10 Huge Stories That Changed Wrestling In 2016
4. The Wellness Policy Gets Exposed
WWE fans have always had their doubts on the Wellness Policy’s legitimacy, and while the policy has been sullied in the past, 2016 was the year it was completely exposed. Brock Lesnar’s failed USADA drug test confirmed what many already assumed: the policy doesn’t apply to everybody, and if your status in WWE his high enough, you’ll get off without significant consequences.
WWE refused to punish Lesnar for his transgression, which brings the following policy term into disrepute:-
“This Policy, as it may be amended from time to time, is applicable to and binding upon all WWE Talent under contract to WWE who regularly perform in-ring services as a professional sports entertainer (“WWE Talent”).”
Lesnar, it transpires, has a clause in his WWE contract that prevents him from falling victim to the Wellness Policy as a part-timer. He returned to WWE television with barely a mention of his plight, and while Randy Orton took a jab at his failed test shortly after returning, Lesnar faced no form of punishment, and continued as one of WWE’s most pushed wrestlers.
Roman Reigns stands as another example. While positioned as the new face of the company, Reigns was served a 30-day suspension just before Money In The Bank. He was pinned for the belt and then lost against the next night on Raw, but that was the end of his punishment. Reigns was thrown into a United States Title feud, but he remained Raw’s focal point through his rivalry with Rusev, and now finds himself back in Universal Title contendership.