WWE Talent Reportedly Able to Cheat Wellness Program

On Feb. 27, 2006, WWE implemented its Talent Wellness Program, cracking down on substance and drug abuse. Upon its implementation, many 30 or 60 day suspensions had been handed out to notable talent for violating the program. As of late, not many violations have occurred, making it appear that WWE’s talent is doing a tremendous job of staying clean. The last violation of the program was by Ricardo Rodriguez in July of 2013. To find the last violation prior to Rodriguez’s, you’d have to go back more than a year, to May of 2012, when Randy Orton was suspended for his second violation of the program.

However, according to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline and Wrestling Observer Newsletter, instead of WWE talent being clean, its athletes may just be cheating the program. A recent year-long suspension of a UFC fighter for substance abuse sparked Meltzer to talk about WWE’s drug use in the most recent edition of his newsletter.

Back in March of this year, Meltzer briefly touched on the subject on Wrestling Observer Radio. When asked if WWE’s locker room was free of substance abuse because of the few suspensions over the past two years, Meltzer stated, “you shouldn’t believe the roster has been clean for two years. I wouldn’t even believe two weeks.”

Meltzer would go more in-depth with his past thoughts, stating that WWE does ban the non-medical use of human growth hormone (HGH,) but fails to test for it. HGH cannot be found through urine tests, only blood tests, making it very common among athletes looking to get an edge against the competition. According to Meltzer, WWE talents utilize high doses of HGH, in addition to little amounts of testosterone, which is also prohibited in the Talent Wellness Program, to gain that edge.

Below is Meltzer’s explanation of it all: 

“For those who are using [performance-enhancing drugs] to beat WWE testing, the standard stack is to use low doses of testosterone and higher dosages of HGH, because HGH, as far as enhancing a physique and gaining strength, works far better in synergy with a steroid to enhance its effects, and low doses of testosterone can keep one below the 6:1 T:E ratio.”

Even further, on the F4WOnline message boards, Meltzer noted that talents would usually take these substances on Wednesday because it would be out of the system within a few days, before tests were performed.

In 2013, WWE made changes to its Talent Wellness Program, including a redemption program, and certain substance exceptions.

Editor’s Note

This is a pretty big revelation, if true, and one I’m not too surprised of.