more like he does a great deal of sets on a muscle then takes several days off. In fact I think he would look like Big E if he ate more protein.

Pretty similar to what John Morrison does. Morrison talked heavily about his workout plan (I think anyone would like to look like Morrison) and he worked a muscle big time...but only once a week.

["Trickster Dogg" James Jesse]

Nov 12, 2013 19:25:03 GMT -5 rnrk supports BLM said:

Nov 12, 2013 12:04:07 GMT -5 BigWill said:

Every large bodybuilder in the WWE.

Am I doing it right?

In a way, there's something morbidly hilarious about the fact that the two big, high-profile wrestler deaths associated with steroid abuse that lead to the creation of the current Wellness policy were two of the original guys labelled "vanilla midgets", wrestlers who smarks whined for years were being held down because they weren't 'roided-up bodybuilders... yet now, years later, the same folk are still blithering the same "the guy with big muscles is obviously on steroids JUST LOOK AT HIM" spiel.

Um, I clearly remember a time when Guerrero and Benoit weren't as big or cut as they were when they died while employed by WWE, no? So I have no idea what this post means other than "LOL smarks" because smarks are simply stupidheads, or something.

[Andrew is Good]

A couple of things.

I think it was MLW radio where they mentioned some guys were under celebrity contracts. Guys like Lesnar and Rock for example, and they don't have to be tested like those under talent contracts. If Cena is on steroids (and for me, his recent injury comeback really paints him in a bad light), then it's likely due to being on a celebrity contract). Steroids are an interesting thing.

My brother was saying that a friend of his is on steroids. He takes them, and he also takes a whole bunch of other stuff that helps with the issues that come from steroids, such as liver problems and shrinking your balls. I guess if Cena was under strict doctor's care while on them, it wouldn't be the end of the world. It just wouldn't be too fair to say, a guy like Chris Hero, who I'm pretty sure used steroids to get in great shape in ROH before getting signed to WWE, and in WWE, he went back to his regular body type (before actually getting back into shape appearance wise as close as he could to his ROH days, and then they fired him).

As far as wellness exceptions, one issue I have is Orton came up on this list of people getting stuff illegal a few years ago and they did nothing. Orton should probably be the first guy fired from the policy. Anyway, if Cena gets caught doing anything overly illegal, then the whole wellness policy system will be thrown in disary. I remember he did post about doing the wellness policy test, so it could still be all legit.

Also, people brought up Umaga and Funaki. This stuff isn't just to make you super jacked. For Funaki, it was for anti aging. And for Umaga, I'm not quite sure what it was exactly, but not all steroids are the same thing. I had a steroid puffer for awhile, as well as prednisone for my arthritis, both steroids.

Also, the Steiner story is bullshit because they didn't have drug testing, at least one like the wellness policy, when Steiner was around. It's amazing looking back at pre wellness policy wrestlers. Carlito was disgusting, Carlito of all people. And of course, Eddie Guerrero who sadly died likely due to his steroid use, compounded on top of his other problems previously. I used to think Eddie just got bigger overtime, but you really can tell the difference between now and then.