Would a huge star be punished for failing a drug test?

[NYSandman]

We've seen recently many guys being suspended for violating the wellness policy. Orton, Regal, Hardy, Kennedy.

Now, while Hardy was huge before his 60 day suspension, can we honnestly say Kennedy and Regal are huge stars? As compared to HHH or Taker or Batista or Cena? No, I don't think so.

I'm pondering what would happen if HHH, Taker, Cena or another huge star were found with a no-no substance in their blood/urine? I mean, come on. Do you think Vince would suspend Cena if he were caught with steroids? Or the Undertaker?

I seriously wonder what would happen, if Vince would make a fool out of me and punish a huge star, or if he would cover up the results.

Hopefully, no big star will be caught with anything. That's the last thing I want. But, you must admit it's an interesting developement to ponder.

 

[DeadmanInc.]

I think he would. After all, he did suspend RVD right in the middle of his huge push as ECW & WWE champion. Regal and Kennedy were in for huge pushes as well and Vince dropped the suspension on their heads. They would be future big stars, though not on the level of Taker/HHH/Cena yet. Plus, Vince is supposedly under a lot of heat ever since the Benoit tragedy. If he plays favorites he isn't exactly going to get rid of that heat.

I don't think the veterans like Undertaker and Triple H would do roids with the drug policy in effect. They are essentially the role models for the younger generation of superstars. Triple H's physique is no where near as impressive as it was back in 2001, and Undertaker is noticeably losing weight. As for Cena, he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would use illegal substances.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

While the likes or Randy Orton, or John Morrison, or even William Regal aren't "huge" stars. I think you need to look at what storylines they were involved in, when their issues happened.

John Morrison was holding the E.C.W. Heavyweight Championship, and bringing that brand its highest ratings ever. He was the "most watched" E.C.W. Champion, from what I understand, to this very day. And they had NO intention on giving C.M. Punk the Championship, as a rumor I read a long time ago said Punk didn't grab what they wanted back then.. so his last run was meant to be Summerslam. Then Morrison f'ed up, and Punk took the spotlight.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kennedy was assumed to be revealed as Mr. McMahon's "son" and that would've been his biggest role ever, even compared to what hes doing today. Yet he screwed up and lost his spot. The W.W.E. definately more than likely doesn't like to switch up storylines, but they will if they must.. to prove a point. And Kennedy, along with Hardy and even Regal were all made examples out of.

Speaking of William Regal, his was his biggest storyline in the W.W.E. by far.. he was set to be the General Manager, the King of the Ring, and get a half assed Main Event push. No telling if he will upon returning or not, but one thing is for sure.. they took him out of that spot by Kennedy beating him.. and upon his return, he'll have to live that loss down.

If someone like Batista, Triple H. or the Undertaker were ever busted I strongly and fully believe they'd be written off for their 'x' amount of time they'd have to remain suspended for. And Randy Orton IS a big time name, so regardless hes served two of those suspensions (to my knowledge) and one more will tell us all.. because he, along with another Hardy f'-up and they'll both be fired without the option of a return.. EVER.

 

[Sparky]

i really think Vince would punish them, Vince wouldnt take his chances with what would happen if he was to look the other way. Just becouse they are popular doesnt mean they should get special rules that make them better then everyone else. As Will mentioned Randy orton and Jeff Hardy are classed as Big well named stars. and they have been caught twice. Shawn michaels got cought and punished (even if he didnt do it).
I think if a big well named star was cought using illegal substances they should get punished worse becouse they are rolemodels, for young kids everywhere. and if someone like them does drugs what are the kids going to think? that its ok to do it.?

 

[Saiquan]

Of course not. Let's think for a minute. If someone like Cena or Trips was caught using roids do you honestly think Vince would publicly suspend them, hell no.

1.They make to much money for their company and they need them on TV constantly

2.Do you know how many kids look up to John Cena and Triple H. That would be bad for their bussiness and image.

