First Victims Of WWE's Drug Testing Policy Revealed Submitted by Daniel Pena on Saturday, May 27, 2006 at 2:10 PM EST
# Joey Mercury has been sent to drug rehab effective immediately and he will be out of action indefinitely. Besides all the heat Melina and Johnny Nitro have, that was one of the reasons as to why MNM split up the way they did. Also, Mercury was supposedly the "glue" of the team, and basically the point man in regards to laying out most of their matches.
# Another possible culprit of WWE's drug testing procedures is none other than Chris Masters. There is a good chance that Masters will be taken off the road for an indefinite period of time. There is no specific reason as to why he may be taken off the road, however, it was said that "your first guess would be the correct guess."
I told you guys Masters was on TOAD.
Seriously, I guess this means they are testing for roids huh? Interesting.
I thought anyone who tested positive for steroids would basically get a slap on the wrist and expected to have lower levels on the next test, since there wouldn't be time between the announcement of the policy and the first test to fully get steroids out of one's system. Has the roster already undergone more than one round of testing?
Originally posted by Jim SmithI thought anyone who tested positive for steroids would basically get a slap on the wrist and expected to have lower levels on the next test, since there wouldn't be time between the announcement of the policy and the first test to fully get steroids out of one's system. Has the roster already undergone more than one round of testing?
The initial, baseline test was around the time of WrestleMania. It's almost been two months, so there could've been another one in there.
There's a provision in the drug policy that if the WWE feels it's a serious problem which must be dealt with immediatly, they could pull guys off the road for the firs test. That could be what's going on here...
While the first test was company wide (or at least wrestling talent wide), the policy said that future tests would be individuals randomally selected. Those sort of tests might not be ones which make it into newsletters for a variety of reasons (fewer people involved, easier to trace who's talking). They could've retested Mercury and Masters (and others who don't start with 'M') already outside of public knowledge.
Or they could've simply been exhibiting signs of problem drug usage.
Hmmm, I guess Vince's lawyers decided that money potentially lost to a lawsuit is greater than the extra money they make from having big juicers on the card. Or maybe this is strictly for image purposes. Its times like this I miss the Ross Report
I for one am glad steroids appear to be leaving the WWE, it tells potential wrestlers that they can get into the sport without first becoming super roid monkeys.
I just remembered that im absent minded wait i mean i lost my mind, i cant find it.
Originally posted by canis582Hmmm, I guess Vince's lawyers decided that money potentially lost to a lawsuit is greater than the extra money they make from having big juicers on the card. Or maybe this is strictly for image purposes. Its times like this I miss the Ross Report.
The Ross Report would in no way clear this up.
You could see it coming with Masters. The uber-job he did to Cena last week had me scratching my head, and I was waiting for a "the higher-ups are pissed at Masters for being a dick backstage/using the wrong toilet/whatever" story to break. This, however, makes a lot more sense.
To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires, and lights, in a box.-Edward R. Murrow
Originally posted by canis582Hmmm, I guess Vince's lawyers decided that money potentially lost to a lawsuit is greater than the extra money they make from having big juicers on the card. Or maybe this is strictly for image purposes. Its times like this I miss the Ross Report.
The Ross Report would in no way clear this up.
You could see it coming with Masters. The uber-job he did to Cena last week had me scratching my head, and I was waiting for a "the higher-ups are pissed at Masters for being a dick backstage/using the wrong toilet/whatever" story to break. This, however, makes a lot more sense.
Again, I'll never understand how WWE punishes people. Someone screws up or Vince needs to stroke his ego, so they make them look like a doofus in the ring (i.e. -- Akeem, Dusty Rhodes, Masters).
Someone explain to me how punishing someone in public/in the ring makes for good business.
It's just a message board, people. Chill out. Now, go show your internet diapproval of me! YEA!
I thought the Akeem gimmick helped keep the One Man Gang relevant in the late 80's WWF longer than if he had just remained the One Man Gang. Now, the travesty of that time period was bringing in Bam Bam Bigelow as a babyface, with Sir Oliver Humperdink as his manager no less. Bigelow had the look and potential to be a viable opponent for Hogan that would have drawn money. Humperdink had been a heel manager for years, so bringing him in as a face made even less sense. In terms of Masters: If they were going to give him a 'punishment job', why not against a Charlie Haas, who would have benefited far greater than Cena did. They could have built up Cena/RVD in many other ways without involving a Masters job.
Originally posted by ekedolphinWait a moment, what does Vince have to do to Masters to make him look like a doofus? I mean, it's not as if he's not already there!
Wow, I was kinda hoping that the painfully obvious joke wouldn't have been made...more fool I, I guess.
Originally posted by chill Wait... was Akeem/One Man Gang punished b/c of a mistake or was that just Vince stroking his ego?
True, Akeem kept the One Man Gang relevant in the late 80s, especially with the Towers/Mega Powers feud. However, I believe that the Akeem gimmick was a punishment on the Gang for wanting to take a short time off to be with his wife while he was still drawing pretty well with Hogan.
And yes, I agree...Bam Bam could have been a good heel for Hogan to battle with.
It's just a message board, people. Chill out. Now, go show your internet diapproval of me! YEA!
You tell how much WWE is on a guy by how he's punished on-air. In the case of MNM, they were basically buried because they were considered 'expendable' due to the fact that they're cruisers and WWE has never considered tag teams to be particularly marketable. With guys like Orton or Masters, however, they're given high-profile jobs on TV, but to high-profile guys like Rey, Angle or Cena. Defeats like that don't hurt a guy much.
"He looks like a perverted roofer who knocks off early on warm spring days to drink beer and ogle teenage girls at the river, but wrestles like a man who actually cares about his job." ---DVDVR's Raven Mack on "Gigolo" Jimmy Del Ray
Originally posted by Big BadYou tell how much WWE is on a guy by how he's punished on-air. In the case of MNM, they were basically buried because they were considered 'expendable' due to the fact that they're cruisers and WWE has never considered tag teams to be particularly marketable.
Huh? I thought it was now well-documented about why the members of MNM have been punished. It had nothing to do with the WWE mentality of tag teams and everything to do with Melina's attitude, Mercury's drug abuse and perhaps even the Batista/Booker/Melina/Sharmell conflict.
I think the story was marijuana was initally part of the banned substances listed in the wellness policy, but wrestlers complained ("it's less dangerous to smoke weed than to get drunk as a painkiller, and alcohol isn't banned" was the idea) and so they decided only to suspend if there's a serious problem.
I could've sworn we had a thread here somewhere here about what was legal and wasn't legal when the policy was leaked, but I can't find it. Must be thinking someplace else.
Originally posted by Big BadYou tell how much WWE is on a guy by how he's punished on-air.
So how pissed off are they at Val Venis then? Geez!
www.oklafan.com Big Show: Why is he getting the Intercontinental Title shot and not me? RVD: Ahhh...maybe 'cause you're a tool. Big Show: Look. I am 7'2". I am 500 pounds. I'm a giant. RVD: Oh ok. You're a giant tool.
I think the idea is that they aren't testing for pot unless they have specific cause to do so. They reserve the right to test (and punish) users if they show up stoned and hurt whoever they're wrestling (for example), but if a guy smokes up on his own time and it doesn't affect anyone else, WWE will look the other way.