Drug use and abuse in pro wrestling goes back to at least to the 70’s. Like other promotions, WWE’s locker room wasn’t averse from the use of illegal substances.
WWE is a PG product now, a far cry from their heyday in 80’s and 90’s, and geared towards family audiences more than adults. A section of WWE’s audience will be shocked to read the history of steroid and recreational drug abuse backstage in the current era of the Wellness Policy.
With WWE being an all-out family friendly product now, there are some shocking stories of drug abuse in the WWE, that Vince doesn’t fans to know about or remember. In this article, we take a look at 5 such drug scandals that left a lasting effect on the WWE.
Also Read: 6 PR disasters WWE wants you to forget
5: The 1994 steroid trials
Let’s get to the most famous one out of the way first – the 1994 steroid trials. In 1993 Vincent Kennedy McMahon was accused by the US government of distributing steroids amongst his wrestlers. The litigation was filed following the arrest of George Zahorian earlier that year.
The case went to trial in 1994 with Vince wearing a neck brace in order to get sympathy. Vince was eventually acquitted of all charges after the prosecution’s star witness Hulk Hogan said that Vince had never asked him to take or sold him steroids.
Even though WWE promised to clean up its act after the trials, they once again turned a blind eye during the Monday Night Wars.
4: The British Bulldog wrestled at SummerSlam 92 while high on crack
The late British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith had some well-documented drug problems over the years which eventually played a part in his early death at the age of just 39.
SummerSlam 92 took place in the Bulldog’s native England at Wembley Stadium in front of 80,000 fans. The British Bulldog challenged Bret Hart for his Intercontinental Championship that night and the match ended up being one of the best matches in SummerSlam history with the Bulldog winning the Intercontinental title in from of a rabid home crowd.
However, according to the Bulldog’s opponent that night, Bret Hart – the Bulldog was messed up on crack at the time and during the actual match. Bret claimed in his 2007 autobiography that “Neidhart and Smith had smoked crack all night before boarding the plane to England.” Bret said he had to carry the whole match but that may just be Bret’s ego kicking in.
3: Vince McMahon’s cocaine use
There is no hard evidence to definitely prove that Vince McMahon was a heavy cocaine user back in the day but the circumstantial evidence and testimony of ex-employees is overwhelming. Many ex-insiders claim that Titan Towers was a hotbed of cocaine use back in the 80’s and many ex-employees have said that Vince himself was a heavy user.
In the book Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the fall of Pro Wrestling, author Matthew Randazzo said that he had numerous sources who had heard Vince brag about his coke habit by saying, 'I can snort as much of that stuff as anyone can put in front of me and never get hooked.' The book also claims that WWE talk about Vince’s ‘energy’ was just a euphemism for his drug habit.
2: The death of Miss Elizabeth
Lex Luger wasn’t a huge star in the 90’s but nonetheless he was a star. Luger traded on his physique and look which was scarier than it was impressive. The moment you look at Luger’s physique you could see that there was something unnatural about it. Luger has since admitted to the years he spent taking toxic concoctions of growth hormones, recreational drugs and steroids.
However, the focus of this story isn’t Luger but his girlfriend at the time of her death, Miss Elizabeth. The former valet and wife of the Macho Man was one of the most beloved personalities in wrestling during the 90’s and her 2003 death shocked the wrestling world.
The coroner adjudged her death to have come from a toxic mixture of vodka and pain pill abuse. The police search of Luger’s house following Miss Elizabeth’s death found over 1,000 illegal pills. Luger, who is now a born-again Christian said the following about Miss Elizabeth’s death, “I take a lot of responsibility for that -- my influence in her life. Her little heart and body couldn't take what I was doing.”
1: The 2007 Signature Pharmacy bust
The 2007 Signature Pharmacy bust was a complete and utter disaster for the WWE. Months after the WWE Wellness Policy got implemented, Sports Illustrated published a massive story regarding rampant drug use in the WWE. 14 wrestlers were implicated for buying performance enhancing drugs from an illegal online pharmacy.
The list of wrestlers exposed by the story include Randy Orton, Umaga, Booker T, William Regal and Edge and with the Wellness Policy implemented a few months earlier, this story was a disaster for the WWE Wellness Policy’s credibility.