It was easy for them to suspend Kennedy and Orton because neither of them had that top main event spot. They were not in every title match. Plus when shawn michaels was caught with steroids he was IC champion, not the world champion see what i mean.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Of course not. Let's think for a minute. If someone like Cena or Trips was caught using roids do you honestly think Vince would publicly suspend them, hell no.

OH shell yeah! Wait, oops wrong company.

1.They make to much money for their company and they need them on TV constantly

So Jeff Hardy's unbelievable pop you in the ears so hard they bleed cheers meant he didn't do jack for their company at the time he was suspended for 60 days? Uhm, no. Jeff Hardy was bound for World Championships upon being suspended. He was being built to look solid, why else would it of been him v. Triple H. as the remaining two inside the Chamber?

2.Do you know how many kids look up to John Cena and Triple H. That would be bad for their bussiness and image.

How much worse do you feel it'd be if they hid it, and the media world found out anyways, like they constantly do and would? Yeah, because LYING to the world about your top Superstar being an "exception to the rule" will definately benefit you in the future.

And you're an idiot, plain and simple, if you feel its right to hid this sorta stuff because they're role models to Children. The fact is, that "role model" type nature would be gone in a second, regardless if they got caught from lying, or caught from using. Either way, why the hell are wrestlers classified as role models to begin with?!

It was easy for them to suspend Kennedy and Orton because neither of them had that top main event spot. They were not in every title match. Plus when shawn michaels was caught with steroids he was IC champion, not the world champion see what i mean.

Uhm, Orton had been a former World Heavyweight Champion! How much more "Main Event spot" worthy do you need him to be? Kennedy has defeated 6+ former World Champions, and was on a great streak and leading into one of their biggest storylines ever.

Regarding the H.B.K. issue.. Intercontinental Champion or not, that title meant a hell of a lot more back then than it does today. And correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't he getting Main Event shots at Bret Hart? Midcarder or not, he was a big name even then.

 

[Sparky]

Plus when shawn michaels was caught with steroids he was IC champion, not the world champion see what i mean.

HBK was in the main event every week at the time while the World champion was stuck in a tag team matches how does that not make him a big name.?
two more big names that have been suspended in the past
RVD was big and the WWE champion and the E.C.W champion just before he got suspended.
Booker T king of the ring WHC and one of the only WCW stars to make it big in the WWE
so no When or IF another big star gets caught using drugs The WWE will punish them as they have already done before

 

[Y 2 Jake]

The thread title answers it all. The answer is no. Can anybody honestly say they don't think Batista is on steroids. I doubt that. If they say that then they're a little naive. Same with HHH. If you don't think he's taking something watch Summer Slam 2007 and One Night Stand 2008. Notice how different his physique is? It's not genetics. Both men are 40, or nearly so. They also have families and full time wrestling schedules. Add to that a travel schedule that takes up a hell of a lot of time. They can't train on a plane. How exactly do they find the time to maintain their bodies?

So would a big star be punished for failing a drug test? Obviously not.

 

[tehblogger]

Obviously people like Batista and Triple H are doped up to the eyeballs with roids - and probably plenty of others, Edge has definitely been linked to drugs in the past - but in bigger terms I fail to understand the need for a Wellness Policy in the first place. It is not WWE's business what their performers do in their private lives: if they want to take meth, fine, provided that doesn't impact their ability to perform in-ring. Same thing with steroids. The whole point of banning drugs in sport is that drugs give some competitors an unfair advantage over others, and that if everyone took drugs the Olympics would simply be a "who's got the best chemist" competition.

But in wrestling, this doesn't really apply. The idea of an "unfair advantage" over other competitors isn't relevant, because they're all performers, not competitors. Wrestling culture has been intertwined with steroids for so long that it's hardly going to change now, anyway (just look at Batista!). An unconvincing Wellness Policy seems pointless. Why?

