THOMAS SAMSON/Getty ImagesDave Palumbo, a bodybuilder who worked as a nutritionist for WWE, clarified statements he made to independent wrestler Matt Riviera about steroid usage inside WWE.
Deadspin's David Bixenspan drew attention to the interview, which was posted to YouTube:
During the discussion, Palumbo said Triple H wasn't using anabolic steroids to maintain his physique but "would love to" were it not for WWE's drug policy:
"They can't do it. Believe me, I'm sure he would love to do it, but they can't do it. So, once again, that's why diet and supplementation become so important, is how you train. The truth of the matter is you have muscles in your body, and you eat right, and you supplement right, and train right, and get enough rest, you can grow muscles. You gotta remember, these guys are not that big."
Bixenspan reached out to Palumbo about the comments, and Palumbo said, "Most athletes would love an added advantage, but since it's not allowed, there's no way Triple H would do them. Period."
Palumbo also said some wrestlers inside WWE are using drugs such as human growth hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin in low enough doses that would qualify as therapeutic usage, per Bixenspan:
"But the good thing about wrestling is it's not a professional sport per se, more entertainment, they are allowed to take hormone replacement. So they can go to [hormone replacement therapy] places, they can get testosterone, you know, 100 milligrams a week, whatever they prescribe nowadays, umm, they can get hCG, they can do, you know, hGH if they want. Those are acceptable, you know, and a lot of the wrestlers do do it, y'know, it’s not for me to say who’s using what, but they're very minimal doses."
In a statement to Bixenspan, WWE said hCG and hGH are both banned substances but that the company has therapeutic use exemptions for wrestlers with specified medical conditions.
The United States government once took WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to court in 1994 on the charge he willfully distributed steroids to wrestlers inside the company. Although McMahon was acquitted, the trial shed light on the rampant steroid usage in WWE, which was the WWF at the time. Hulk Hogan testified the use of steroids "was fairly common" and outlined the process by which he'd acquire steroids from Dr. George T. Zahorian.
Former WWE and WCW star Kevin Nash said in a 2009 interview that WWE had ceased enforcing its drug policy in 1996.
The death of Chris Benoit in June 2007 put WWE's wellness policy under an even bigger microscope. Two members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform asked McMahon in July 2007 to hand over documents about the policy. WWE ultimately faced no consequences resulting from the Oversight Committee's investigation.
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