November 14, 2007 Observer Newsletter: Two WWE wrestlers suspended, CNN special on Chris Benoit

The issue of performance enhancing drugs is always going to be an exercise in frustration, but actions in both MMA and WWE this past week continue to show certain colors that make things even more uneasy.

The WWE’s Wellness Policy was shown this past week to be far more about the corporate fiscal Wellness. And in MMA, hearings conducted before the California State Athletic Commission on 10/31 left everyone on all sides confused, with the mixed messages being sent.

On 11/2, WWE announced D.H. Smith (Harry Smith) and Chris Masters (Chris Mordetzsky) had been suspended due to violations of the company Wellness policy. These were the first wrestlers suspended for drug policy violations that were announced publicly, as per the change in policy on 11/1. Smith was announced as being put on a 30-day suspension, and Masters on a 60-day suspension for a second violation.

There is the obvious aspect of the story of Smith’s father dying at 39, with the coroner who conducted the autopsy specifically mentioning steroids as a prime cause of the death, and his mentor in many ways being Chris Benoit. But everyone knows the rules of the game and to be surprised anyone does anything to get ahead in this business, no matter what their family history is, shouldn’t surprise anyone.

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