10 Times WWE Caved To Public Pressure

7. Testing Times 2.0

Fabulous Moolah
WWE

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.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett