A Step in the Right Direction

I knew it would only be a matter of time before I could mention WWE's Talent Wellness Program and have it be a current topic for discussion.

But first, what is the Talent Wellness Program?

On February 27, 2006 WWE instituted a program that involves "an aggressive substance abuse and drug testing policy" as well as "cardiovascular testing and monitoring". This came only a few months after Eddie Guerrero's sudden passing in November 2005 due to heart failure that was contributed to by his previous history of drug and alcohol abuse.

Important points:

• "The non-medical use and associate abuse of prescription medications and performance-enhancing drugs, as well as the use, possession and/or distribution of illegal drugs" as well as the "use of masking agents and/or diuretics to conceal or obscure the use of prohibited drugs is also prohibited
• All talent underwent initial testing that was used as a "baseline" for future tests--a positive test was not disciplined at the time
• Future positive test results would be disciplined based on the number of offenses a Talent has previously had
• A first offense would receive a 30-day suspension without pay
• A second offense would receive a 60-day suspension without pay or an in-patient stay at a substance abuse facility, also without pay
• A third offense would result in termination

Now, the reason I've decided to bring up this topic is the fact that as of November 1 any wrestler who violates the program will have their name made public. On November 2, two wrestlers were revealed as having violated the program. Chris Mordetsky (A.K.A. Chris Masters) and Harry Smith (A.K.A. DH Smith) were the first victims of the spotlight. This was Mordetsky's second offense, while it was Smith's first (Smith debuted on WWE Smackdown less than a month ago) and both have been suspended for the appropriate amount of time. Smith's suspension comes as a surprise since his father the late great "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith passed away at the age of 40 after suffering a heart attack who according to his brother in-law, had "paid the price with steroid cocktails and human-growth hormones".

One of the most common reasons wrestling has appeared in the news in recent years is due to the deaths of young wrestlers and the fact many of them have been caused by steroid and other drug abuses. I definitely think it is time for WWE to step up with the testing and attempt to show that there is some effort being made to put an end to the abuse. Taking the wrestlers off the road who have violated the policy, and now publicly identifying them, are definitely fair punishments. The new addition of making their names public creates a great deal of embarassment for those who have spoken out stating that they don't use any drugs or that they don't believe in the use of them. This is definitely a step in the right direction.

I totally support what is being done to correct the problem and hopefully the Wellness Program will further develop into something with more power to change how things are done.