Steroids

[matbro1984]

 

[kamicazze]

the fact that steroids enlarge the heart and then taking bumps along with this must create stress that links into death. Bodybuilders do not get thrown from the top rope etc. Its a combination of many things, but to say steroids do not play a part is ignorance. Should wrestling be without steroids is another question as the physiques is part of the spectacle. I do not believe however that any promoter should endorse it. I do sport science and we have done a whole semester just on steroids. They were using benoit as a steroid example but i fought the case of head trauma to take away from the steroid theory. But a lot of other sporting competitors have died with allegedly steroid related instances. Marc vivien foe being one?

[CavemanLynn]

Testosterone-based steroids bind to androgen receptors in skeletal muscle. Cardiac muscle contains few or no androgen receptors. Enlarged hearts are due to HGH abuse.

 

I separate the steroid users into 3 categories - users, misusers, and abusers. Users take steroids sensibly with correct and thorough precautions, monitoring their health whilst using appropriate steroids to increase athletic performance not just during, but post-cycle. Misusers are the vast majority, people who take the stuff seeing it as a magic bullet to the physique they think they want without educating themselves on the risks. Abusers are guys who know how to use them, but either through self-doubt, peer pressure, or plain arrogance, over-supplement or prolong their cycles unnecessarily.

 

One or more of the major wrestling promotions could do worse than to invest in a facility designed to train, rehab and monitor their talent's health and training. If they started treating their talent like athletes, similar to those in the NFL and NBA, then I believe instances of drug-related death would drop through the floor. Steroids are a part of US sports culture from college upwards, but the athletes have the support of qualified professional trainers and medical staff. Without education and medical care, any wellness policy is redundant.

[pro ev promotions]

Testosterone-based steroids bind to androgen receptors in skeletal muscle. Cardiac muscle contains few or no androgen receptors. Enlarged hearts are due to HGH abuse.

 

I separate the steroid users into 3 categories - users, misusers, and abusers. Users take steroids sensibly with correct and thorough precautions, monitoring their health whilst using appropriate steroids to increase athletic performance not just during, but post-cycle. Misusers are the vast majority, people who take the stuff seeing it as a magic bullet to the physique they think they want without educating themselves on the risks. Abusers are guys who know how to use them, but either through self-doubt, peer pressure, or plain arrogance, over-supplement or prolong their cycles unnecessarily.

 

One or more of the major wrestling promotions could do worse than to invest in a facility designed to train, rehab and monitor their talent's health and training. If they started treating their talent like athletes, similar to those in the NFL and NBA, then I believe instances of drug-related death would drop through the floor. Steroids are a part of US sports culture from college upwards, but the athletes have the support of qualified professional trainers and medical staff. Without education and medical care, any wellness policy is redundant.

 

 

Quality post mate. 100% agreed!

 

Did you also know that heavy hgh use is even more dangerous if you dont also use insulin! A mate of mine who won his class in the NABBA UK a few years ago has recently gone down with pancreitis (sp?) and apprently it was caused by using heavy hgh but not using insulin with it - i think he was using something stupid like 20iu a day of growth (most bodybuilders will use between 2-6iu eod depending on their budget) but on insulin and this caused his pancreas to overwork or something?!

 

Out of the users, misusers and abusers, id like to think im in the 'user' category - always cycle off after 6 weeks for the same length of time, always have blood work done with a medical once every 6 months and always check my blood pressure at home when im 'on' - ive used for quite a number of years but i must stress that its been fairly moderate and have had no health problems whatsoever from it! The only side effect i get is a very high sex drive and rarely but6 occasionally a bit of back acne around the 6 week mark which when and sort of why i usually cycle off!

[David]

At the end of the day, pro wrestling isn't a sport, so I don't see why there should be PED restrictions placed on wrestlers by the company.

[Allstar69]

At the end of the day, pro wrestling isn't a sport, so I don't see why there should be PED restrictions placed on wrestlers by the company.

