10 Wrestling Facts We Didn’t Know Last Week (26 Oct)

5. Duke Droese Was On Methadone At WrestleMania X-Seven

Duke Droese
WWE Network

The 'Gimmick Battle Royal' staged at WrestleMania X-Seven was a worthwhile distraction from other, more serious matches on the show. It let old favourites like Bobby Heenan, Gene Okerlund, The Iron Sheik and Hillbilly Jim share some 2001 spotlight, and it gave previous, less impressive gimmicks such as Duke "The Dumpster" Droese a nice pay day.

After the show, it was back to rehab for Duke.

Confused? Well, in an interview with The Hannibal TV, Droese revealed that he was going through some rather depressing drug addiction issues when WWE made the call and asked if he'd like a spot in the match. Duke didn't want to turn it down despite being in terrible physical condition, and so he decided to get doped up on methadone before stepping through the curtain.

That's why he was so pale and sickly looking come bell time. Duke had been battling cocaine addiction (along with other drugs) for a good while, and he's still horrified by how ill he looked that night.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.