Your News, My Views Special Edition 9.03.07: The Fallout of the WWE Wellness Scandal

Introduction…and Things I want to talk about~!

Welcome to the weekly dose of news and views that you crave. I, as always am you host Larry Csonka. It is time again for the column you love, Your News, My Views! It is the 3rd edition in the last 7 days, and it is time to talk SCANDAL~! If you’re wondering why I am here again, Randle moved last week and his Internet Company is running him over worse than the fat chicks he hangs out with at Tim Horton’s. ANYWAY we have a lot to discuss again, so sit back, relax and let me get to work!

+++NON-SPOILER RAW PREVIEW+++

Our fans looked on in horror and disbelief last week as Randy Orton sunk to an unbelievable new low and attacked WWE Champion John Cena’s father just before Raw went off the air. The Champ’s eyes appeared to well with tears as he tended to his fallen father after the Legend Killer kicked him in the side of the head. What is the condition of the elder Cena, and how does the WWE Champion plan on retaliating, if at all?

Last week, Mr. McMahon thought he had entered hell when, at the bemusement of Triple H, he was confronted by four very undesirable women who said they had been intimate with the Chairman. Mr. McMahon’s quest to find out the identity of his illegitimate son has turned into a circus. He has now threatened to sue the woman who has slapped him with a paternity suit for emotional distress if she does not reveal the name of the WWE Superstar who is his long-lost son in two weeks. However, first the Chairman must deal with a more immediate problem – his own family. His wife Linda, daughter Stephanie and son Shane will confront him on Raw next week – and they will have lawyers in tow.

Triple H made an impact in his return to Raw by torturing the Chairman with his sense of humor. But he also showed Carlito he meant serious business when he flattened the Caribbean Superstar with a Pedigree on Carlito’s Cabana. Carlito has called Triple H “overrated” – and the apple-wielding Superstar will have a chance to prove himself when he and The Game go one-on-one Monday night.

Also, Jeff Hardy and Umaga will kick Monday Night Raw off when Hardy challenges Umaga for the Intercontinental Championship. Can the high-flying Superstar find a way to defeat the Samoan Bulldozer for the title?

Find out all the answers to these questions and more when Raw returns to its regular channel on USA Network at 9/8 CT.

Matches Announced:
–IC Title Match: Umaga © vs. Jeff Hardy
-HHH vs. Carlito
-Maria vs. Beth Phoenix

+++The Fallout of the WWE Wellness Scandal+++

Or…How Much are they Ready to Offer Chris Jericho to Come Back?

From this Point on, there will likely be spoilers as I discuss the fallout of the Wellness Scandal

Your News: The word from inside WWE is that Mike “Simon Dean” Bucci has been released from his position in talent relations. Bucci was largely involved in WWE’s developmental territories. Bucci was apparently called into a meeting today about his name being mentioned in the New York Daily News article as being a client of Signature Pharmacy.

My Views: Bucci was the sacrificial lamb. His release came due to WWE viewing him as the most expendable of the wrestlers named in the recent articles from the NY Daily News and Sports Illustrated. Bucci was a member of WWE management and WWE felt that with him being in an authority position, they had no choice but to release him. Bucci’s dealings with Signature Pharmacy appear to have been when he was an active wrestler and not in his management position. If had he only been an active wrestler instead of a member of management, he likely would have only been suspended and not released. Bucci was also receiving heat as in the last month there had been complaints about developmental again being disorganized and wrestlers not progressing as they should. You add all of this together, and Bucci was the easy call to fire. For the time being, Tommy Dreamer is working as head of developmental in a temporary role with Mike Bucci’s departure from World Wrestling Entertainment. The company is working already to fine someone to take over the position full time, with the names of Val Venis and Ty Baily as the top candidates. I would all be for Val as he has been a company guy, is always working with the up and coming talent to make sure that they learn and look good. More power to Val and I really hope that he lands the position.

For clarification the 11 wrestlers that WWE suspended were not suspended for failing drug tests, they were suspended for buying steroids/HGH/other hormones and such from a specific pharmacy over the internet. Wrestlers who are using but did not buy from Signature Pharmacy are likely to not be suspended. For many of you asking, this is why guys that are jacked like Cena, Lashley, Batista that everyone assumes are using something are not names as suspended wrestlers. Keep in mind that like in other sports, richer wrestlers are able to buy designer drugs and have people working for them obtain them and that ensure there is no paper trail back to the drugs. A guy who doesn’t make as much is more likely to turn to online pharmacies and not go to the great lengths to cover up their tracks because they have too.

Moving on…

Your News: WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt has confirmed to New York’s Newsday that WWE has suspended an 11th wrestler due to the ongoing Signature Pharmacy scandal. He added that no further suspensions are expected. On the suspension front, 10 of the 11 offenders will be suspended for 30 days, while the other wrestler will be suspended for 60 days due to being a second time offender.

My Views: And these are the REAL suspensions ala the way the policy was originally designed to do. No pay, no house shows, no TV, no PPV; just your busted ass going home. And this is a good thing. Reportedly, they are serious about the policy. No really, this time they are serious. SUPER SERIAL~! I hope that they are, but if the past is any indication the moment business is compromised in the least they will alter the program to fit their needs. But let’s hope for the best.

Your News: Having CM Punk defeat John Morrison for the ECW Title at the ECW On Sci-Fi taping Sunday night seems to be an indication that Morrison is one of the 11 wrestlers that WWE has suspended. Morrison was named in the New York Daily News article as having bought drugs from Signature Pharmacy with his most recent purchase coming in February of 2007.

My Views: Yes our good buddy John Morrison was caught buying an entire pharmacy worth of goodies, including: John Hennigan (John Morrison) is listed as having received somatropin, anastrozole, testosterone, stanozolol and human chorionic gonadotropin from June 2006 to February 2007. Human chorionic gonadotropin is taken by anabolic steroid users to stimulate the production of testosterone, which is suppressed as a result of steroid use. Yes, dropping the ECW title on free TV after being caught buying that would be a very good indication of this. I guess all of my “Johnny Nitro passed his most recent test, but his abs failed” jokes had some merit.

Your News: WWE has announced that Umaga will be defending the WWE Intercontinental Title against Jeff Hardy at the RAW taping tonight. It is likely that Umaga is one of the 11 suspended wrestlers and thus will likely drop the belt tonight. Umaga was also named in the media reports as a customer of Signature Pharmacy, with his most recent date of purchase being December of 2006.

My Views: So Umaga is busted for buying HGH and looks to be suspended. The true irony is that he is likely dropping the title to a man with a history of wellness related issues; issues that got him fired from both WWE and TNA and is also coming off of a 30-day suspension. Hardy did win the title, so there you go.

Your News: Batista worked the Smackdown taping last night and was not only victorious, but also announced as part of the main event for Unforgiven, so it doesn’t appear as if he is among the suspended wrestlers. Batista was named as a customer of Signature Pharmacy but only in the ESPN report which did not list the dates of purchase.

My Views: In a meeting held before the ECW and Smackdown tapings, Batista asked Stephanie about what could be done legally about his name being included on the recent media reports, citing publicly in front of the crew that he had never received anything from the online pharmacy companies. Stephanie told him that was an issue he and his personal attorneys should look into, also commenting that she was under the impression he was already doing that. If Batista were to pursuit this it would be in a civil lawsuit seeking damages Batista was very vocal in telling numerous performers that he was extremely upset at Sports Illustrated and other media outlets for reporting his name, claiming there was no connection between him and the pharmacies. So it is looking like Batista may have been either wrongly named, or he got stuff BEFORE the policy went into place. If that is the case, then he is free and clear of this scandal, whether he is using or not is another story.

Your News: Stephanie McMahon told the wrestlers that Vince McMahon was “looking forward to the Congressional hearings” on the sport and to testifying before Congress if and when he was called to do so. Stephanie joked to the wrestlers that Vince was thinking of wearing a clown wig and shoes when he entered Congress in order to make a statement on the hearings.

My Views: Vince sounds way too excited about there hearings. He has been having fun making fun of them on TV and the whole situation, I said it couldn’t end well and people laughed and thought it was all in good fun. And then I hear Vince is thinking of wearing a clown wig and shoes when he entered Congress “to make a statement on the hearings” and I shake my head at the stupidity and audacity of the man. If I didn’t love this crazy business so much I would wish for he and WWE to get totally reamed in the hearings and for the stock to plummet. But I can’t and won’t do that, especially with so many people’s lively hoods on the line.

Your News: At the end of the meeting, Triple H gave a speech to try and raise morale. He told the wrestlers that they may feel like they are in a horrible business right now, but to remember that they have the greatest job in the world and a job they have all dreamed of doing. He said he was proud to be a pro-wrestler and that it is important that all the boys stick together and work through this tough time for the pro-wrestling industry.

