Dave Meltzer Accuses Talent Of Cheating Wellness Policy

[Jack-Hammer]

Maybe it's a slow day, or week or whatever as it pertains to news in pro wrestling as the king of the dirtsheet writers, Dave Meltzer, is starting up with the Wellness Policy again.

Last March, while on t radio, Meltzer was asked about whether he thinks the lack of failed drug tests in WWE indicates that the company is substance free and Meltzer responded: "You shouldn't believe the roster has been clean for two years...I wouldn't even believe two weeks."

Meltzer is claiming that some WWE talents are getting past the Wellness Policy using HGH, which is prohibited for non-medical use, by taking high doses of Human Growth Hormone with small doses of Testosterone. Essentially, Meltzer is alleging that some wrestlers are stacking, which means they're taking two supplements simultaneously to increase effectiveness.

He further wrote: "For those who are using PEDs to beat WWE testing, the standard stack is to use low doses of testosterone and higher dosages of HGH, because HGH, as far as enhancing a physique and gaining strength, works far better in synergy with a steroid to enhance its effects, and low doses of testosterone can keep one below the 6:1 T:E ratio. Then asking around, I was told exactly how they beat the system (HGH with low dosages of Test, usually taken on Wednesday, that's out of the system within a few days to beat the tests)."

This whole thing started back in February when Meltzer alleged that sources told him this after he attended a WWE house show in Oakland, California and later wrote that he was "struck at how obviously enhanced more guys were than I had noticed on TV."

As one might expect, Meltzer obviously didn't name names or sources as to this information. The only thing that I've read that gives some credence to what Meltzer is saying that HGH can't be detected in urine tests, only through blood screening. One reason why most businesses use urine over blood is because of the price. Depending upon where you live, a comprehensive drug test using blood can run in excess of $500 whereas tests using urine can run between $20-$50.

I'm not saying that Meltzer is wrong, I've no way of knowing whether he is or not, but I do refute the "I know that guy's on steroids because...just look at him" method. Contrary to popular belief, you can't automatically tell whether or not someone is using performance enhancing drugs by looking at them. There are signs that someone MIGHT be using them, such as the shape of someone's muscles. In many cases, though not all, natural muscle development usually results in the muscles having a sloped, angled type of appearance. A good example of guys who "look" natural are Cesaro and Randy Orton. Muscles that are generally more rounded and less angled, such as Ryback, are a sign of the possible use of PED. However, looks aren't exactly reliable a person's muscular structure can be influenced by their skeletal frame. People who're physically shorter, have longer or shorter limbs, have more of a barrel chest, broader shoulders, etc. can often influence muscle proportion resulting in people looking heavier or lighter then they really are. Adrian Neville, for instance, is about 5'10" and is billed about 195 pounds. Neville obviously lifts weights and has a thickly muscled sort of build. As a result, just by looking at him and guessing, because of his skeletal frame, one could easily assume he's a good 25 or 30 pounds heavier. In contrast, if Randy Orton was 195 or 200 pound mark, with his long & slender frame, he'd look like a string bean. You'd probably think the poor guy had cancer or something.

 

[closet_fan]

It doesn't surprise me. Nor would it surprise me to see certain superstars getting tipped off and protected by higher ups when tests go around. They suspend a name every once and awhile just to say "Hey see, this is working."

I remember when they wanted to test Scott Steiner. He said I'll take the test if HHH takes the test with me, which he obviously never did.

I still think Vince, Steph and HHH are all on some form of growth hormone.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

I wouldn't rule it out that a lot of these guys are using performance enhancers, I am not passing judgment, if I were in such a competitive vocation like professional wrestling, I might do the same thing. WWE though has had a rather controversial history with this subject, I'm not going to paint them as being completely honest on ANYTHING, like closet_fan said, every once in a while they bring out a whipping boy to make sure they have their public relations box checked in their corporate agenda.

Again, not passing judgment or playing a moralist here, but I'm not going to sit here in denial about the possibility that some of their roster is using, I can't say for sure that some are, but I'm also not going to be naive to think that there's a chance they're not...especially considering that there's a precedent already.

 

[Mudlup50]

I'm not really thinking he's right personally. He looks at some guys and says bam, steroid users. It's like when they had the steroid scandal in baseball, anyone who suddenly hit 20 homeruns was a steroid user. Not saying those people weren't using them, because I'd be a fool to think otherwise, but it's stupid to think like 80% were using. The only guys I'm sure used steroids in baseball, are the guys who either admitted it or got caught

I think that's how we have to look at it. If they aren't suspended, I'd like to think they're not using. But if they are, then it doesn't effect me, keeps them muscle bound, keeps them on screen for longer and really makes no difference to me. Which might sound cruel...I'm not advising PED's but I mean, people will always find a new drug to help. It's like Chris Davis from the Orioles got suspended for using ADHD medicine(I'm foggy on the details) but it's like, that's a PED. Odds are, someone in WWE is using some drug to that effect.

I just think he's being a dick for the sake of attention. And really, so what? So long as the wrestlers aren't dying, I don't see the problem. When you use them, you know the risks going in.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Let's cut the crap and get to brass tacks.. These are not athletes in the sense of a competitive sport. No one on the WWE roster is going to the Olympics or in a legit sporting contest... They are ACTORS bulking up for a role.

Put it in perspective, Hollywood doesn't have a "Wellness Programme", it has actors with a few million on a contract who do whatever is needed to get the required physique... Chris Pratt case in point... he got in shape for Zero Dark Thirty, put it back on, got it back in 6 months... if he didn't use SOMETHING I would call bullshit... but it doesn't matter for a movie...which ironically is marketed to kids just as much if not more than WWE. Likewise, in the same film "Dave" was blatantly "bigger" than when he returned to WWE? Giving any secrets away? Why did he bomb? Cos he was "scrawny" compared to what we were used to just to comply with a fake test that Marvel don't have to or care about giving? Yep... that'd be about right... it's why he grew the damn beard and wore blue... he had to deflect from the "what happened to the rest of you" jibes.

Look at it from a WWE star's point of view... if they don't "juice" they aren't as JR said in Beyond the Mat "in the hunt"... if they do they get fired and go back to the indies... so the worst case scenario is they get called a juicer and work the indies... So then it becomes about degrees... WWE KNOWS their guys need this stuff to function as required, but can't ever be seen to require it... so they put up what in effect is the bare minimum of screening, give windows and basically if you get caught in that, you deserve "not to be here" as you "don't know how to do business"... at the basic level tear a muscle and you can get a script, then it's all good, a month or few off work AND you get to bulk up for your return coughs "Darren"

The Wellness Policy stopped being about roids 30 seconds after Benoit... it became about everything else, and that is sound business. Concussions mean more time away than a drug bust these days... WWE is focusing on the right stuff, they or Nowinski rather proved roids didn't kill Nancy and Daniel... so all they have to fight now is the misconception, not the "demon drugs". But concussions, that is a Demon they have to fight... so the focus goes onto actual wellbeing now rather than what the guys use... as it should be.

Someone mentioned Neville, sure he looks roided but clearly he has worked his ass off, if he got the last 5% chemically, who cares? He's no Scott Steiner, he's not got biceps on his biceps, he's just a short ass with more muscle than a Limey is meant to have... even if he was 100% kosher people would accuse... so if he did the odd bit to top up I'd say fair play rather than tut tut...and so will WWE until you fuck up.

As for Meltzer, this is a receipt pure and simple...to "another slight" against him...

Is it coincidence that barely a week after Arda Ocal, someone who did what he does, better, actually finally gets hired by them he posts this? Hmmm someone is acting out cos he is STILL waiting for the invitation...

 

[MartialHorror]

It wouldn't surprise me, but I don't like this kind of speculation. If you're going to say something like that, you better have harder evidence.

 

[The Butcher]

If WWE Superstars have been taking performance enhancers, they should ask for their money back.

I don't really care if wrestlers are using steroids, testosterone, or HGH. They know the risks and will have to deal with the consequences. I'm sure some are using and beating the system. This is just one of those conversations that keeps coming up, likely always will, and just because Meltzer started it this time doesn't mean a whole lot, especially if he's just using the eyeball test.

 

[blueskyy]

He sure sounds like he knows what he is talking about...

But for the rest of us, it merely guesswork. For those of you who have at one point of your life got a Dean Ambrose physique, or Seith Rolins physique, you would know that it's really NOT that difficult. You don't need steroids, you don't need HGH, etc, etc... All you need is a fixed, regular routine, with some real exercises (not pretending to be exercising, or going to the gym but not really working out). I'm guessing that John Cena and Adrian Neville are really crazy when it comes to training with weights.

 

[Navi]

Jesus Christ, ruddy Dave Meltzer the only man who I know that could piss off the Good Humour man or make Mother Theresa swear.

