The Piledriver Report 01.02.06: The History of Vince McMahon’s Wrestling Empire: Part Nine

Posted by Ronny Sarnecky on 01.02.2006

This week’s “Piledriver Report” continues to look back at the beginnings of the Vince McMahon Steroid Trial. Also, we present the first annual Piledriver Report End of the Year Awards.

One of the most famous wrestlers in the history of the World Wrestling Federation, the Ultimate Warrior, was the next witness to take the stand. The real life Jim Hellwig told the court that he used testosterone and decadurabolin before and after he started his wrestling career. The Warrior said that he would talk to other wrestlers about steroids, and estimated that between 85-90% of the wrestlers in the WWF tried steroids at one time or another. The prosecution asked Hellwig if "Hershey, PA was known for one specific person." The Warrior gave a two-word response, "Doctor Zahorian." Although he admitted to never receiving any steroids from Zahorian, Hellwig told the court that Zahorian would provide wrestlers with steroids, pain killers, and sleeping pills. Hellwig said that he witnessed wrestlers leaving Zahorian's "office" with white boxes. According to Hellwig, in 1989, Vince McMahon asked Hellwig if he would be able to get him (Vince) Human Growth Hormone. The prosecution then asked about an incident that occurred in February 1991. After a wrestling card at the Capital Centre, Hellwig left his steroids in his hotel room. Upon returning home to Dallas, TX, Hellwig received a call from McMahon said that Vince was upset during the call. Hellwig didn't initially admit that the steroids were his. At the next TV tapings, Vince told the Warrior that things are starting to get heated up with Zahorian being indicted. Hellwig testified that Vince never told him to quit taking steroids.

Upon cross-examination, Hellwig once again stated that he didn't feel that him taking steroids was illegal. Jim told that court that he first started taking steroids in 1984 to prepare for the Mr. Georgia contest. Hellwig informed the court that he didn't get his physique from just taking steroids. He told the court that he would sometimes work out at 2:00am. He watched his diet. "I didn't drink or smoke. I'd make the sacrifices to achieve goals in bodybuilding." He once again stated that he was able to easily get steroids before and during his WWF tenure. He mentioned that when he broke into wrestling in Tennessee in 1985, there were wrestlers in that territory doing steroids. Hellwig told the court that he received steroids from "more then five to ten physicians," but never from Dr. Zahorian. Hellwig explained that he got steroids from a doctor who worked for the Texas State Athletic Commission, and also for World Class Championship Wrestling. Hellwig said that he was never given a physical for the steroids. He wanted the roids, and they would write him a prescription. Another source that he would get steroids from was a gym owner in Louisville, KY. Hellwig said that Vince never told him to take steroids. Hellwig admitted that he didn't know that the law was going to change in 1991. He said that he didn't know that steroid use was already regulated. Hellwig also said that he didn't know what the laws were regarding HGH.

McMahon's attorney talked about a memo dated January 25, 1991 telling the wrestlers of the upcoming law change regarding steroid possession. She told the court that Hellwig was never charged by law enforcement in regards to the Baltimore hotel incident. Hellwig said that he couldn't remember whether or not he received the memo. The prosecutor finished the questioning of Jim Hellwig by asking him two questions. In regards to the Baltimore incident, O'Shea asked "Was McMahon mad about you using steroids or getting caught?" Hellwig answered "Getting caught." The prosecutor questioned, "He wasn't mad about you doing steroids?" Hellwig gave a one word answer, "No." The final question the prosecutor asked was "Mr. McMahon knew you were using steroids?" The Warrior answered, "Yes."

The next witness for the prosecution was Margaret Sharkey. Margaret started to work for Titan Sports in 1985 when she was hired from a temp agency. Her duties now include handling domestic event contracts. Margaret told the court that she only talked to Dr. Zahorian one time when she answered the phone for Anita Scales. She said that neither Anita nor herself wanted Zahorian working any events because of his drug selling business that he had with the wrestlers. Margaret said that Pat Patterson wanted to use Zahorian because "the boys loved him." Although she never talked to any of the road agents, Margaret did talk to Patterson about Zahorian. Margaret said that, in November, Anita said they were going to use Zahorian, but she wasn't happy about it. She sent a letter to Gest of the commission saying that the WWF was going to use Dr. Zahorian in Hershey, PA. She then sent a letter to Zahorian, which she photo copied and put in her and Anita's private files. She then wrote another letter to Zahorian on December 4th stating that they wouldn't be using him after all, because there would be V.I.Ps there, and the WWF didn't want them to see Zahorian.