(also, apparently the WWE permitted steroid level is double that permitted at the Olympics)

 

[Davi323]

Yes, huge stars would be punished, because they have been punished.

How is Randy Orton NOT considered a huge star? He has held the WWE Title twice, Heavyweight title once, the Tag Team titles, and the IC title.

Before he jumped to TNA, Kurt Angle was suspended because of the wellness policy as well. Kurt Angle was a huge star in the WWE. 4 times WWE champ, 2 time Heavyweight (counting when it was still technically the WCW World Heavyweight belt), Angle held the Tag Team title, the IC, WCW US Heavyweight, European, Hardcore titles..If Angle doesn't count as a "huge" star, who would?

When RVD got suspended, he was both the WWE and ECW Champion...

Also, there is Booker T. Even if we completely discount the 21 titles Booker T won as an employee of WCW, and only counted what he did in the WWE, we still have 12 titles held by King Bookah. Major star.

The WWE has made a concerted effort to show it is equal in its distribution of suspensions from wellness policy violations. IF John Cena or Triple H were to violate the policy, they would be punished just like everyone else. The WWE has already shown it can survive without Cena, and Triple H has been missing from the quad injuries before. Even assuming they would be stupid enough to violate the policy, the WWE can survive without them. Based on previous suspensions, it appears like Vince takes the policy seriously, with nobody being above it.

 

[DeadmanInc.]

Vince implemented the policy following Eddie Guerrero's death which a lot of people linked to steroids. That brought a lot of negative publicity towards WWE. There was also that whole investigation by Sports Illustrated that singled out many steroid users. If WWE allowed certain stars to be above the Wellness Policy they would receive a lot of heat from the media.

WWE was fine without Cena for those few months he was injured. WWE was fine when Triple H was out with quad injuries. They can live without Cena/Triple H for 30 days, if they were suspended.

 

[Deus1138]

I'm just wondering how someone like Batista hasn't tested positive yet. There is NO WAY he is only using over the counter stuff that any of us could get at GNC. If he were, there would be a LOT more people as freakishly huge as he is. As someone who has spent a lot of time in the gym over the last 15 years, I can assure you, the human body has limitations on what it can do naturally, and Batista has FAR exceeded those. Don't try to tell me he just has good genetics. Bull! There is no way!

 

[FromTheSouth]

Batista was a body builder who weighed over 350 in steroid bulk. No he weights 285-290, which is just the leftover bulk. I'm not saying he never used steroids, but I think he's clean now.

The WWE would have to suspend everyone who tested positive. Hardy was more over than anyone in the company at the time he got suspended. The WWE had to change the Kennedy angle to Hornswoggle. Do you think if there was ANY choice, that would have been done?

 

[Deus1138]

I didn't know Batista used to be that big. I just don't see how he could maintain that much muscle mass and still be as lean as he is. Look at Triple H, for example. He was obviously juicing back in the day. He's still got a lot of mass, but he's a lot "puffier" now. He's not fat, but he's not boasting 4% body fat.

But back to the question at hand, I don't see why WWE wouldn't suspend anyone. Like someone else pointed out, all of the major headliners have been out for extended periods of time due to injuries or suspensions. It didn't hurt WWE's bottom line. WWE isn't dependent on any one star, like they were with Hogan in the 80's. When Hogan took an extended hiatus in 80's WWE saw their revenues drop dramatically. Similarly, I think WWE would have taken a big hit in the late 90's if they had lost Austin and the Rock. But these days, there isn't any one or two people who define the company. So there's really no harm in suspending anyone.

 

[Saiquan]

WWE was fine without Cena for those few months he was injured. WWE was fine when Triple H was out with quad injuries. They can live without Cena/Triple H for 30 days, if they were suspended.

Yea but when Triple H was gone Cena had the ball game. When Cena was gone Triple H and Orton had the ball game. Its not like they were gone at the same exact time.

 

[Danmen001]

I'm torn on this issue. I could think that there is reason to believe they would, and other reasons to think that they wouldn't be suspended.

