Wrestling Observer Rewinder

August 01, 1994

Vince McMahon and WWF were found not guilty this week in their steroid trial. This is going to be the longest post in the history of Reddit. Strap in. Shit gets crazy.
The two distribution charges were dropped during the trial due to lack of evidence when one of the government's witnesses wasn't there to testify and after Hogan outright denied that Vince gave him steroids on the witness stand. Due to this, the judge dismissed those charges, leaving only the big conspiracy charge to be tried.
In the end, it was obvious that Zahorian was distributing steroids and it was obvious that Vince McMahon knew it was happening, but the government was unable to prove that McMahon ever actively arranged for it to happen and that was the crux of the conspiracy charge. In fact, it seems likely that Pat Patterson and Linda McMahon were more involved in the decisions regarding Zahorian than Vince was. But they weren't on trial.
Up until the verdict was read, no one knew what would happen. Neither side seemed to have clearly had a victory locked down and court experts wavered back in forth in predicting whether there'd be a conviction or acquittal. During jury deliberations, the WWF side seemed increasingly nervous as the hours ticked by. Dave was initially predicting acquittal, but the longer the jury deliberated, Dave says he found himself starting to think a conviction was more likely.
Dave starts recapping testimony from all the witnesses, starting with Dr. Zahorian. A funny note, most of the packages Zahorian admitted sending to WWF offices were for steroids, but he says one of them contained Rogaine for Gene Okerlund. Zahorian testified that he sent needles with the packages because he learned many of the wrestlers had been sharing needles.
Rick Rude was next and seemed disinterested and clearly didn't want to be there. He obviously didn't want to testify against WWF since he's now out of a job with WCW and didn't want to burn the WWF bridge. In fact, Dave says most everyone in the industry hoped Vince would be acquitted because if WWF was damaged or gone, it would destroy their bargaining power with WCW. Rude testified that he had used steroids throughout his career, but got off them in 1988 because he and his wife were trying to have a baby. He said McMahon told him he didn't look good and implied he should get back on steroids, but couldn't recall if Vince had outright told him to.
Next up was Nailz, the most controversial witness of the trial. Nailz testified that he was with Rick Rude when the conversation with McMahon took place and that McMahon specifically told Rude, "I suggest you get on the gas" to get bigger. Nailz also testified that he had a meeting with Vince in Jan. 1992 to discuss the Nailz gimmick and claims that McMahon asked if he was on steroids. When Nailz said no, McMahon allegedly said, "You should be." Nailz responded that he was already 300 pounds and wouldn't use steroids to get a job and McMahon allegedly said, "Sometimes life isn't fair" and told him if he wanted a job, the ball was in his court (Dave notes that this was at the peak of the steroid scandal and testing had just begun and Dave finds it extremely hard to believe that Vince would have directly told anyone to use steroids at that time). On cross-examination, WWF lawyer Jerry McDevitt mentioned that Nailz was currently suing McMahon and says Nailz wasn't even employed by WWF when the conversation with Rude happened (in 1988). He also pointed out that the Nailz outfit (the orange jumpsuit) covered his entire body and didn't show any of his physique, so why would they want him on steroids? Nailz was then asked if he hated Vince McMahon and he responded, "Yeah." (in later years, this has been widely regarded as the testimony that sunk the government's case and turned the jury in favor of McMahon).
Pat Patterson was next. He noted he had been employed by the company since 1979 and as current vice president, he earns $3,500 a week. Dave says Patterson was "carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey" on the witness stand by the prosecution, who made him look foolish as he was nervous fumbled all over himself trying to give positive testimony for Vince and contradicted himself repeatedly, especially when confronted about the "smoking gun" memo that Patterson received from Linda McMahon, telling him to distance the WWF from Dr. Zahorian. Dave rehashes a lot of the questions he was asked and the answers he gives and it's pretty clear that Patterson was lying his ass off on the stand. This is really worth reading in full if you're subscribed. On cross-examination, McDevitt recapped Patterson's entire career and basically tried to paint him as a dumb old man who only knows wrestling and barely spoke fluent English and wasn't smart enough to be involved in such a complex conspiracy.