God this guy pisses me off no end. Isn't this the same moron who keep seeing CM Punk at airports in cities where PPV's were happening. I don't believe a word that comes out of his mouth, and a lot of what he says is just plain crap.

I have no respect for anyone who writes about anything and seemingly has no idea what the hell he's writing about. If you are going to start casting blame on a subject like this, then you'd better be able to back it up with names.

It's been a known fact for a long time that some wrestler's not all have used performing enhancing drugs. They've admitted to it and been suspended because of it. And in some cases they've been fired from their jobs. These guys are also adults and quite honestly if they aren't going to put in the hard work to get the bodies they need to have, and have to use these kinds of drugs, then they get what they deserve.

I also have no doubt that the WWE protects those that they want, and will throw other's to the wolves. But please Meltzer you got a story then write it with names and let the chips fall were they may.

 

[BuriedByCena]

Another thing that needs to be mentioned is a lot of the guys are getting legal prescription drugs that are also PED's/Roids or whatever it may be. They use this as a work around. It is well documented now that WWE will let you take these things as long as you have a legal prescription for them.

We all know how shady some doctors are so it's not hard for these guys to get legal prescriptions for certain wonder drugs. This includes the painkillers a lot of them get too, but that's another story.

It is quite obvious a guy like John Cena has been protected the past 10 years. He is obviously tipped off in advance for tests and rarely has to take them in the first place.

There is no way a normal human being can keep that same ripped body for 10 years straight and is almost 40 years old. He works 300+ days a year, plus the other commitments like make a wish, autographs, going to the gym, travelling. Plus all the damage and abuse his body must endure everyday. That would drive anyone insane.

Further proof is the couple times Cena has got injured(his elbow, neck, muscle tears etc). Somehow Cena is able to come back at 100% in HALF the time it takes a normal human being. It is unbelievable. They say Cena could be out a year, he's back in 6 months and has not missed a step.

You cannot be serious and tell me he has not been doing SOMETHING all these years.

 

[Mustang Sally]

As one might expect, Meltzer obviously didn't name names or sources as to this information.

In a "legitimate" sport like football or baseball, this Meltzer jerk would probably get sued for a lot of the garbage he comes out with, but in a "fake" sporting event like pro wrestling in which magazines are published in which "facts" and quotes are attributed to wrestlers who probably never even heard of the publication, it's doubtful Meltzer is ever going to be called out for his blunt statements.....or made to prove them.

That said, are the top stars of pro wrestling held to less stringent standards of the wellness policy than mid-carders? Well, fairly or not, I would think the answer is yes; that WWE can less afford to lose a John Cena than a Zack Ryder to a wellness violation.

Right or wrong, this isn't so unusual when you consider society as a whole. Take Barry Bonds (please!). He juiced for many years....so much so that his freakin' head size increased (and we thought it was just his ego that had grown). Still, when the hammer dropped and he was charged with a bunch of violations, he wound up being convicted of one small one....and even that is likely to be vacated on appeal. Would a middle-of-the-lineup player have treated as leniently as Bonds? I doubt it.

Same with other celebrated people, such as Hollywood celebrities. Paris Hilton was put in jail for a couple DUIs, but released when she cried to the jailer that she didn't like it there. If, God forbid, you're ever put in jail, try telling the jailer the same thing and see how far it gets you.

This is the way things work. Yes, Randy Orton is a top star, yet was charged twice with wellness violations. The only thing I can think about that is he pushed the company way too far....far enough that his misdeeds could be ignored no longer. The notion that he hasn't been charged since is either because he's matured and stopped doing wrong.....or because a third violation would force the company to fire him; something they certainly don't want to do. So, if he abuses substances.....they look the other way.

But this topic is more about Dave Meltzer than what I've been ranting about. To that, I maintain that unless he has true inside knowledge of the accusations he's tossing around, he should be careful of what he's saying.....and if he does have evidence, he should let his readers know what it is, rather than inferring we should simply trust the source and take him at his word.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

It really wouldn't surprise me if he is right but considering whose mouth this came from it just sounds like a sour grapes type thing. Meltzer seems to be a lot more anti-wrestling these days and never misses an opportunity to bash it when he can. But I have serious doubts about a person who hides behind anonymous sources.

HGH became the PED of choice once the steroid witch hunt started. It is very hard to test for it because the blood tests are not 100% accurate. A LOT of people take them including people who are not athletes.