Reasons they would:

They want to set an example that they take their drug test policy seriously, they want people to believe that they can live with the mistakes of some superstars.

Jeff Hardy, is the best examle. The guys was the hottest superstar in the WWE at the time of his suspension, but you can't blame the WWE for wanting to make an example of him, which they did. They suspended him, and his shot at the MitB was lost to CM Punk.

They did prove to me with the Jeff suspension that they do care enough about the Wellness Policy to suspend one of their hottest before mania.

Reasons they wouldn't:

Looking at some of the builds of stars like Triple H and Batista, it is hard to believe that they were never taking drugs, or still aren't. At this point, they could possible still be taking drugs, although they don't look like it neccessarily.

They need to keep some of their top superstars, regardless of what they are doing that they are not ment to. Sometimes, you can't help but not do something if you're that desperate.

My opinion:

Although I would like to belive they always go hard on those that do wrong, I don't totally belive they do. Although I do think they are fairly good at keeping the stars down.

 

[Shanks18]

The Wellness Policy is there strictly for the purpose of the media, to appear like it's taking care of their employees who take these great risks and perform 300+ days of the year. Agreed, they probaly don't care what their employees do in their spare time as long as it doesn't effect their in-ring work and more importantly the brand image, simialrly the E don't want their stars dying, cos again steroids induced death does a great deal of damage to their corparate image; so its a thin line. Kennedy came at a time when steroids was on every ones lips after the death of Benoit, so he became a spape goat.

People like Hardy, RVD and Regal who have a past of drug abuse which have been made public have to be suspended and made an example of for the reasons above. They don't want them dead and the company looks like hypocritcal bullshitters who dont care, if the press gets a sniff of possible drug use.

I honestly think that stars like Triple H, Cena and Batisda are safe from the effects of the Wellness Poilcy and most probaly plan their cycles around testing and what not, becasue they bring in too much money in buys and merch. I think Vince is fully aware of their use of these drugs and keeps them monitored. I also find it hard to beleive that Vince has never been on a cycle of growth hormones or steroids himself.

Orton is on the cursp on that untouchable circle, the main event foundations, which would also include HBK and Undertaker (although, naively doubt that Taker is much of a user these days). I think his attitude is more reason to employ a 60-day suspention when caught, rather than the drugs themselves. If any of these big draws were to be caught I beleive that it would be covered up with an injury or angle of some kind, which is why there have gone to great lengths to state that Takers leave is unrelated to the Wellness Policy. However Cena's injury last year seems a bit suspect, considering his unbleivably speedy recovery.

Kennedy, Hardy and Regal while arguably considered mainevent are ultimatley expednable talent, as long as they have their mainevent talents to mould new stars around.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

FUCK no they wouldnt. That "wellness policy" is about as real as the storylines we see on weekly TV. The reason you see mid, to upper mid guys get failures is becuase they want to make is seem as if any superstar could get in trouble, without them actually REALLY fucking up anything. The biggest star was Edge failing a test, and, as LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, the entire "suspension" played out while he was injured. True, Hardy failed a test right before WM, but really, was anyone buying or not buying that show over him??? Highly doubt it.

 

[Father:_Polley]

What i want to know is, if an athlete used steroids to GAIN a figure (the likes of HHH who has suffered from the 'roid induced injuries of torn quads), is it possible to maintain that look simply by working out. Because if so, I don't see why the likes of HHH and Batista would need to use steroids to keep their shape if they used them during rehab from injury, as steroids are by nature anti-inflammatory drugs, they could easily by prescribed by a Dr and so be a legitimate medical treatment, but misused to regain muscle mass.

To be fair, I don't think anyone can really say, as without proof that athletes are using, the innocent until proven guilty rule must apply and we can't assume they are because of their figures.

 

[DeadmanInc.]

