10 Stupidest Decisions By WWE In 2007

Naturally, members of the mainstream media wanted to talk to WWE and its employees about Benoit and what could have lead to the tragedy. Current and former stars, as well as members of WWE management and the McMahon family made televised appearances where they talked about all things Benoit.

Regrettably, the mainstream American media focused on the fact that large quantities of steroids were found at the Benoit residence and their theories of 'roid rage'. While, yes, there were steroids found at the scene and Benoit was using anabolic steroids at the time of his death (his outrageously high testosterone to epitestosterone ratio proves that), this was obviously a much more complex situation.

In order to paint the company in a positive light and counter the viewpoint of disgruntled ex-employees like Marc Mero and Debra McMichael, WWE sent out the likes of Benoit's former road buddies Ken Kennedy, Chavo Guerrero, along with guys like John Cena, to talk to to the media. Plainly speaking, they did not cover themselves in glory.

Ken Kennedy, for example, claimed that the men and women of WWE circa 2007 were clean-cut and abstained from recreational and prescription drugs. Heck, WWE superstars never even drank! Of course, Kennedy looked rather foolish when he was named as being a recipient of anastrozole, somatropin and testosterone between October 2006 and February 2007, over a year after the WWE Wellness Policy came into effect. D'oh!

Chavo, whose uncle Eddie died of a heart attack brought on by years of prescription drug and steroid abuse, said much of the same. He too was named in the Signature Pharmacy scandal, along with Kennedy and twelve other WWE stars, just a short time late.

John Cena wasn't implicated in the scandal, but his feigned ignorance on the subject of steroids during an appearance on Larry King Live was downright embarrassing. Did you know that John Cena, bodybuilding enthusiast and professional wrestler, didn't know a single thing about testosterone or other anabolic steroids?

And then there was Vince McMahon, who claimed to not have a preference for talent with larger-than-life physiques and outright dismissed theories of 'roid rage without having any real credible evidence to back up his statements. He was rightfully defensive, but he also wasn't completely truthful when speaking on high-profile shows like NBC's The Today Show.

Vince and his crew did not exactly help their cause during these appearances and only invited more questions about the dark side of the wrestling business. Arguing with former stars and lying through their teeth on subjects they were well informed on was not the correct strategy to take during this trying time.