My Views: Now think about this, how odd was this? HHH is “kind of” one of the boys, but these days looked at as more of a management guy. So to some of the guys I could see them taking it as management trying to come to their level. Then there is the fact that he is trying to rally the troops and raise morale in the middle of a steroid and HGH scandal, which as you can guess are substances that the H’s have been friendly with in the past. Don’t get me wrong, I think that it is a good thing he is trying to do because the man does love the business and is widely respected, but he might not have been the right guy to give it.

Your News: Chavo Guerrero worked the Smackdown taping and lost to Rey Mysterio.

My Views: It remains to be seen if he is one of the suspended wrestlers, although one would presume he would be since he was named in media reports as a customer of Signature Pharmacy and listed as buying drugs from Signature as recently as May of 2006. Also another clean job to Rey, in a stipulation like “I QUIT” to me at least is a clear sign that he is also suspended.

Your News: WWE has once again put a moratorium on their talent talking to the media, just as they did following the Chris Benoit tragedy. This is due to the ongoing Signature Pharmacy drug enhancement scandal. So don’t expect many wrestlers to appear on radio shows, TV programs, etc.

My Views: Well if you didn’t see this one coming you’re a fool. They don’t need any more “Mr. Kennedy” incidents.

Your News: Last night Stephanie McMahon and John Laurinaitis held a meeting with the Smackdown and ECW talent last night in Cincinnati and announced the following changes in the Wellness Policy:

-The company will begin to test for marijuana shortly. A positive will not result in a suspension but all positives will be met with a fine of, at least, $1000 per offense.

-The company will also begin testing for anti-estrogen drugs, which can be taken to offset some of the effects of steroid and HGH use. A positive for any anti-estrogen agents will result in Wellness suspensions.

-The company also announced that any new potential hires will have to undergo and pass the WWE Wellness test before they are signed to the company.

My Views: Good, good and good. I think the fact that they are going to test for marijuana is another sign that they are trying, albeit late to beef up the policy. Marijuana is becoming a big failure point in MMA and is a problem in wrestling, ask RVD and Sabu. I think fines are fine to start, but I hope repeat offenses are met with suspension. Although the talent will disagree as this is NOT a popular addition as the GANJA is very popular among the boys. The testing for anti-estrogen drugs is also another good addition, with HGH being the drug of choice they need to do this. Finally the fact that any new potential hires will have to undergo and pass the WWE Wellness test before they are signed to the company is something I feel is too late and should have been since day one, but I do appreciate the fact that they are doing it.

Your News: Finally, JR chimed in on things, my thoughts to his comments in BOLD:

On the WWE Wellness Policy: The WWE’s Wellness Policy is real. It is also evolving and improving. Changes to this program needed to be made and are being initiated. The long-term health of all WWE Superstars should be, and I feel, is the top priority of the company. It certainly is from my personal perspective. Talent and Television are what makes the WWE what it is today and one without the other is a recipe for less then desired success. Being a former head of talent, I have always, perhaps egocentrically, said that talent was the key to the WWE because that’s what the company is selling; talented, athletic, charismatic performers who draw fans into the talents’ personas by encouraging the fans to emotionally invest. Without talented and highly skilled men and women, what do the TV folks put on the tube? Again, that’s an old, talent guy talking.

Keep the company line going JR. He knows the policy turned into a joke shortly after its inception and is trying to say so without saying so. I agree that the long-term health of all WWE Superstars should be the top priority of the company, but we all know making money actually is the top priority as it is in any business.

On the suspended wrestlers: I am saddened and disappointed in those that have been suspended. I hope they learn from their mistakes and can return to the roster and become positive role models to their teammates and to the fans. That opportunity exists. In the meantime, the absence of the offenders from the locker room will provide an extraordinary opportunity to those superstars who haven’t cheated and are still on the active roster. In all candor, I would say fans of the product are in for some interesting TV fare over the next several weeks. New faces in new scenarios isn’t a bad thing.

He should be disappointed that guys broke the policy but I feel he should be equally as disappointed in the fact that the company allowed them to by not taking the policy seriously. I do agree that the TV will be very interesting in the weeks to come, I really want to see how they handle this all.

JR also said some bad things about people covering the whole scandal. That could have something to so with the letter I got from Jerry McDevitt.

+++READER FEEDBACK~!+++

From John on the wellness scandal –

A quick thought- With all this talk about the Wellness Policy and suspended wrestlers, where’s the name John Cena? How could he be looked over? Obviously I can’t prove that he’s juicing, but it seems pretty obvious. Is it possible for Cena to actually be clean, or is the WWE taking care of the guy they’ve been building for years by sweeping his name under the rug when compiling that list of names?

