WWE Controversies: 1990s Drug Scandal

Using and abusing drugs has been common in the professional wrestling industry since at least the 1990s. Drug use was commonplace in the WWE locker room, just as in other promotions.
WWE is now a PG product aimed more at family audiences than adult fans, a far cry from the company’s glory days in the 1980s and 1990s. Some WWE fans will be appalled to learn about the organization’s long history of steroid and recreational drug use behind the scenes during the Wellness Policy’s existence.

Vince doesn’t want WWE fans to remember the shocking stories of drug abuse in the WWE because the company is now marketed to families. In this piece, we examine several drug scandals that have long-lasting effects on WWE.

Vincent Kennedy McMahon Steroid Trials (1994)

Let’s get the most well-known one out of the way first: the steroid experiments in 1994. In 1993, the United States government levelled allegations against Vincent Kennedy McMahon, claiming that the latter had supplied his wrestlers with anabolic steroids. Following George Zahorian’s detention earlier that year, legal action was taken after the incident.

In 1994, the issue was brought before a judge, and Vince appeared in court wearing a neck brace to elicit sympathy. Following the testimony of the main witness for the prosecution, Hulk Hogan, who stated that Vince never requested him to take steroids or sold them to him, all charges against Vince were subsequently dropped. Even though it had been guaranteed to clean up its act following the trials, WWE continued to turn a blind eye during the Monday Night Wars.

At SummerSlam 92, the British Bulldog Wrestled While on Crack

Davey Boy Smith, a popular British bulldog, died at the young age of 39, and it is widely believed that his drug abuse contributed to his untimely demise.

There were 80,000 people in attendance at Wembley Stadium for SummerSlam 92, which took place in the Bulldog’s homeland of England. That night, the British Bulldog challenged Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship. The next match was one of the best in SummerSlam history, with the Bulldog eventually prevailing in front of his delighted home crowd to become the new Intercontinental Champion.

That night, Bret Hart, the Bulldog’s opponent, claims that the Bulldog was high on crack during the match. Bret wrote in his autobiography from 2007 that he and “Neidhart and Smith had a smoked crack all night before boarding the plane to England.” Perhaps it was just Bret’s ego talking, but he claimed he had to carry the match on his shoulders.
Vince McMahon’s Cocaine Use
Although there is no direct proof of Vince McMahon’s heavy cocaine use in the past, there is abundant circumstantial evidence and testimonies of former employees to support the claim. Many former employees have stated that Vince was a heavy cocaine user, and that Titan Towers was a haven for users in the 1980s.

Ring of Hell: The Story of Chris Benoit and the fall of Pro Wrestling by Matthew Randazzo claims to have numerous witnesses who heard Vince boast, “I can snort as much of that stuff as anyone can put in front of me and never get hooked.” Vince’s ‘energy’ in the WWE was just a cover for his drug use is another claim made in the book.

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