During cross-examination, Margaret said that she is best friends with Scales, and that they never discussed the case per the prosecution's instructions. She admitted that they did talk while Hellwig was on the stand. She told the court that she talked to Zahorian once when he called asking to work Hershey. When he was told that the territory was already assigned, Zahorian said that he would go over her head. Regarding the October 2nd memo, Margaret said that Anita did not write the memo, she was the one that did. She said that the letter requesting Zahorian to work the December 26th show was typed up at the request of Pat Patterson or another top executive. McDevitt asked Margaret about the conversation between Linda McMahon and Anita Scales. McDevitt asked that since Margaret didn't hear the actual conversation could Anita have embellished about the conversation. She said that Anita didn't lie or embellish, and that Anita wasn't ranting and raving. The two of them were just mad about the situation.

On Wednesday, the morning opened with Doug Sages being called to testify in the case. Sages has worked as the WWF's chief financial officer since 1985. He told the court that the World Wrestling Federation is a Delaware corporation, as Delaware has favorable tax laws for corporations. He said that the company is solely owned by Vincent Kennedy McMahon. He said that the company is classified as an S corporation, which means all profits go directly to McMahon. He said that Terry Bollea was a big star and a huge moneymaker. Sages talked about a conversation that he had with McMahon in May 1988. Sages said that said that Vince wanted cash to "do a transaction in a quiet fashion." He told Vince how to use cash and company checks to buy banks checks that do not have an individual's name on them. He said that Vince wanted between $1,000-$2,000 to purchase steroids for himself and Hogan. He said that they took the money from petty cash. He had a conversation during a later date with Emily Feinberg, which he didn't initially remember. He said that Emily needed a bank check for $650.00 to pay Zahorian. He assumed it was for steroids, but didn't know for sure. The check was made out to Union Trust, which was listed in their books as medical expenses. The prosecutor produced a copy of the check dated June 21, 1988. Sages, in his grand jury testimony, said that they could locate the copies of the check. He said that a second check was written for Union Trust paying $530.00 to Zahorian on October 18, 1989 for medical expenses. He said the checks were considered a cost of doing business. Sages told the court that the company was generally a profitable company, and during its best year, they were $6 million in the black.

When McDevitt cross-examined Sages, he was told that Sages didn't know if the steroids were for Vince's personal use or for Vince and Hogan. He said that he was looking for any records of payments to Zahorian for 8 to 10 weeks, but only found two checks. The checks totaled $1,180.00. The defense said that as an S-corporation, Vince had the right to take any money from the company for his use, because the company's assets were also his personal assets. McDevitt told the court that the company was audited every year from 1986 to 1991 looking into the "independent contractor status" of the wrestlers, and never made any objections to it. McDevitt said that Vince never told Sages why he needed the money. Sages said that the checks were labeled as medical expenses because the clerk saw "Dr." written on the check, so they assumed the checks were to cover something of a medical nature. Sages said that no top executives requested that the checks be labeled as medical expenses. Sages said that the cash transaction was the only time that Vince mentioned money being used to pay for steroids. He said that the checks were traceable and nobody from the FDA ever investigated them regarding steroid purchases from Zahorian. He also said that he was never told to destroy any records.

McMahon's other attorney, Brevetti, asked if Emily Feinberg ever told him that the $650.00 check was for steroids. He said that they never discussed it, and that Vince never told him to record it as medical expenses.

In his final line of questioning, the prosecutor asked Sages if Vince said the steroid purchase was for his own personal use. Sages answered "Yes." O'Shea then countered, "Didn't he say himself and Terry Bollea?" Sages again said, "Yes." O'Shea was quick to note that "Mr. Bollea is a different person, that's not personal use." Sages agreed.

With the end of 2005, brings the first annual Piledriver Report Year-End Awards. The categories include Most Improved Wrestler Of The Year, Comeback Of The Year, Feud Of The Year, Woman Of The Year, Most Popular Wrestler Of The Year, Most Hated Wrestler Of The Year, Match Of The Year, Tag Team Of The Year, and Wrestler Of The Year.

Most Improved Wrestler of the Year: Christian- While being a perennial mid-card and tag team wrestler throughout his career in the WWF/E, in 2005 Christian became "Captain Charisma." On a weekly basis, Christian delivered some of the best promos in the business, combined with solid ring work. The fans were dying for him to be pushed as a main event performer. When he was given a shot to perform on that stage in a feud with John Cena, Christian delivered for his "peeps." When he was moved to SmackDown, many fans expected Christian to become one of the top tier performers of that brand. Instead, the creative team held him back. In a mainstream media interview, World Champion Batista even acknowledged the fact that Christian deserves to be on that stage. However, it was never meant to be. Christian signed a contract to wrestle for TNA. In one five-minute interview, "Captain Charisma" proved to be worth every penny that TNA was paying Christian. By the end of 2005, Christian proved that he is a main player in the industry. For that, he gets my award as the most improved wrestler in 2005.

