It is no secret that some WWE officials and workers were less than pleased with Rey Mysterio’s recent posturing, which some reports say included threatening to give the company his notice. Nonetheless, sources say the notion that WWE delibrately handled its recent drug testing in a way that would target Mysterio is wholly false.
Mysterio, one of WWE’s top draws with family and Hispanic audiences, remains a valuable WWE Superstar. With Jeff Hardy having embarked on his hiatus and Undertaker not planning to work many of the upcoming house shows, Mysterio represented one of the few babyface draws who could work main events with CM Punk on the road. While many within the industry are confident that WWE does not (or almost never does not) target specific talent with its drug testing, there is a universal belief that WWE absolutely did not do so in this case. WWE simply would not want Mysterio off the road, television and pay-per-view.
What sources are less clear on, however, is what actually went down regarding the handling of Mysterio’s suspension. Mysterio claims that because he was away on vacation and doing international promotional work, he did not hear of his positive drug test until Wednesday; he thus did not have enough time to meet the Thursday deadline for providing proof of his valid prescription (which he claims he can ultimately provide).
Because WWE’s Wellness Policy text appears to grant wrestlers three days to provide documentation, Mysterio’s story is not consistent with how WWE says it operates the policy. WWE has yet to reveal a timeline or a statement that explains the discrepancy.
Regarding Mysterio’s candid Mexican media interview, many within WWE were very upset with Mysterio’s comments, including his claim that WWE handled the situation “badly.” Mysterio has nonetheless told those close to him that he values a clean reputation of adherence to the wellness policy and wanted to make sure his side of the story got out.
Close to Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, the two tragic WWE figures whose mainstream deaths played a prominent role in bringing WWE drug use into the limelight, Mysterio also is well aware that his fan base prominently consists of children. Mysterio is understandably concerned that any tainting of his image and respect for the rules could threaten his rapport with that audience; the fact that much of his appeal stems from his ability to compete in main events despite being significantly smaller than his opposition only makes a Wellness policy issue more damaging.
Even though the drug for which Mysterio tested has not been revealed as a steroid or growth hormone (and some flat-out believe it was not such a performance-enhancer), “steroids” are the first assumption many make when learning of a test failure. Mysterio wanted to do damage control as soon as he could.
Candid WWE announcer Jim Ross has not offered too much insight to Mysterio’s suspension, but he did confirm, “The amount of money Rey will not earn as a result of this misstep and subsequent suspension is considerable and will likely be equal to the equivalent to an entire year’s earnings for main event level talent back in the day.”
(Partial Source: F4WOnline.com)