 

that aint the reason they are banned thou its just cos all of the bad publicity that the deaths brought with them

[CavemanLynn]

At the end of the day, pro wrestling isn't a sport, so I don't see why there should be PED restrictions placed on wrestlers by the company.

 

Of course pro wrestling isn't a sport. However, no-one can deny that the wrestlers are athletes, whose profession requires them to be in peak athletic condition. As such, I believe they deserve to be treated as athletes, with the appropriate care that entails. Wrestlers can't be classed as mere actors due to the nature of their work. From what I've heard, NJPW should be the industry standard - qualified medical staff on hand at every event, including house shows, both behind the curtain and at ringside.

 

I've no doubt most of the WWE roster are taking something, but it certainly still seems to be reduced from when the wellness policy was first implemented. Dosages are probably creeping up, but it doesn't look like there'll be any major violations in the near future.

[Richie Freebird]

Dosages are probably creeping up, but it doesn't look like there'll be any major violations in the near future.

 

You don

[JNLister]

I don't know why WWE don't stop spending all this money on testing when they could just take a picture of the guys every week and stick it online on a modified version of Hot or Not. After all, every Internet user can tell who's juicing just by looking.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Is that really the case though? I remember a caller into the old Observer radio show calling in because WCW would rather push roiders like Goldberg over people who are "obviously not on steriods" like Benoit. People usually pick and choose between favourites anyway.

[David]

Does WWE still have some external company doing their testing for them?

[tiger_rick]

Does WWE still have some external company doing their testing for them?

Yeah, Titan Sports do it for them.

[David]

[Deaq]

Wrestlers are like bodybuilders, Your body needs a down time you can tell when guys who are built get a bit chubby in the belly, Wrestlemaina is round the corner so I most most guys to tighten there training up and look the best they can for the big show.

[A.P.]

The one thing I see missing from this thread is an appreciation for the genetics that these wrestlers possess. It may be hard to believe, but people like Cena, Ezekiel Jackson, Rob Terry, Batista etc. and all the other massive wrestlers are elite athletes and have elite genetics for recovery and muscle building. They would most likely have better physiques than 90% of people without even touching a weight. Throw into the mix hard training and good eating, and you have before you a behemoth. To use an example from bodybuilding, it is well known that former Mr Olympia Ronnie Coleman turned professional at around 225lbs at 5ft 11 drug free (and notice here he is massive and lean and freakish looking):

 

 

After he turned pro, he started using drugs (and very modest doses according to his long-time mentor and gym-owner Brian Dobson). At his biggest, he was 296lbs at the 2003 Mr Olympia I believe it was:

 

 

However, Ronnie Coleman was still huge before he even touched a weight. He was also well know as the hardest training bodybuilder of his era.

 

Rob Terry has won numerous natural bodybuilding competitions (which are drug tested), which just goes to show that someone who the average internet fan denounces as a 'juicer' is, in fact, a genetic freak and clean. It is well know within the wrestling locker room that Rob Terry is natural. So, upon that logic, and in a company that contains elite athletes, it is not unbelievable that Cena etc are natural too.

 

Also, having been interested in bodybuilding for years and spent a lot of times in gyms, it also becomes easier and easier to spot a physique that is chemically enhanced. Look at the wrestling physiques of 1990/1991 (people like the Road Warriors, Barbarian, Warlord, British Bulldog etc) and you'll notice they all have huge shoulders and traps, they are all retaining water and look slightly bloated despite being lean, and have a slight redness to their skin tone. Compare that to nowadays. I'm almost certain John Cena is natural (despite what goons like Fin Martin say). You can also tell a big difference between Batista when he started out compared to when he ended.

 

That is not to say that some of these guys aren't using drugs (I'm pretty sure WWE don't test for HGH do they, which speeds recovery and helps maintain leaness), but my point is that it is not such a dead cert as some people make out, and probably not the guys you necessarily expect it is.