Other funny side notes from Patterson's testimony: Patterson was asked to compare Randy Savage to Nailz and he responded, "Some have talent, some don't." He also claimed Hogan and Andre had never wrestled each other before Wrestlemania 3 (not even close to true). And he said that any time he has meetings with Vince McMahon in his office, the door is always closed "because Vince doesn't like to hear any noise at all."
Next up was the WWF office worker who deals with arena regulations, athletic commissions, etc. in every city. She testified that she tried to get Dr. Zahorian removed as the assigned doctor from shows because she had heard the rumors of him dealing drugs, and tried to assign another doctor to the shows. Zahorian was upset about it and went over her head and complained to Patterson, who told her the boys liked Dr. Zahorian and to keep him on. The employee went to Linda McMahon to complain about it and Linda told her to do what Patterson said. The employee testified that she complained to Gorilla Monsoon that she was being pressured to keep Dr. Zahorian at the shows and Monsoon agreed with her and said Dr. Zahorian was sleazy, but his hands were tied. Later on (after Linda and Patterson had gotten wind of the investigation), Patterson told her to make sure Zahorian didn't come to the shows anymore and she replied, "You wanted him there, you get rid of him." On cross-examination, McDevitt tried to bully her and paint her as a bitch who didn't get along with anybody and accused her of colluding with the prosecution before the trial.
At some point, Afa Anoa'i (manager of the Headshrinkers) was called to the judge's bench and scolded because apparently Afa was in the courtroom mouthing the words "not guilty" at the jury in an attempt to intimidate them. Holy shit.
Ultimate Warrior testified next and was well-spoken and came off as honest, but forgetful. He testified that in 1989, Vince asked him if he could get HGH but that Vince had never told him to take steroids and that it was his personal choice to do so. He said in 1991, he accidentally left steroids in a hotel room and when Vince found out, he was furious because it was around the time the Zahorian trial was happening and Vince told him he had to be careful because things were heating up. After testifying, Warrior was surrounded by media outside. When talking about how it was his choice to use steroids, Warrior went up to an attractive female reporter with an analogy: "If you were on a job interview and the boss told you to take off all your clothes right there and have wild sex, it's your decision. You could say no." Ummm...
Next up was the CFO of WWF. Interestingly, he noted that Titan Sports (WWF) is a Delaware corporation, because they have more favorable tax laws that Connecticut, and that Vince is 100% owner. He testified that Vince had come to him to get cash for an untraceable transaction and the CFO explained to Vince how he could get bank checks without his or WWF's name on them. He testified that Vince wanted the money to buy steroids for himself and Hulk Hogan.
Emily Feinberg, Vince's personal secretary and the prosecution's star witness, was next and her testimony is what the entire basis of the case is built on. Dave notes that she is a former Playboy Playmate and "dressed down" in order to downplay her attractiveness. (because of course Vince would have a Playmate as his secretary. And before anyone asks: June 1988 Playmate of the Month, under the name Emily Arth. Google Images has what you're looking for). During some of the testimony, it was hinted that her relationship with McMahon was more than just professional, but no one ever outright said it and she was never in a position to have to confirm or deny it. But in case you're wondering why she has such intimate knowledge about McMahon, there ya go. She testified that she was in charge of the original drug testing policy that checked for cocaine. She said the tests were coming up positive for other drugs like opiates and barbiturates, but Vince only cared about cocaine positives and he said the wrestlers needed the other drugs for pain, for sleep, and to control their roid rages.
Feinberg's testimony continued and she testified that Hogan was the #1 star of the company and got star treatment and that they would get in trouble if they contacted him without going through Vince first. She testified that Vince and Patterson talked openly about steroids in the office. She said Vince would have steroids shipped to him, keep about half for himself, and have her send the rest to Hogan. At some point in the testimony, she says that Vince McMahon contracted hepatitis in early 1990 and got off steroids at that point. McMahon told her that Hogan had taught him how to take steroids when they were on set filming No Holds Barred. In Jan. 1991, she says McMahon ordered her to get rid of any records she had linking the company to Zahorian and that Vince even gave her leftover steroids he had and told her to take them home and keep them at her house until everything blew over (Vince was apparently worried about getting raided by the DEA). She eventually got rid of all but one vial, which she turned over to the prosecutors.