Comeback of the Year: Edge- He spent most of 2004 on the injured list. Before his injury, most fans expected Edge to break through to become a main player in the WWE. Whether you love him or hate him, Edge proved that he is a name to be reckoned with. He left WrestleMania as the winner of the "Money in the Bank" ladder match for a future World title shot. For the next few months, he used that win to taunt every one that he can get a shot whenever he wanted. He then turned a real life love triangle between Matt Hardy, Lita, and himself into one of the most talked about wrestling stories of the year. As the year came to a close, Edge tore his pec muscle. However, the injury would not slow down his momentum. He was given an interview segment each week on RAW where he continued to shine, despite not being able to wrestle in a match.

Feud of the Year: Edge vs. Matt Hardy- The best feuds in wrestling are ones that are based in reality. Everybody can relate to a guy who finds out his girl cheated on him with one of his best friends. It's one of every guy's worst nightmares. Add into the equation that the WWE releases Matt Hardy, the victim in the love triangle, to pour fuel on the fire. Next, the fans get so heated that the WWE is forced to bring back Matt Hardy. Matt becomes a huge hero in the fans' eyes. In the meantime, Edge turns out to be one of the biggest heels in recent memory due to his out of the ring actions. Each week that passed with Hardy sitting on the sidelines made the fans more irate. Once he was back with the company, the fans grew more aggravated when it appeared the WWE was "burying" Hardy in his "feud" with Edge. They exploded with pleasure when Hardy beat Edge after a leg drop off of the top of a steel cage. The Hardy/Edge story is a classic example of a great feud. In the year 2005, no other feud could compare.

Woman of the Year: Trish Stratus- Shouldn't she be the winner every year? She is the best at cutting promos. She is the best female worker. In 2004 and part of 2005, she proved that she could even be a great heel. After coming back from a bad back, she proved that she could easily slip back into being a fan favorite. Trish is the gold standard by which all female wrestlers should be judged. There is Trish and everyone else.

Most Popular Wrestler of the Year: Eddie Guerrero- He started the year as a fan favorite. It could be argued that Eddie was the main reason that the WWE was popular with Hispanics. He always received the biggest pops in areas with a heavy Latino influence. He turned heel in his feud with Rey Mysterio Jr. However, he was never hated in his role. His heel promos drew more silence then jeers. Eventually, the fans started to cheer the rule breaking Guerrero in his feud with Rey. By the time of his death, Eddie was the most popular wrestler on SmackDown again. Shortly after his death, the wrestling world saw just how loved Eddie was. Every website was flooded with articles in remembrance of Eddie. The WWE ran two different tribute shows. Wrestlers and fans across the country told stories about what Eddie meant to them. He was arguably the most loved wrestler in the business. For that, I give him a heartfelt most popular honor.

Most Hated Wrestler of the Year: The WWE Creative Staff- No one wrestler was hated as much this year as the creative staff of World Wrestling Entertainment. Every Internet site complains about how bad the WWE Creative is. Ask most loyal fans that no longer watch the WWE why they stopped following the company, and most have the same response. The storylines stink. In the past, people have complained about certain storylines or angles. However, never has one area in the WWE been criticized as much as the WWE creative team has. They are blamed for every, and anything that is wrong with the WWE. They are THE biggest villains in WWE history.

Match of the Year: Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles at "Unbreakable": Despite the creative problems that have plagued the WWE in 2005, the past year gave the fans some of the greatest in ring action in a long time. The WWE gave us two Shawn Michaels/Kurt Angle classics. The "Money in the Bank" match at Mania is considered as one of the most exciting ladder matches in the company's history. Shawn Michaels and Shelton Benjamin fought in the best television match of the year on RAW. Ring of Honor gave us countless classics. None were better then the Samoa Joe/Kenta Kobashi dream match. However, the greatest match of the year took place at TNA's Unbreakable pay per view. The match was a Triple Threat Match for the X Division title between Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, and AJ Styles. To show the impact this match had, it was the first TNA pay per view that I ever ordered. I ordered the replay because of this match. Because of that match, I have ordered every TNA pay per view since.

Tag Team of the Year: America's Most Wanted- The tag team division appeared to start having a pulse again in the wrestling industry. MNM debuted in the WWE to rave reviews. However, while immediately becoming the best team in the WWE, creative kept giving them short title reigns, thus killing any momentum they may have created. If you want to watch tag team wrestling, you need to turn to TNA. The Dudleys, the Naturals, Team Canada, and America's Most Wanted are the top teams in the division. As champions, AMW proved to be the best of the best in the industry.

Wrestler of the Year: Samoa Joe- While Batista and John Cena have had a great year, my vote goes to Samoa Joe. No wrestler has delivered more high quality matches this year then Joe. He fought Kobashi, the three-way match, and then closed out the year in an X-Division title-winning classic against AJ Styles. Batista had a classic series earlier in the year against Triple H, but hasn't done much since then. John Cena hasn't been able to click since he captured the gold. AJ Styles has had a solid year. However, Samoa Joe is the Piledriver Report's 2005 Wrestler of the Year.

***The facts for this article were taken out of excerpts from past issues of "The Wrestling Observer" newsletter.***