Brock Lesnar made his return to Raw on Monday, but he still has a forthcoming USADA decision hanging over his head relating to two failed tests related to his victorious UFC return. WWE has stated that Lesnar will not be facing any disciplinary action. Further, the company has come under fire for revealing that Lesnar is exempt from the Wellness Policy drug testing, as he is not a full-time employee.
In Jim Ross’ latest blog, the WWE Hall of Fame announcer offered his two cents on the situation.
WWE Wellness Policy being applicable to full time talents only. I have no issues with this philosophy as it is daunting to test part timers who are not in the every day rotation of the roster. WWE’s drug testing program is by far the best within the genre and it strikes me odd that other company’s who either rarely test their talents or don’t do it all are seldom questioned on this matter simply because “they can’t afford it.”
Wouldn’t the wellness of one’s athletes be a vital part of doing business?
Many critics of this matter have no idea what Lesnar’s contact states nor the full understanding of the Wellness Policy in general. Please do not construe this as me eluding to the fact that I enough PED usage even in an entertainment entity. I don;t. Talents don”t need them but the narcissistic nature of many pro wrestlers always will rear its ugly head when it comes to how they look and the short cuts some talents take to achieve an unnatural appearance. [sic]
There are definitely two legitimate sides to this argument. First is the obvious thought that if someone is working for WWE, they should be subject to the same testing as everyone else who competes in the ring. The flip side of that is, as Ross says, having to keep track of anyone they might have coming in just every now and then, like the annual Rob Van Dam return, or the odd times that Rhyno has been popping up, and so on.
Although Lesnar doesn’t wrestle that much more than RVD in most years — interesting, given RVD isn’t actually on the roster or employed by WWE or anything — he is obviously treated differently. He is a huge draw and an instant part of the main event scene any time he shows up, and he is featured prominently on WWE advertising, including being the WWE 2K17 cover athlete.
It’s a sticky situation, and it’s not getting any less sticky any time soon.