On cross-examination, McDevitt went after Feinberg hard and accused her of being coached by the prosecution on what to say in her testimony and noted that she had been given immunity for testifying. They tried to portray her as an actress who was playing a role and started attacking her personal character. They even commented on her "dressing down" for court, saying, "That's not the way you dress at work." Feinberg responded that, yes, actually, she did and had worn the exact outfit she was wearing now to work several times. They then accused Feinberg of planning to write a book and said when she left WWF, she tried to demand a larger severance settlement from them. Basically implying that she's lying because WWF fired her in 1991. During her testimony, Vince was stoic with his head down, while Linda appeared to be fighting back tears (from reading all this, it sounds like somebody was finding out right there along with everyone else that her husband had been banging a Playmate behind her back).
And now we get to Hulk Hogan's testimony and the media circus. Hogan appeared scared out of his mind when he first took the stand and was holding back tears at one point, but got more comfortable as it went on. He admitted he started using steroids in 1976 and that 75-80% of the locker room was using them in the mid-80s. He said when his wife got pregnant with their son Nick, it happened when Hogan was still on steroids and when she found out he was still on the juice, it was one of the biggest arguments he and his wife ever had. Hogan testified that Vince had never told him to use steroids, that it was his personal choice. He said that at one point, Dr. Zahorian gave him an entire prescription pad with every page written in with a prescription for steroids. Even the judge seemed aghast at that one.
Hogan said he felt singled out in 1991 when the steroid story broke and he was the big name that everyone talked about. He said since then, steroids get brought up in almost every interview he does. He admitted to lying in interviews, including the Arsenio Hall Show and said McMahon had told him before that he didn't think it was a good idea for Hogan to do the show, but he did it anyway. He said he returned to the WWF in 1993 for money and for the exposure to boost his acting career.
Dave says the media coverage for this part of the trial was insane and unfair to Hogan, as they treated him as if he was the one on trial and all the stories that came out after were exceedingly negative of him.
Big John Studd testified next. Studd is currently suffering from Hodgkin's Disease and due to the chemo, is not supposed to travel. The plan was for him to testify by phone, but this made McMahon and his lawyers furious because they seemingly didn't believe it was true. McMahon himself, who had been quiet the entire trial, spoke up and wanted to know the doctor's name who said Studd couldn't travel and wanted the doctor called to verify it. With the jury out of the room, they argued that they didn't want the jury to know that Studd had cancer because it might make the jury think his cancer was a result of steroid use and would make the jury prejudiced against McMahon. So the jury was never told Studd had cancer and he ended up testifying by phone, but nothing much of note was said.
The final witness was doctor and steroid expert who was brought in to talk about the negative effects of steroids. Jerry McDevitt was vicious with the doctor and they clearly seemed to hate each other and Dave says this back and forth seemed to have no bearing on the trial. It basically amounted to McDevitt trying to argue with the expert that steroids aren't as bad as everyone has been led to believe and the doctor vehemently disagreeing. Jerry McDevitt seems like he might be the lawyer you'd want on your side if you needed one, but good lord, does he ever come across as a snaky fucking asshole every time I read about him.
At this point, the judge threw out the 2 distribution charges and upheld the conspiracy charge and the lawyers went into their closing statements. The prosecution called the WWF a dark, corrupt business that used drugs to pump up their profits while hiding behind a quack doctor. They said the evidence shows that Vince and Linda McMahon and Pat Patterson all knew what was happening, conspired to facilitate it, encouraged it, knew it was illegal, and tried to cover it up when the heat got too hot. The lawyer was apparently so vicious towards the WWF side that it left Linda McMahon in tears.