As reported above, the 11 wrestlers that WWE suspended were not suspended for failing drug tests, they were suspended for buying steroids (or growth hormones) from a specific pharmacy over the internet. Wrestlers who are using but did not buy from Signature Pharmacy are likely to not be suspended. Is John Cena clean, it is POSSIBLE. He has claimed to never have done anabolic, but that leaves alt of other stuff. But this isn’t about test failures, this is about the way they obtained the drugs.

From Lucky on the wellness scandal –

I had a thought regarding the names on the list. It is entirely possible the guys like Regal, Funaki and the rest who at first glance do not appear to fit the profile may be getting them for un-named people like Triple H or maybe Vince or even the Undertaker. It could explain why they are still on the roster or why Morrison has the ECW title.

It is surely possible, but as already stated above the richer wrestlers are able to buy designer drugs and have people working for them that ensure there is no paper trail back to the drugs. Like a personal assistant, relative or such. Also, for people asking why a guy like Funkai, who wears a shit and doesn’t even have a body would get HGH, it is actually very simple. Funaki has been wrestling for 17-years and is 39-years old. He has taken a lot of bumps and punishment over the years. Many guys that take HGH feel as if it is a fountain of youth and makes them feel better. 39-years old, 17-years of bump taking, maybe he was looking for something to make him feel better. He only got it from this place once, so we could assume he got it, tried it, didn’t do anything for him and he stopped. Also I want to remind everyone, there is no PROFILE or LOOK for a steroid/HGH user.

From Drew on the wellness scandal –

There’s something that’s been nagging at me ever since the drug scandal in wrestling has come forward as it has in the past few months. I know nothing about medication or over the counter drugs, so I don’t know, but I wonder how much of the drugs that’s being used in wrestling is pain killer kinds?

The reason I wonder is cause I have another theory as to why it’s on the rise, aside from “Bigger is Better”. I wonder how much of it can work for pain killers is cause in the past few decades, wrestling has gone far beyond normal wrestling style. Granted, it has always been a rough and bruising sport, but in the last 2 Decades, it’s gone beyond that with the rise of extreme gimmick matches and crazy story bumps.

Since the first table bump or ladder jump or bloody chair shot, they’ve always strived to go one step beyond what’s been done. Men are taking bigger and bigger bumps in Cages, Ultimate X, Elevation X, KotM Match, Scaffolding matches, Hell in the Cell and taller Ladders. Then you have the Garbage Street fight matches, with Tacks, Glass, Barbwire, Chains, anything that’ll leave you bruised and bloody. Stuff like this has gone on high demand over the last several years, and fans have eaten it up, I’m thinking it’ll take more then simple bed rest for these guys to recover to come back the next night. Granted not all wrestlers do these kind of matches all the time, but eventually they are put into one.

All I’m speculating is that the rise in gimmick and stipulation matches that go beyond simple wrestling formula has left more men with more bumps and injuries and are leaving them for a simple solution to keep going night after night. Combine that with wrestling’s oh so popular belief of “Bigger is Better” and we have disaster.

This follows my Funaki argument well, as I do believe that this is also part of the case. I have preached for years that Vince has made people believe the bigger is better deal, so the small try not to be as small and the big become huge and the cycle continues for years and years. You add into the equation the proliferation of gimmick, string style and hardcore wrestling over the years and it takes years off of their lives. Very good email dude.

From Anthony on the same popular subject –

Hey Larry, sorry to bother but wondering if you could take some time out of your busy life to answer a question for me. I was wondering what WWE faces (I’d even love your best guess if you don’t know) if they are found to have a flawed steroid testing procedure, or pretty much just the worst case scenario developing here with the feds. I never hear anything about what would happen.

Well, I don’t know legalities, but here is what I do know. They could face a backlash from investors, increased heat from Congress and possible fan backlash. It will be interesting to see what, if any legal ramifications are placed on the guilty talent.

From Jim on the wellness scandal edition of YNMV –

Csonka, this column not only hit the nail on the head, it drove the nail clear through the 2×4.
Something should have been done directly after Billy “Superstar” Graham admitted to his steroid use. I am now very curious as to how Vinnie Mac will keep his nuts out of the fire on this one.

Thanks man, I appreciate it. And we’ll see how he does when the Congressional stuff begins, I hope it does not involve the clown outfit.

To Be Continued…

I’ll be back tomorrow with all of the other news of the week and any other fallout from this issue. Thanks and take care!