I don't know anything about steroids, but I'm assuming that past users could still maintain their physique with just working out. Triple H could have used roids in the past, but that doesn't mean he is using them currently.

Jeff Hardy and RVD are the perfect examples of big name superstars that got suspended. Hardy was out popping everyone and selling lots of merchandise before he got suspended. RVD has always been over with the fans. Just think back to the alliance where he was definitely the most over at the time. Right before his suspension, he was ECW and WWE champion and he was definitely more over than Cena was (Riot anyone?).

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I don't know anything about steroids, but I'm assuming that past users could still maintain their physique with just working out. Triple H could have used roids in the past, but that doesn't mean he is using them currently.

Jeff Hardy and RVD are the perfect examples of big name superstars that got suspended. Hardy was out popping everyone and selling lots of merchandise before he got suspended. RVD has always been over with the fans. Just think back to the alliance where he was definitely the most over at the time. Right before his suspension, he was ECW and WWE champion and he was definitely more over than Cena was (Riot anyone?).

They are both perfect examples, fine job. Yes HArdy was nasty over. But he still is, even after the suspension. And they knew he would be. He was in a huge spot for WM. SO they suspend him to try and make the program look legit. True, he was an attraction, but no one bought or didnt buy that show on account of Jeff Hardy.

And RVD is another case of the same. Was he a way over star finally getting his push, or someone they used to launch initial interest in the new ECW, while full knowing he would most likely fail a test, and make their program look legit. And besides, the RVD thing happened before the current wellness policy was even in place, and he got in trouble more over the legal issues if anything.

 

[Shocky]

I think pre Chris Benoit situation the WWE would turn a blind eye to a huge star failing a drug test. Even in the wake of Eddie Guerrero's passing I still think the WWE would have turned a blind eye to it.

I have my doubts now about the current Wellness Program. Sure, they have nailed some big guys, hell RVD was WWECW champion at the time, so technically he was the top guy in the company getting nailed by it. However, I have my doubts when it comes to others. Cena I think is legit, but Triple H and Batista not getting caught once causes a huge suspicion in my eyes.

I still highly doubt that if a wrestler the caliber of Cena, HHH, Batista, Michaels or the Undertaker got caught that the WWE would hang them out to dry. As stupid as it would be, I think they would cover it up. Now if they got caught, the WWE would be in a worse position then it was over the Benoit Murders.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

They all get punished for violations, we only know about it when we read about it online and the talent is gone for a month or 2.
Both Edge and Greg Helms forfeited pay because of their violation but they were injured at the time so it didn't affect their pushes, not that Helms was getting a push at the time. Also he hasn't come back so that's another reason.

What makes this a hard question is that some seem to have gotten away with it in the past.

For example, Batista was named in the original investigation and he whined and bitched saying the claims were false and everyone took his word for it apparently. Orton also got let off with a strike if i recall because he was in a programme with Hogan or something at the time and was then gone for a short while after that. However Booker T got suspended immediately. Now you may argue that Booker wasn't a top star but i'm sure hundreds would argue that he was, including me. I'd like to think that if Cena or HHH were busted for being on the juice that they'd get removed from TV but probably not.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Please explain how Batista hasn't had a suspension then.

Edge might have been named and shamed in a magazine. And WWE might have given the excuse that he was suspended. But he was injured at that time so it didn't make any difference anyway. Let's see if Edge get's suspended while he's currently uninjured and the main force on Smackdown.

Helms was injured at the time, and is still currently injured. He could have been suspended 13 months over by now, and nobody would know.

 

[danaconda]

Is it possible to go on a "substance" cycle while "taking time off to heal nagging injurys" or while legitly out then come back and test clean? I don't think that the WWE is sending a guy in a lab coat with a cup too Orton or Takers house right now wanting a them to give a sample.

I would also like to know if all on screen talent is tested. If my memory is correct, I believe a reffree was suspended at somepoint for a policy violation. If all on screen talent is tested, then I ask what would happen if Vince tested positive?