WWF's lawyers said they had no case and that they used Hogan's celebrity and the media to trump up a case without evidence to support it in court. They said that there is a steroid problem in sports and the government is looking for a scapegoat and is trying to pin it on wrestling because nobody respects wrestling and most people won't even admit they watch it. They then trashed the government witnesses, saying Zahorian is a felon who will say anything to get better conditions in prison, and that most of the wrestlers who testified all have axes to grind against WWF and that they all used steroids before working there, including this nugget: "Tom Zenk is the type of individual that would take steroids out of a garbage can and use them." She talked about how Zenk and Rude admitted under oath that they have recently used steroids but were allowed to walk out as free men while Vince is being tried. She noted that several of the wrestlers have sued WWF and that Nailz even attacked Vince McMahon and can't be seen as a credible witness. They pointed out inconsistencies in Emily Feinberg's testimony and implied that she's just an actress who was performing for the jury and is out for fame.
When the "not guilty" verdict was read, the courtroom exploded like they were popping for a top babyface wrestler. In a press conference afterward, Vince McMahon stated, "I didn't have a great deal of faith in the judicial system, but I had an overwhelming faith in humanity. I left my fate in the hands of the jury and they responded nicely through all the insults the government threw at me." Later that night, McMahon did an exclusive interview with Ch. 5 news in New York and said, "It's been an unbelievable ordeal which I wouldn't wish on anyone. It's been two-and-a-half years that no American should endure. It was endured by us and a jury of my peers found us not guilty. I was singled out unfairly. I had everything riding on this case. I'd be less than candid to say I wasn't nervous. I was definitely nervous."
When asked about Hogan's testimony, Vince responded, "I don't feel bad when anyone tells the truth, however it feels bad when someone you worked with takes the stand and does not tell the whole truth and all of the truth. That hurt me very badly." McMahon also hinted that he might file a counter-lawsuit against the government.
Word is WWF spent around $3 million in legal fees on this case which is pretty hefty, since the company's most profitable year ever, before taxes, was only $6 million. The prosecution expressed disappointment but said they accepted the jury's verdict.
Dave's final thoughts on it: obviously the WWF and McMahon are guilty of all sorts of things in relation to steroids. But the conspiracy charge was very specifically worded and the prosecution failed to prove that Vince was guilty of that exact charge in the way that they had to. Thus, the acquittal. Everyone is speculating on what the fallout of this verdict will be and Dave says we'll just have to wait and see.
And finally....the steroid trial coverage is over. BUT WAIT! We still have tons of actual wrestling news to get to in this same issue!
Deep breath.
Bash at the Beach took place and Dave says it was a huge success and drew an estimated 1.02 buyrate, which is exactly what WCW was hoping for and makes it the biggest WCW buyrate since 1991 and more double the last PPV. And the live crowd was the biggest since Funk/Flair in 1989. Between the live gate and the PPV profits, Hulk Hogan alone is expected to pull in $680,000 which ain't bad for one night's work. It outdrew King of the Ring by more than 30%, which is the first time a WCW PPV has ever outdrawn a WWF PPV in the same time period. As for the show itself, they started an angle between Antonio Inoki and Steve Regal for Clash of the Champions. Steamboat vs. Austin stole the show but the crowd didn't seem into it. And Hogan won the WCW title from Flair in a overbooked but otherwise typical Hogan match.
The next Hogan match should be at Clash of the Champions next month in a rematch with Flair, followed then by another rematch at Halloween Havoc, inside a cage and likely with Mr. T as referee and Muhammad Ali making an appearance in Hogan's corner. There's been talk of adding a stipulation that Flair will retire if he loses at Havoc and some of Flair's friends say he has legitimately been considering retirement (ha!).
AAA finally held their long-awaited Chicago and New York shows and once again shocked the wrestling world by drawing surprisingly large crowds. The Chicago show drew 5,200 and New York drew 3,300 which kills the theory that the promotion can't draw outside of Southern California, despite the limited television exposure. Because of the high costs of putting the shows on, they weren't quite profitable financially, but everyone is satisfied with the turnout. If they can get better TV exposure, perhaps in syndication, they could run big shows here, maybe even PPVs and it would be a goldmine. Now they're talking about perhaps running a show in Denver later this year. WCW officials were at the New York show and AAA president Antonio Pena has visited WCW recently, so they may start a working relationship soon.
