25 WWE Wrestlers That Used Steroids

How do you think these professional wrestlers obtained those ridiculous physiques, brother? Vitamins?

Most professional wrestlers look super-human. They look like comic book characters or characters from a Marvel movie.

It’s part of the attraction to kids watching wrestling — they seem out of this world in their physiques and strength.

Have you ever wondered how they gain these physiques?

Great genetics, eating lots of protein, and working out all the time.

And most of the time, steroids.

How many pro wrestlers use steroids? Here are 25 famous professional wrestlers that we have pretty good evidence of their steroid use.

WWE’s well-documented steroids use

What’s the evidence of steroids in pro wrestling?

Besides the way wrestlers look, there is a well-documented culture of steroid use by pro wrestlers across the industry.

Many pro-wrestling stars from the 1980s and 90s have admitted to taking steroids to build their impressive physiques, such as arguably their biggest ever star, Hulk Hogan.

Former WWE star, The Undertaker, spoke out about the culture of pro-wrestlers using steroids, saying that there was a lot of pressure on the performers to look as huge and ripped as possible.

“There was a time when you had to be jacked. Especially with the big guys there was a stigma. You had to be 300 pounds…” — The Undertaker

Steroid ring busts

In 1994, WWE owner Vince McMahon stood trial after the US government accused him of distributing steroids to his wrestlers, to build their physiques and make them more appealing to audiences. McMahon was eventually acquitted.

During the trials, the Justice Department linked McMahon to busted doctor and steroid dealer Dr George Zahorian, saying he “sold steroids and drugs to 43 pro wrestlers, 37 of whom were employed by McMahon’s WWF when deliveries were made,”

McMahon admitted to taking steroids himself under examination, and perhaps the most famous wrestler, Hulk Hogan, testified that he’d been using steroids for 14 years.

Hogan said when the steroid orders arrived at WWE headquarters, he would “pick them up along with my paycheck, fan mail or whatever.”

Former WWE and WCW star Kevin Nash (Diesel) said in a 2009 interview that WWE ceased enforcing its drug policy in 1996. That was until the wellness program that was brought in after the death of Eddie Guerrero.

Then, the second significant steroids scandal embroiled the WWE in 2007.

In the ‘Florida Raids’, US Government agencies busted a network of “anti-aging” clinics, doctors, and pharmacies for conspiring to fraudulently prescribe and dispense steroids, human growth hormone and other performance-enhancing drugs.

Also known as ‘wellness centres’, performance-enhancing drugs were prescribed over the internet without seeing patients in person.

14 wrestlers were implicated as being clients in the steroids ring and it was a PR disaster for the WWE. Especially for the credibility of their newly introduced wellness policy, which included drug testing wrestlers.

25 professional wrestlers who used steroids

High-profile WWE wrestlers implicated with steroids over the years include:

These 25 wrestlers were caught in drug tests, admitted their use themselves, others have called them out, or the police implicated them in the busts of steroid rings.

Booker T

“5-time“’” Booker T wrestled in WCW during the 1990s, before moving to the WWE in 2001.

Booker became embroiled in the 2007 Signature Pharmacy bust in Orlando and was suspended by the WWE, returning to the promotion in 2011. The Signature Pharmacy was the same one that sold Eddie Guerrero the steroids just before his death.

Booker T claimed he had done steroids in the past but was innocent of the 2007 charges.

“I never tested positive, it was a joke. I’ve done steroids. They’re something I had to do. I’ve had three knee surgeries and the doctor put me on steroids. I had to take certain things. But as far as ordering things from the black market, I didn’t do that.”

Bret Hart

One of wrestling's biggest names in the 1990s was Bret Hart. From one of pro wrestling's most famous families (The Hart Foundation), Hart was with WWE up until the infamous “Montreal screw job” in 1997, He then moved to rival promotion WCW.

Bret’s brother Owen sadly died a couple of years later in the WWE when a live-on-air stunt went horribly wrong.

Bret Hart also admitted to using steroids in a business dominated by huge physiques. Like bodybuilding, he felt like you have to take steroids to be on an equal playing field.

“When I got to the WWF everyone was doing it. If I didn’t take them I wouldn’t have a career. If you wanted to be a star you’d take steroids because everybody else is taking them. If you want to keep your job you’ve got to get competitive with everyone else.”

Brian Adams (Crush)

Mid-card wrestler Brian Adams (not Bryan, the singer) was also known as Crush for some time. His first run in WWE was in 1989, before returning in 1992 as Crush. Adams had a run in WCW before a final WWE run in 2001.

Adams was arrested in 1995 after police found a large number of steroids in his home and he was suspected of dealing.

Just before his sad death in 2007, Adams was another wrestler linked to the Signature Pharmacy drug ring. Adams died from a drug overdose of a cocktail of painkillers.

Brock Lesner

Just as famous for his MMA fighting in UFC as he is for his days in WWE, Brock Lesner’s first WWE run was in the early 2000s.

Lesner has a ridiculously large physique and there have always been suspicions about his natural status, even though he never failed WWE drug tests.

However, he tested positive for steroids in 2016 following a UFC fight and admitted to using them during one of his interviews. However, he wasn’t suspended by the WWE as he wasn’t a full-time performer.

