Wwe wellness program suspensions

Shortly after the death of Eddie Guerrero in , the company created the Talent Wellness Policy program that exists to this day. Normally, wrestlers get tested four times throughout the year but repeated offenders can get tested up to 12 times a year at random times.

Every WWE wrestler gets three strikes before they need to pack their bags and go home. The first suspension lasts for 30 days and the second one lasts for days, and both times the wrestler loses their paycheck for that period. The third violation acts like the final straw and the wrestler is fired from the company. On paper, it does seem like nobody would be that careless to fail drug tests but many wrestlers don't always take this policy seriously.

Kurt Angle once told a story about Randy Orton and Rob Van Dam and how both used to pay their fines upfront to avoid suspensions. So they used to pay thousands of dollars in advance to bypass the tests and work normally like others. Nowadays, WWE just puts a fine on wrestlers who consume weed but they don't enforce suspensions for it anymore. One time, WWE quietly made changes to their Wellness Policy program that allowed Orton to remove one of his two strikes from his profile if he agrees to stay clean for some time and attend a drug rehab center.

Some smart wrestlers were also able to find loopholes in the Wellness Policy. Many were able to get themselves a prescription note for a drug and they avoid suspensions this way. Rey Mysterio, like others, said he was only given one day to show a note from his doctor in but he was unable to provide the paperwork in time. The Signature Pharmacy scandal two years before this incident shed light on many wrestlers who took prescription drugs.

Since this was his first violation of the program, he was suspended for 30 days. Funaki received somatropin in March , Sports Illustrated reported. Sports Illustrated reported that between June and February , John Morrison was prescribed somatropin, anastrozole, testosterone, stanozolol and human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced naturally during pregnancy hCG is taken by users of anabolic steroids to stimulate the production of testosterone, which is suppressed as a result of steroid use.

According to Sports Illustrated , Mr. Kennedy received shipments of anastrozole, somatropin and testosterone between October and February While Snitsky was not identified as a client of Signature Pharmacy, he was suspended 30 days for his first violation of the program.

According to both PWInsider. Umaga received somatropin between July and December , Sports Illustrated reported. He was suspended 30 days for his first violation of the program. Sports Illustrated reported that William Regal received stanozolol, somatropin, genotropin, and anastrozole between November and November Sports Illustrated also reported that the names of several deceased wrestlers also came up as customers of the dubious online pharmacy, including Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Brian Adams.

Here is a list of the first wrestlers to be publicly suspended by WWE. Six days later, Masters was released from his contract with WWE. Smith served the suspension and returned to action on December 2, at a non-televised live event in Savannah, Georgia. Douglas, who was performing in Florida Championship Wrestling, returned to the ring on February 19, He was released from his contract with WWE the following week.

Linkin was released from his contract with WWE later that month. He was performing for Florida Championship Wrestling at the time of his departure. Since its implementation, the Wellness Program has been refined and expanded to cover the following:. Maroon is a board certified Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh and has been the Team Neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers for more than 25 years.

All WWE talent undergo an extensive cardiovascular stress test before they are offered a contract by WWE, and subsequently tested at least biennially while under contract more frequently as and when circumstances warrant. All WWE talent undergo tests of brain function, including memory, processing speed and reaction time. The Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy prohibits the use of drugs by WWE talent for other than a legitimate medical purpose pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed and treating physician.

For the full policy and a complete list of banned substances, please click here. Timothy A. Robert, Ph.