I just find it funny that it didn't take long for someone in this thread to bash Cena.

 

[LegendKiller_RKO]

How is this even news? No shit they find ways to cheat the system. So do athletes in every major sport, the olympics, bodybuilding, etc. Put rules in place and we will break them. It's nothing new.

 

[Pedigree1]

For one thing this is Dave Meltzer he has been known to lie often.. I take what he says with a grain of salt,but in this instance it would not surprise me that some stars have figured out a way around the testing policy.. The NFL just recently passed their HGH testing,and the only way you can find out if someone is using HGH or not,is by Blood.

Its impossible to piss test someone for HGH,but the Blood test might be 10 times more expensive than the original pee in a cup. But most definitely i wont sit here in denial pretending that people are not using... Some of the guys on the roster you can tell by looking at them,that some of them are not natural or never were natural..

But these stars do know the consequences of what they put in their body,and the health hazards that could happen with them.. Sometimes you dont need help to build up,sometimes roids or whatever help you heal way faster than normal.. Take Cena and his torn triceps where he was supposed to miss six months or so.. Then what,magically he was back in 45 days or so! Not implying anything but just saying.. I wouldnt be surprised and neither should anyone else

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

The Wellness Policy is window-dressing. It's there for PR purposes because of all the negative publicity they have gotten with ex-wrestlers dying. The whole thing is fraudulent.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

So let me get this straight...a guy who can obtain no concrete facts to back up what he writes or quote actual sources is reporting about a flawed process of testing PEDs that have not been proven to cause damage...they simply create a supposedly unfair advantage in real sports, of which this is not a real sport?

 

[Creepy Old Man]

I respect Cena's contributions, but he's clearly on HGH, and a past (possibly current) steroid user. 300 dates a year, while looking like the Incredible Hulk and returning from serious injuries in an eye blink?

Sorry, but nah. Any time he's asked about steroids he visibly tenses, his eyes drift to the right, and he goes on some meandering rant about how he's just big boned and has been tested all his life. On Off the Record in 2005 he sounded almost like a steroid apologist, saying that "by the rulebook, it's wrong".

 

[whoopin' ass]

Have to agree that there is something going on with that policy as there are a ton of guys like HHH who have never been busted who you know are on something. But not surprised, they keep changing it as necessary. Orton had 2 strikes until they wanted to give him a push then suddenly you can get a strike removed if you keep you nose clean for a year(I think). I think the policy is good in general but I think there is something going on behind the scenes to protect certain people.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

I don't think Meltzer is all that credible on the topic.

For starters, do you guys know how hard it is to get legit HGH? I'd say 99% of the HGH on the black market is totally fake. HGH is generally made by genetically engineering special strains of e.coli bacteria. What that means is it's a lot harder to make it than steroids. Steroids themselves are relatively easy to acquire, you can even get raw powders from China and prepare them in oil for injection yourself. HGH you almost always need to get from a legit pharmaceutical source. So the prices are astronomical (which for somebody like Cena isn't much, but to a guy lower on the roster or an NXT guy, that can cost a fortune).

Also, to get any sort of noticable results from HGH, you literally have to run it for at least a year. The benefit to them is any "gains" you make are actual NEW muscle tissue. Steroids don't actually create new muscle tissue, they just make the tissue you have larger (hypertrophy).

Now running a high level of HGH to a low level of testosterone is asinine as the gains wont match the money invested in them. It's a ******ed protocol

What most likely happens is this: They go to one of those anti-aging clinics where they get bloodwork done. Now there is no specific level of what is considered low IGF or low test. So the doctors can interpret the results however they want. Usually the point of these clinics is to treat "symptoms." So what they can do is write an RX for whatever reasonable dosage of testosterone and HGH they want and the athlete can get these both filled at a regular pharmacy.

So since they have a regular constant dosage of testosterone therapy from the doctor set, now they're going to do something we call "blasting and cruising." What that means is they will blast testosterone for usually 8-16 weeks and then go back to their TRT dose.

During the blast periods, if they use an estered testosterone, they'll most likely get caught as the ester will cause a higher than normal spike in their levels for an extended period of time (the ester time-releases the hormone as the liver has to metabolize the ester and that takes time). Also the ester will show up on the test too. So they run a test-suspension (that has no ester and thus requires multiple pins daily).