Dave describes a recent match at the ECW Arena: "After a bloodbath with the Funk Brothers vs. Public Enemy which ended with approximately 80 chairs in the ring, Terry Funk wrapped up in barbed wire with a garbage can stuck to his chest, and a brawl which went out of the building into the parking lot while dozens of the elderly were arriving at the building for their weekly Saturday midnight bingo (the ECW Arena doubles as a bingo hall), the fans gave both wrestlers and the show a standing ovation, and then chanted "ECW, ECW."
Dave then goes on to basically praise ECW as the most innovative wrestling in the country, says the converted bingo hall is even smaller and trashier than it looks on TV and says that the company is so over with its fans that even the referees get chants. The shows are headlined every night by the best performer in the country today and Dave says he's not talking about Bret Hart or Ric Flair. He's talking about Sabu. During his match, he did crazy moves that blew away anything the 2 major companies have done on PPV and midway through the show, the power went out in the building and it still didn't dampen the show. Terry Funk asked the crowd for a chair and within seconds, it was raining chairs from the crowd, which Dave says is a bit too dangerous and if someone in the crowd got injured, it could cause endless problems for ECW (this happened more than once, because this isn't the famous incident that you're probably thinking of). And remember, this is still Eastern Championship Wrestling days. We haven't even gotten Extreme yet (the chair throwing part is at the beginning of the 2nd video below).
Dave drops some worthless trivia and says Mexican wrestler Sangre Chicana has 20 children, 16 of them daughters. "No wonder he isn't going to retire any time soon."
Terry Gordy made a surprise return to All Japan for the Bruiser Brody Memorial Show, in a tag team match.
Antonio Inoki planned to meet up with George Foreman while he was in America last week but it didn't happen. He did have a meeting with Muhammad Ali while he was here though.
Sid Vicious won the USWA Unified title from Jerry Lawler this week. Dave says that, from what he's been told, everyone in the promotion is thrilled with Sid's attitude so far and then clarifies that he's really not being sarcastic. Apparently, Sid is being easy to work with so far.
Apparently Chris Candido and Timothy Well of the tag team Well Dunn had some backstage issues but with Well Dunn now being gone from SMW, that's no longer an issue. Dave doesn't clarify.
ECW is expected to start on MSG cable in September, which will lead to them expanding into the New York market.
Sandy Barr has closed down his Championship Wrestling USA promotion, reportedly due to the money losses suffered by the show with Tonya Harding that ended up being an enormous, expensive flop. Speaking of Harding, the reason she did so little at the show is because the state athletic commission stuck to their rules and since Harding wasn't a licensed wrestling manager, they wouldn't let her anywhere near ringside.
In AAA, there was an office robbery. AAA president Antonio Pena received a phone call threatening his life and warning him not to go to the office that day. He went anyway and five gunmen showed up and pistol whipped an employee and stole $15,000 in cash, jewelry from one of the employees, and destroyed some office equipment. Police have no suspects.
Expect Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart to start having more influence in WCW due to the success of the PPV. This is code for "expect Hogan to start getting his friends hired." Jim Duggan debuted at the latest tapings and Brutus Beefcake and Brian Blair appeared with Hogan at the PPV in the post-match celebration. And Jimmy Hart is reportedly trying to get Honky Tonk Man hired.
Jesse Ventura has been complaining to anyone who will listen about being replaced on the WCW Saturday Night show by Bobby Heenan and not being told ahead of time what role he has at PPVs. Speaking of Ventura, he's apparently decided not to run for U.S. Senate.
Michael Buffer sucks as a wrestling announcer and Dave says everyone in WCW realizes it, but they've committed to using him for a few more shows. When that's over with though, don't expect to see him around anymore (pretty sure he still ended up announcing WCW shows well into the NWO era).
WWF is airing skits where Leslie Neilsen of Naked Gun fame is playing a detective trying to get to the bottom of the Fake Undertaker story. These are so fun and cheesy.
WWF apparently made a major play to try and steal Konnan from AAA after the success of the New York and Chicago AAA shows, but Konnan isn't jumping and plans to stay where he is.
The latest issue of WWF magazine did an article that was a major burial of Hulk Hogan, talking about him being old and noted that he jumped ship to another promotion where most of the talent is past their prime.