As you have probably heard by now, Randy Orton was suspended on May 30th of this year for 60-days, due to his second violation of WWE’s Wellness Policy. His first suspension under the policy came in August of 2006; however, Orton did not miss any ring time. Instead, he was simply forced to work for 30 days without pay. At the time, WWE was going through several suspensions, and Orton was kept on TV to keep storylines going without having to make too many adjustments. This time, however, Orton will be kept both off the road and television for the full extent of his suspension, and will miss both the No Way Out and Money in the Bank pay-per-views. He will be eligible to return to television on July 30th, which will be a Monday Night RAW Supershow taping.
It was unknown at the time of the suspension what Orton got in trouble for, but details have begun to surface. It turns out that Orton tested positive for both marijuana and Dianabol. Orton was fined $2500.00 for the marijuana (which is not against the policy, but is still highly frowned on by WWE), while the Dianabol is what really got him in trouble. For those that might not be familiar, Dianabol is an illegal steroid that is taken orally. It was originally a legal substance, and quite popular in the sport of bodybuilding. In 1990, it was added as an amendment to the Controlled Substances Act, known as the “Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990″ (although without the consent of the DEA or National Institute on Drug Abuse). Although it is illegal, it is still very popular with athletes, especially bodybuilders and wrestlers.
While this is only Orton’s second suspension under the Wellness Policy, it is actually his fourth violation and third suspension in the company overall, with all four being related illegal substances. His first suspension came in 2006, where he was caught on film smoking marijuana. Many think the marijuana was simply an excuse to get rid of Orton for a bit, as he was known for having one of the worst attitudes in the locker room at the time. Later that year, he faced his first official Wellness violation (which I mentioned earlier), and in 2007, he was one of many wrestlers named in the Signature Pharmacy scandal. The scandal involved the names of several WWE wrestlers who showed up on a list for the pharmacy, with all receiving prescriptions for performance-enhancing drugs. Orton, however, was not suspended like the rest, as WWE claimed he had already told Vince McMahon about his ties with the pharmacy before the scandal broke.
Just before this 60-day suspension, Orton was originally scheduled to face Chris Jericho at No Way Out, but that match was scrapped when Jericho was suspended for 30 days following an incident at a live event in Brazil. It was reported Orton would be moving into a feud with Dolph Ziggler instead, however, because of the suspension, that too has been scrapped.
It is unknown what Orton’s future looks like at this point. Although he is a former multi-time WWE and World Champion and consistent main eventer, he may be demoted to the mid-card as punishment. Rey Mysterio, who is also out on suspension, is likely facing the same punishment, and there is a rumor he may not even be brought back when his 60 days are up.
0 comments:
Post a Comment