10 Times WWE Caved To Public Pressure
7. Testing Times 2.0
Almost 13 years to the day after Ultimate Warrior and Davey Boy Smith were hurriedly erased from the 1992 Survivor Series line-up, Eddie Guerrero was heartbreakingly chalked of 2005's edition. 'Latino Heat' was tragically found dead in his hotel room having suffered an acute heart failure.
An underlying heart condition was exacerbated by the rigours of the industry he'd chosen, including latterly revealed heavy steroid use for much of his career. WWE's attempt to get on top of the story (and to a much lesser extent, the problem) was to initiate a Wellness Programme that travelled beyond the ordinary reach of the type of drug testing long abandoned in the late-1990s.
It was laughably undermined less than two years later when toxicology reports emerging from Chris Benoit's autopsy revealed sub-human levels of chemicals within a vessel that had committed sub-human acts.
A strengthening of the policy (as well as an outreach to struggling former talents) was a public relations must, admitted as much by McMahon during Federal Hearings a year later. The company has largely remained free of drug-related scandal since, but the twitchiness around drug-dealer Richard Rodriguez' alleged claims towards Roman Reigns and others highlights a lingering insecurity over a decade on.