If it comes down to them having to take a drug test, they can delay 6 hours and piss totally clean. They'll show up positive for their TRT testosterone, but the "wellness" policy allows TRT. Now here's the kicker, if they test for the synthetic testosterone by checking the isotope of the carbon, they'll test positive, but since they're on TRT, that should be expected anyways.

Anyways, that's generally how they can beat the wellness policy. Most likely, they're using testosterone almost entirely as HGH costs a fortune and is difficult to obtain real stuff while test is relatively cheap and easy to get a hold of. By now, all of the talent should know better than to run dianabol, anavar, winnie or any of those 19-nor steroids. As those stay in your system longer than testosterone.

 

[The Mattitude Era]

Why do so many people think in order to get jacked you need steroids? Not saying that no wrestlers are on roids, because obviously there's always going to be somebody, but the people on here who "know for a fact" that Cena or Orton are juicing are fucking ridiculous. Some people, like most professional wrestlers, pretty much literally work out for a living. You're gonna get pretty big if you keep up a routine like that for so long. Like I said, I'm not saying there's not a single guy in the back not on steroids, because I can't possibly know, but it's not impossible to look like Cena or Batista or Orton or Colin Delaney without being on something.

But what do I know? For all I know the entire roster is on the juice.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Have to agree that there is something going on with that policy as there are a ton of guys like HHH who have never been busted who you know are on something. But not surprised, they keep changing it as necessary. Orton had 2 strikes until they wanted to give him a push then suddenly you can get a strike removed if you keep you nose clean for a year(I think). I think the policy is good in general but I think there is something going on behind the scenes to protect certain people.

That was for RVD's benefit rather than Orton's, his wellness issues were a stumbling block to him being rehired. The new policy isn't that you lose a strike after a year but that previous tenure strikes will expire after a year... so in theory someone can three strike, be "fired" and come back after the mandatory year without being on "two strikes", which could hinder them being re-employed.

They had to tweak it based on the law changes regarding weed... it's why RVD's deal is structured as it is, he commits to being "clean" during his 3-4 month tenure, then goes off, smokes till his heart is content and then stops in time to come back and be "clean" again. They had to amend it as they can't now, in those states where it's legal stop someone from doing it in their home etc if they live there... only make it difficult if they are touring such areas for them to indulge. Otherwise they'd have to have zero tolerance for alcohol, tobacco or indeed any other stimulant, which is not what the wellness policy is for. Indeed they trot out the "personal responsibility line" far more now than ever before. Policing their guys is stupid when in reality they are actors and their peers in Hollywood don't have those issues... So now Wellness focuses more on illicit drug use, concussions and legit health issues such as heart complaints... remember how MVP got one found due to the policy? Likewise if someone was fired for drugs but accepted the WWE rehab and DID clean up, coming back with 2 strikes and suspicion would be against most discrimination laws. The change they made takes care of that...

As for Orton, they stopped caring after a while... they didn't downgrade his strikes, but they realised the screwed up deal they gave him... 7 years is a LOOONG time for someone like Orton with a bad track record of a suspension every 2 or 3... he has roughly 4 left... the payoff to fire him now even if he 3-striked or if he chose to fight it probably isn't worth it to them... they stopped him on the synthetic dope, so like RVD if he does the odd joint they probably willl turn a blind eye. If he gets in REAL trouble again though, they will cut lose in a second... he's not THAT valuable and the speed guys like Wyatt and Ambrose are getting over inspite of their best efforts... Orton will be surplus to requirements in the next 18 months... if his attitude drops or he majorly screws up, they'll send him to NXT to put over the new generation before they fire him... they did it to Henry and Big Show and they were on a mil a year each to be in developmental as a result...

 

[Honkey_Kong]

Why do so many people think in order to get jacked you need steroids? Not saying that no wrestlers are on roids, because obviously there's always going to be somebody, but the people on here who "know for a fact" that Cena or Orton are juicing are fucking ridiculous. Some people, like most professional wrestlers, pretty much literally work out for a living. You're gonna get pretty big if you keep up a routine like that for so long. Like I said, I'm not saying there's not a single guy in the back not on steroids, because I can't possibly know, but it's not impossible to look like Cena or Batista or Orton or Colin Delaney without being on something.

But what do I know? For all I know the entire roster is on the juice.

Well we know Orton uses steroids for fact since he's been caught twice.

