Steroid Use Past or Present

[mr.davidson]

Just curious on everyones opinions...

We all know Superstar Billy Graham...Hulk Hogan.... Ultimate Warrior and Chis benoit used steriods and became big in the bussniess... also lived to a good age (mius Chris benoit for obvious reasons)... So my questions are.....

Do you think Steroid use made people who they are in the wrestling industry?

Do you think its the major cause for the deaths that have occured before the age of 50?

and last.... Who else do you think were or are steroid users to date in wrestling?

 

[byrnside]

Oh boy, this one should be fun..

Do I think steroid use made people who they are? Absolutely.. It's an unwritten law that Vince loves big guys. Jacked guys to be specific. Thus, indirectly, steroids is a big part of why a lot of wrestlers made it big. If Hulk Hogan weighed 195 pounds he wouldn't be half the superstar he became. As much as I loved Chris Benoit's abilities, [I still say he's the best technician ever.] Chris would've more than likely never made it to the main event without bulking up, much less won a world title. If Ultimate Warrior hadn't been a juicer or a body builder there is no doubt he wouldn't have made it big. He wouldn't have necessarily had the same look ie- Wrestlemania VIII, or the crazy coked-out in-ring presence he had. Which is pretty much most of what took him to the top. Same is true for everyone else.

As far as the deaths of superstars, It'd be interesting to compile a list of all the wrestlers who've died over the last decade or so from just steroids alone. I'm sure there's a lot fewer than most people realize. I'm pretty sure the majority of those that did were due to narcotic drug use and complications from longterm abuse along with the combination of steroids.

I'm pretty sure every wrestler in the late 80s and early-mid 90s that had a chisseled physique used steroids. Hogan, Warrior, Savage, Rude, Luger, Sting, maybe even Steamboat. If I'm not mistaken even Bret Hart admitted it in his book. Although, I could be confusing steroids with pain killers. [Been a while since I've read the book.] I'm probably being naive, but I don't think very many stars today use them. I think the WWE is pretty regulated by the government these days after what happened to Benoit and the fallout from it.

 

[TUFFY54]

Intresting thread, but its really a common sense set of questions.

1. Yes, certain people were made famous because of their look, which was the result of steriods. However, there were many wrestlers that didn't abuse steriods. (I say abuse because, especially in the 80's, the vast majority of guys were on them at some point. Remember, they "big guys" were massive, but there average guys were also much bigger than anyone you would see on the street.)

2. Of course steriods played a part in a lot of wrestler deaths. However, it wasn't always the main cause. Most wrestlers who die young die from heart failure or overdoses. They go hand in hand. Steriods enlarge the heart, painkillers, smoking, speed, and alcohal weaken the heart. Its the years of decadent behavior mixed with steriod abuse that kills them.

3. As to who was on steriods before or now, that would be just about everyone. Guys like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair have all admited to taking steriods at one point in there career. None of these guys would be considered "roided out". Many wreslers have said that in the 80's boom, 90% of all the wrestlers were on steriods. This trend continued well into the ninties. You can't really tell who is on steriods today because "steriods" is a blanket term for numerous diffrent things. Along with the hundereds of what you would call "steriods", there are also numerous substances that affect levels of growth hormon in the body. These are technically not steriods.

Here's the best answer anyone can give you about guys on steriods:
In my hometown there was a gym run by an ex-bodybuilder from the 80's. He was at all the shows from LA to New York. He knew tons of pro wrestlers and bodybuilders and worked out with them at all the Golds Gyms. (He actually went to highschool with King Kong Bundy, and showed me the pictures to prove it!) He told me this- If somebody looks like they are on steriods, 99.9% of the time they are. That should answer you questions on who might be doing them.

 

[warchildrex]

i think the major difference between then and now is a matter of semantics...

ken (kennedy) anderson wasn't suspended for using steroids, he was suspended for getting them without a prescription. same with rey misterio...he claimed he had a valid prescription, but was unable to produce the evidence. that's really all the wellness policy does...it ensures that the athletes are obtaining their enhancement drugs through a licensed, approved physician. this is good, because it will help cut down on long term damage, simply from guys not mixing and matching without guidance...it also helps ensure that the drugs they receive are of a higher quality...no mystery substances bought from a shady musclehead in a gym locker room. but it by no means makes wrestling steroid free.

i suffered a similar neck injury to edge, and part of my rehabilitation was for "steroids," because it reduced the swelling at the injury site, and helped speed the healing process by enhancing the muscle building around my repaired vertebrae...but it didn't turn me into a batista-looking monster. even "the genius" lanny poffo admitted to using steroids, mostly to combat inflammation in his joints, but stopped because he started to experience testicular atrophy...

i, of course, do not know for sure, but would be willing to bet that every guy on the wwe roster uses some form of prescription enhancement drugs...it's just that the wellness policy helps them better keep track of what the guys are using.

also keep in mind that steroids are not, as of yet, illegal for wrestlers to use (unless there has been legislation passed i am unaware of...if so, i stand corrected). since it is not a competitive sport, where the outcomes of matches are determined by physical competition, there really aren't any guidelines to prohibit them from using...just a negative public stigma. even the famous zahorian case wasn't about him distributing steroids, it was about the methods he used to disperse them, and whether vince mcmahon "forced" wrestlers to take them.

 

[returnofplex]

Intresting thread, but its really a common sense set of questions.

1. Yes, certain people were made famous because of their look, which was the result of steriods. However, there were many wrestlers that didn't abuse steriods. (I say abuse because, especially in the 80's, the vast majority of guys were on them at some point. Remember, they "big guys" were massive, but there average guys were also much bigger than anyone you would see on the street.)

2. Of course steriods played a part in a lot of wrestler deaths. However, it wasn't always the main cause. Most wrestlers who die young die from heart failure or overdoses. They go hand in hand. Steriods enlarge the heart, painkillers, smoking, speed, and alcohal weaken the heart. Its the years of decadent behavior mixed with steriod abuse that kills them.

3. As to who was on steriods before or now, that would be just about everyone. Guys like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair have all admited to taking steriods at one point in there career. None of these guys would be considered "roided out". Many wreslers have said that in the 80's boom, 90% of all the wrestlers were on steriods. This trend continued well into the ninties. You can't really tell who is on steriods today because "steriods" is a blanket term for numerous diffrent things. Along with the hundereds of what you would call "steriods", there are also numerous substances that affect levels of growth hormon in the body. These are technically not steriods.

Here's the best answer anyone can give you about guys on steriods:
In my hometown there was a gym run by an ex-bodybuilder from the 80's. He was at all the shows from LA to New York. He knew tons of pro wrestlers and bodybuilders and worked out with them at all the Golds Gyms. (He actually went to highschool with King Kong Bundy, and showed me the pictures to prove it!) He told me this- If somebody looks like they are on steriods, 99.9% of the time they are. That should answer you questions on who might be doing them.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Absolutely NOTHING more needs to be said in this thread Your answer was perfect! Just because a guy isn't Batista's size doesn't mean he's not on the juice. To think that these guys are getting thrown on their backs 4-5 nights a week and can just "heal up" without extra help is a fucking farce! 99.99999% are using something, if not for just the recuperative effects.