Kurt Angle has lifted the lid on some WWE Superstars paying fines in advance just so they didn’t have to take the mandated drug tests in the company for marijuana.
Speaking on The Kurt Angle Show [available at AdFreeShows.com] the Olympic gold medallist was discussing being drafted to the revived ECW brand in 2006. Answering questions from fans on that time in the business, Kurt Angle discussed the issue surrounding drugs in wrestling at this time.
WWE was suspending and fining stars for failing drug tests, with Angle discussing his own failed tests among punishments doled out to others:
“I think Rob [Van Dam] getting hit for marijuana you know, it kinda sucks because nowadays marijuana is legal in certain states. But back then it was one of the big no-nos that you weren’t allowed to do. You weren’t allowed to take drugs and you weren’t allowed to take steroids. Rob wasn’t the only one that got titles stripped from him or got suspended. I got suspended because I failed a drug test. If you’re gonna fail a drug test whether it’s marijuana, painkillers, steroids, it doesn’t matter what it is the company is going to do something. They’re going to suspend you or fine you or both. And with Rob they decided to strip the title from him and they probably fined him but that’s the chance you’re gonna take when you smoke weed.”
Rob Van Dam won the WWE Championship from John Cena in a memorable encounter at ECW One Night Stand in 2006. With the ECW brand then relaunching he was also awarded the new iteration of the ECW Title belt. A few short weeks later however Van Dam dropped the WWE Title to Edge and the ECW Title to Big Show. WWE then announced Van Dam was suspended for 30 days with news breaking that both Van Dam and Sabu had been arrested for possession of drugs.
Angle then discussed WWE’s policy on marijuana today and how some stars wanted to pay their fines in advance:
“What WWE are doing just now and I don’t know if it’s changed since I left but they would just fine the wrestler. So you’re gonna get drug tested seven times a year if you’re gonna fail seven times a year and this is what I heard one of the wrestlers said and I might as well say who it is, Randy Orton and Rob Van Dam. They basically [asked] the company ‘How much are the fines and how many drug tests will I do this year?’ So they wanted to pay the money upfront. I think the fine was $2,000 so they just said ‘Here, take 14 grand, I’m good.’ So they would bypass the test and then wouldn’t get suspended.”
Rob Van Dam was recently inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame, footage has emerged as part of the WWE Icons series of Van Dam gifting large rolling papers to Vince McMahon.
Credit: The Kurt Angle Show via AdFreeShows.com