Opinion: Something Is Broken With WWE's Wellness Policy

Earlier today, it was announced that WWE has suspended Eva Marie, for violating the company’s wellness policy. This is the third such incident in two days, as both Alberto Del Rio and Paige were suspended yesterday for wellness policy violations.

We should also not forget that not too long ago, Roman Reigns also violated the policy, and was suspended for his actions as well.

All in all, that is four suspensions of major players in WWE in the last two months. If you count Adam Rose and Konnor’s suspensions in April, you have a total of six suspensions, so far, this calendar year.

At this point, we don’t know for what substance(s) these most recent suspensions occurred. However, this is an alarming number of superstars to have committed an infraction, and as a result, the other performers in the locker room, as well as the WWE Universe, has to suffer.

The more and more that I think about this, I have come up with one conclusion.

When it comes to WWE’s Wellness Policy, something is broken.

Now, it could very well be, that all of these superstars simply took substances that they knew were illegal, and simply thought that they wouldn’t be caught, or that the rules don’t apply to them (Although that only seems to be the case for Brock Lesnar, but that’s another story for another time). If that is the case, then they absolutely should be punished for their actions, and deserve their suspensions.

But, what if the suspension was because of a substance that was in a medication that was prescribed by a medical doctor? My guess is that neither the superstars nor the doctors have intimate knowledge of the specifics of the policy, and that the superstars trust the medical professional, to give them what they need, to help them with their ailments.

Let me fully disclose, before going any further, that I am not a doctor by any means, and have no idea how most of this stuff works. Everything that I am about to discuss may not only be impossible, but might also be illegal. But, as a person who is thinking outside of the box, I simply am giving brainstorming ideas, and giving food for thought, while going forward on how to remedy this problem.

Off the top of my head, I have a couple of ideas on how WWE could prevent a larger number of potential wellness violations in the future:

Hire a series of doctors who are intimately familiar with the wellness policy to be on the road with the superstars, and tend to them as their injuries occur. Should they need medication, then the doctors can prescribe drugs that will help the superstars recover as quickly as possible, but also stay within the guidelines of the wellness policy.
Along with a team of medical experts, review and revise the wellness policy, perhaps putting limitations on the amount of particular substances are allowed to be in a superstar’s body, instead of banning them altogether. This would also prevent a superstar from being suspended for a small amount of a substance showing up in a test, due to a prescription drug that was provided by a licensed medical doctor.

There is no doubt that what WWE superstars put their bodies through, every time that they perform, is excruciating. The physical and mental toll that is taken is unknown to most people who are fans of this form of entertainment, and as a result, they need assistance to be able to make it through the strenuous demands that are put on themselves by upper management.

I’m sure that we will learn more information in all of these incidents as the days and months go on. All I know is that when you have four major suspensions in a span of two months, something is not connecting between the performers, and the people that have put this policy in place.

As fans of sports entertainment, we want what’s best for the performers, as their hard work and dedication to the profession has made us the diehard fans that we are today. Because of this, WWE needs to modify the circumstances in which they perform, so that a positive outcome is achieved for all the parties that are involved in making WWE the global entertainment juggernaut that it is today.

Follow @Dericho06