10 Most INSANE Promises Wrestling Promoters Made To Wrestlers
1. Part Time Brock Lesnar Isn’t Drug Tested
Few could quite believe it when Vince McMahon gave Brock Lesnar special permission to return to MMA whilst still under WWE contract in 2016. Ignoring the noise, Vince looked on proudly as 'The Beast' hammered Mark Hunt to win at UFC 200 that July. Then, the fallout started, and it wasn't pleasant.
Lesnar's win was overturned when news leaked that he'd failed a test for clomiphene, which was a banned substance. He was promptly fined $250,000 and the victory was erased from his win-loss record. The story didn't end there. Mainstream media wanted to know why Brock had failed a UFC drug test but seemingly passed WWE ones.
The truth? He didn't pass WWE drug tests, because...he wasn't actually contractually obligated to take them in the first place. Almost everyone else on the roster was. For their part, the company put out a statement that included lines like: ‘WWE’s talent wellness program does not apply to part-time performers such as Brock Lesnar’.
He was getting special treatment, in other words.
This was shocking news, because WWE and the McMahons had long touted their in-house Wellness Policy as an exhaustive battle for wrestler health, and it aimed for transparency. However, they'd pretty much kept it quiet that Lesnar was exempt, and that his contract terms didn't hold him accountable the same way as everyone else's.
What other insane promises did promoters make to pro wrestlers? For more WWE, check out The WORST Moment From EVERY WWE SummerSlam and 10 New Directions For WWE After Clash In Italy 2026!