You know what happens once you reach your natural potential? You stop getting bigger. Granted that's assuming your diet, training and rest are spot on perfect. Most people do not reach their natural potential because we're not perfect. That being said these guys that we accuse of using steroids are bigger and leaner than what is reasonable for one's natural potential. In addition to that, their schedules make a clean and perfect diet and getting enough rest an impossibility (believe it or not, but muscles grow outside of the gym).

 

[sMark]

This very well may be true, but i'am so sick of this lying attention puppet Dave Meltzer, i would like to see WWE sue the hell out of him if this statement is false.

 

[New Hot Fed]

Steph looks like someone on steroid to me. Ever since she's had her last child, when she returned she became bloated like a big balloon like she's She-Hulk. It's one thing to train, it's another to look like that. It's as if she's about to burst from her dresses.

 

[Judah's Lion]

Let's cut the crap and get to brass tacks.. These are not athletes in the sense of a competitive sport. No one on the WWE roster is going to the Olympics or in a legit sporting contest... They are ACTORS bulking up for a role.

Put it in perspective, Hollywood doesn't have a "Wellness Programme", it has actors with a few million on a contract who do whatever is needed to get the required physique... Chris Pratt case in point... he got in shape for Zero Dark Thirty, put it back on, got it back in 6 months... if he didn't use SOMETHING I would call bullsh*t... but it doesn't matter for a movie...which ironically is marketed to kids just as much if not more than WWE. Likewise, in the same film "Dave" was blatantly "bigger" than when he returned to WWE? Giving any secrets away? Why did he bomb? Cos he was "scrawny" compared to what we were used to just to comply with a fake test that Marvel don't have to or care about giving? Yep... that'd be about right... it's why he grew the d*mn beard and wore blue... he had to deflect from the "what happened to the rest of you" jibes.

Look at it from a WWE star's point of view... if they don't "juice" they aren't as JR said in Beyond the Mat "in the hunt"... if they do they get fired and go back to the indies... so the worst case scenario is they get called a juicer and work the indies... So then it becomes about degrees... WWE KNOWS their guys need this stuff to function as required, but can't ever be seen to require it... so they put up what in effect is the bare minimum of screening, give windows and basically if you get caught in that, you deserve "not to be here" as you "don't know how to do business"... at the basic level tear a muscle and you can get a script, then it's all good, a month or few off work AND you get to bulk up for your return coughs "Darren"

The Wellness Policy stopped being about roids 30 seconds after Benoit... it became about everything else, and that is sound business. Concussions mean more time away than a drug bust these days... WWE is focusing on the right stuff, they or Nowinski rather proved roids didn't kill Nancy and Daniel... so all they have to fight now is the misconception, not the "demon drugs". But concussions, that is a Demon they have to fight... so the focus goes onto actual wellbeing now rather than what the guys use... as it should be.

Someone mentioned Neville, sure he looks roided but clearly he has worked his ass off, if he got the last 5% chemically, who cares? He's no Scott Steiner, he's not got biceps on his biceps, he's just a short *ss with more muscle than a Limey is meant to have... even if he was 100% kosher people would accuse... so if he did the odd bit to top up I'd say fair play rather than tut tut...and so will WWE until you f*ck up.

As for Meltzer, this is a receipt pure and simple...to "another slight" against him...

Is it coincidence that barely a week after Arda Ocal, someone who did what he does, better, actually finally gets hired by them he posts this? Hmmm someone is acting out cos he is STILL waiting for the invitation...

pretty much agree with EVERYTHING that THTRob already said.

I mean, I consider these guys to be athletes in a way by the fact that they have no offseason. so yeah, in THAT regard, they are athletes that actually have a higher demand on their bodies than really any other athlete in any other sport. but otherwise, they're actors playing a role on tv and they HAVE to look the part. if they don't look the part, they don't get it.

so why is it okay for actors to do whatever it takes to look the part of a role but not okay for WWE Superstars? look at the flip side of it too. there is a long list of major actors that won roles and eventually even an Oscar, in part because they lost a ton of weight to look the part they were playing. Tom Hanks in Philadelphia, Christian Bale in Fighter, Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables, and many others. they lose all this weight by eating nothing but oatmeal paste, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes and they're applauded for their commitment and sacrifice to the role. and yet if it was for any other reason than for a major Hollywood role, people would pitch a fit and call "eating disorder" and blacklist them.

I have just always hated the double standard that the rest of the world gets away with when compared to the WWE or the wrestling business as a whole. I know it sounds petty, but I just think it's unfair.

good post and lots of good responses.