The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

After Eddie Guerrero passed away last week and wrestler Nick Dinsmore (who wrestles as the character Eugene) was sent to hospital after abusing his prescription medication hours later, it was announced on WWE.com that owner Vince McMahon, unquestionably under extreme pressure, has a new drug testing program for his workers. Apparently an independent agency will conduct the tests at random with no prior warning made to the workers. It will be comprehensive, encompassing all recreational & prescription drugs as well as for steroid use.

Not too many people know that McMahon DID have a drug policy in place in the early to mid 1990s. It was probably done more as a response to the steroid trials in which he was exonerated of all charges, but in any case it was dropped around 1996 because business was horrible and Vince no longer wanted to spend the money on it. With an outside firm doing the testing, Vince will no longer be the first person to hear about it and decide the course of action to take, at least in theory anyway. Of course, WWE has to decide on what punishments should be levied, which have yet to be determined to anyone's knowledge

When I spoke to anyone who followed WWE at one point or the other about this, no one believed a new policy would be strictly enforced. A lot of internet sites think as many as 1/2 the roster would fail any test if it were taken today. On the flipside, there have been reports that the wrestlers feel this is a step in the right direction so long as everyone is treated equally and any rehab required will be available as stipulated.

Myself, I'm very cynical. You look at guys like Batista, who is 6"5 and 330 lbs; is it all protein bars? He's the Champion of the Smackdown division, would Vince honestly have him sit until he'd test clean if he failed a test? And as the last "policy" proved, it was a joke, and never taken seriously.

Too many guys have died, way too young. Some died while they were still in the business, others a short time after. Here are a few names to reflect upon that have died before the age of 45, and hopefully the bigwigs at WWE will see the light and realize things must change, and fast. Keep in mind, there are less than 100 wrestlers employed with WWE at one time who appear in their main programming.

Chris Von Erich - 21
Mike Von Erich - 23
The Renegade - 23
Louie Spiccoli - 27
Art Barr - 28
Gino Hernandez - 29
Jay Youngblood - 30
Rick McGraw - 30
Joey Marella - 30
Ed Gatner - 31
Buzz Sawyer - 32
Crash Holly - 32
Kerry Von Erich - 33
D.J. Peterson - 33
Eddie Gilbert - 33
Owen Hart - 33
Chris Candido - 33
Adrian Adonis - 34
Gary Albright - 34
Bobby Duncum Jr. - 34
Yokozuna - 34
Big Dick Dudley - 34
Brian Pillman - 35
Marianna Komlos - 35
Pitbull #2 - 36
The Wall/Malice - 36
Leroy Brown - 38
Mark Curtis - 38
Eddie Guerrero - 38
Davey Boy Smith - 39
Vivian Vachon - 40
Jeep Swenson - 40
Brady Boone - 40
Terry Gordy - 40
Bertha Faye - 40
Billy Joe Travis - 40
Larry Cameron - 41
Rick Rude - 41
Randy Anderson - 41
Bruiser Brody - 42
Miss Elizabeth - 42
Big Boss Man - 42
Ray Candy - 43
Dino Bravo - 44
Curt Hennig - 44
Jerry Blackwell - 45
Junkyard Dog - 45
Hercules Hernandez - 45