March 02, 1992
- WCW executive VP Kip Frey finally announced a steroid policy this week in a 9 page memo. It's basically a list of rules and essentially boils down to wrestlers can't use steroids, higher-ups cannot encourage steroid use, and WCW doctors can't prescribe it unless there's a legitimate medical need. Within 6-9 months, WCW will reevaluate this policy and if the problem persists, they will implement steroid testing.
- One of the key parts of the policy is that WCW will also implement voluntary testing and employees who willingly volunteer to be tested regularly, and pass those tests, can earn a bonus of up to 10% of their yearly salary. Dave has spoken to both Vince McMahon and Kip Frey at length and says the 2 men have totally different attitudes about the testing (Frey is realistic about how steroid testing works and is willing to adjust the policy and hopefully fix the problem. McMahon insists his test is unbeatable and denies that there is a steroid problem in the WWF at all).
- Reaction from WCW wrestlers about the policy seems to be good, especially the 10% salary bonus for voluntary testing. Dave thinks most of the roster will be glad to get off steroids for that bonus, however, there will be a few who probably won't be. And if they come back in 6-9 months and decide there's still a steroid problem, then the bonuses will stop and the mandatory testing will begin. So there's concern that those who don't want to quit the steroids could blow it for everyone else. There's also concern about how the fans will take it. WCW is already in distant 2nd place. What happens when fans turn on WCW and see normal looking guys and then switch to WWF and see huge freakshow characters?
- It seems like beating a dead horse at this point, but there are still several major media stories in the works regarding WWF and steroids, namely the upcoming 20/20 story. Hogan especially has to be worried, since he's in a position where he could end up being the Pee Wee Herman of 1992, with the possibility of losing endorsements and being publicly ruined.
- Legendary Japanese-American wrestler Tojo Yamamoto committed suicide this week. He was the most popular post-WWII Japanese heel, traveling around America as the evil heel foreigner and fighting all the patriotic babyfaces. He was especially big in the Memphis area and nearly everyone from USWA attended his funeral.
- WWF responded to Barry Orton's accusations of homosexual harassment by pretty much dismissing it as bullshit. When asked if he knew of any WWF wrestlers who were rewarded for engaging in sex acts with some of these higher ups, Orton said absolutely and gave examples of how he was propositioned (basically, "give me a blowjob and I'll make sure you get a push"). Orton named names, but until he can get the story corroborated by someone else, Dave isn't naming anyone yet. We'll get there....
- WWF is saying Kerry Von Erich will be welcomed back to the company when he completes rehab. Fritz Von Erich appeared on local TV in Dallas (where this has been a big story, since the Von Erichs are so famous there) and said that Kerry has been addicted to painkillers for 6 years, ever since the motorcycle accident that cost him his foot. Kerry's arrest was indeed for falsifying prescriptions for Valium and Vicodin. He's facing 10 years in prison and a $5000 fine, but he will likely get a suspended sentence if he completes rehab.
- Speaking of hoodlums, WCW wrestler Tom Zenk plead innocent to 6 counts of steroid possession and another hearing has been set for next month.
- Correction from Dave, the Ultimate Warrior Slim Jim commercial was actually filmed about a year and a half ago, while he was still with WWF but is only just now airing for some reason.
- Hercules has indeed been released from his contract but is still working on a show-to-show basis. (Just my own speculation, Hercules was one of the most roided up monsters on the roster and the steroid testing only applied to contracted performers. I wonder if that was a way of getting around testing? Just a thought. Or maybe he really was fired for wrestling too rough with McMahon like Bret Hart says in his book.)
- A Current Affair did a story on Andre The Giant's 12-year-old daughter that he has only seen 4 times in her life and talked of the court fight to try to get Andre to pay child support after a test proved he was her father.
- More on the WWF locker room drug raid, evidently road agent Jack Lanza was the one who alerted the wrestlers beforehand that there was a bust going down, which led to everyone dumping their drugs before coming to the arena.