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What's the story?
Triple H's nutritionist and bodybuilder, Dave Palumbo, made claims earlier this week that wrestlers within the WWE were allowed to use HGH, and testosterone injections, but has since backtracked on these claims following a response from the WWE.
In case you didn't know...
During an interview with independent wrestler Matt Riviera, Dave Palumbo commented on the fact that Triple H couldn't use anabolic steroids because of the WWE's wellness policy, even though he would probably want to, and that WWE superstars are allowed to take testosterone, HRT, hGC and hGH under the wellness policy.
"But the good thing about wrestling is it’s not a professional sport per se, more entertainment, they are allowed to take hormone replacement. So they can go to HRT places, they can get testosterone, you know, 100 milligrams a week, whatever they prescribe nowadays, umm, they can get hCG, they can do, you know, hGH if they want. Those are acceptable, you know, and a lot of the wrestlers do it, y’know, it’s not for me to say who’s using what, but they’re very minimal doses."
The heart of the matter
The WWE released a statement following Palumbo's comments which stated that Palumbo was wrong and that superstars couldn't take HCG and HGH as they were banned substances under the wellness policy. However, some superstars could receive therapeutic exemptions for health reasons allowing them to take these hormone supplements.
Deadspin's David Bixenspan reached out to Dave Palumbo via telephone following the Riviera interview and WWE's response to seeing if he would clarify what he had said earlier, and he backtracked on his previous statements. Bixenspan reports:
"Palumbo did wish to clarify his position on a few points. When he said that “they can go to HRT places,” for instance, he was referring to the “WWE-accredited endocrinologists” that talent with hormonal issues can see, and didn’t intend it as a blanket statement or a reference to anti-aging clinics"
What's next?
So there we have it, WWE wrestlers can't just go to an HRT place and get testosterone, HCG or HGH. Some wrestler's with specific health reasons can get these, but only if they've been given a therapeutic exemption from the WWE wellness policy as prescribed by a doctor. In fact, only 7% of wrestlers within the WWE have been given one. Got it?
Author's take
The WWE Wellness policy has been a longstanding source of controversy, with people raising eyebrows everytime a superstar is suspended for failing it. However, it now seems clear that some superstars have permission from the WWE and its doctors to breach this policy, which possibly led to Palumbo misspeaking.