Chris Benoit

One of pro wrestling’s most technical practitioners, Chris Benoit wrestled in WCW in the 1990s before moving to WWE. Benoit sadly instigated a murder-suicide of his family in 2007.

Benoit had high levels of testosterone in his toxicology report, an indication of steroid use.

He had a painkiller and morphine addiction; which added to the prolonged impact on his head from his “flying head butt” move, meant Benoit’s brain resembled that of an 80-year-old Alzheimer’s patient. This contributed to his deteriorated mental state.

Eddie Guerrero

A WCW performer in the 1990s before moving to the WWE in 2000, Eddie Guerrero died in his hotel room in 2005 due to acute heart failure. Later ruled as heart disease, the toxicity was complicated by an enlargement of his heart due to prolonged steroid usage.

After Guerrero’s 2006 death, the WWE introduced a ‘wellness program’ to monitor the health of their performers, including drug testing.

However, shortly after these deaths in 2007, WWE experienced another significant steroid scandal. In the 2007 Florida busts, it was revealed that Signature Pharmacy sent Guerrero drugs just two weeks before his death.

Edge

When entering the WWE in the mid-1990s, Edge was never the biggest guy.

Edge has admitted to using steroids in 2005 on TSN’s Off The Record with Michael Landsberg. He said he used human growth hormone after returning from a spinal fusion neck surgery, but said it slowed him down so he quickly got off.

However, Edge was another wrestler caught in the 2007 Florida Raids, reportedly receiving growth hormones and steroids.

Hulk Hogan

The most famous wrestler of all time is one of two people. The Rock or Hulk Hogan.

The Hulkster joined the WWE in the late 1970s before joining WCW in the mid-1990s.

As mentioned earlier, WWE’s biggest star Hulk Hogan admitted to steroid use during the WWE steroids scandal of the early 1990s. He was the face of wrestling at the time.

Hogan testified in the 1994 federal trial that he took steroids and he didn’t just take it randomly, he took it for 14 long years.

“I would tell kids to train, say their prayers and take their vitamins. But it wasn’t just vitamins I was taking…”

Jeff Hardy

After entering the WWE in the later-1990s, Jeff Hardy became famous for his high-flying and high-risk wrestling style in a tag team with his brother Matt in the Hardy Boyz.

In 2009, Hardy was caught with numbere amount of prescription pills and anabolic steroids. He served a 10-day prison sentence in 2011.

Hardy was also suspended for 60 days in 2008 for his second violation of the WWE Wellness Program.

Jesse Ventura

In an appearance with talk show host Larry King, former Governor of Minnesota and 1980s WWE wrestler Jesse Ventura was asked about steroid use during the ’70s and ’80s.

Ventura admitted drug use was rampant in pro wrestling at the time, especially steroids, and acknowledged that he was a user.

“They abused steroids and they abused a lot of other things and when you do that, you’re living life in the fast lane and you know, you roll the dice.

I don’t need to ask a question because I know why they’re dying. You notice I’m not dying, because I never abused steroids. I tried them, but I never used them very much. If you notice, I still have my build. The guys who use steroids lose their build as they get older cause they gotta stay on them.”

Kurt Angle

A gold medal wrestler at the 1996 Olympics, Kurt Angle joined the WWE in the late 1990s, wrestling in the promotion until the mid-2000s. He had a far more muscular physique than in his amateur wrestling days.

Angle was tied to the 2007 Signature Pharmacy steroids scandal, named alongside other several other WWE wrestlers.

Angle also fail a steroid test in the WWE, because his prescription for the steroid nandrolone had expired.

“ I was a pure athlete, an Olympic champion. And all of a sudden, I’m like Kurt Angle the cheater? It really sucked. You can test me right now. I’ll come up clean. But there was a time when I did it.”

Lex Luger

A star of the WWE and WCW in the 80s and 1990s during the height of the steroids era where freakish size was commonplace, Lex Luger had one of the most impressive physiques in wrestling.

Luger was charged with drug possession (including anabolic steroids and human growth hormones) in 2003 and in his book “Wrestling with the Devil,” Luger admits his anabolic steroids use.

“A guy in the gym said, ‘Buddy, these little blue pills are called Dianabol…’ I took four a day, five milligrams apiece. You get on these steroids, and you train better, eat more. And you retain water from them. So I gained 15 pounds in about two months. I jumped on it, and it worked.”

Paul Michael Levesque (Triple H)

Hunter Hearst Helmsley (real name Paul Michael Levesque), or Triple H as he’s more commonly known, is one of Wrestling’s biggest stars and the husband of the WWE owner’s (Vince McMahon) daughter, Stephanie.

Although claiming to not use steroids to build muscle, Triple H admitted to taking prescribed medical steroids in 2002 to treat a quad injury. And after this break, it looked like he had gained 50 pounds of muscle.

Triple H’s nutritionist, Dave Palumbo, also kinda admitted that he’s probably taking small amounts of Hgh. But, Triple H has never failed a drug test. But, former WWE stars Ryback and Scott Steiner claim favouritism due to his family link, saying he’s never even had a drug test.

“Hunter’s whole career has been made on steroids… Without them, he doesn’t exist in pro wrestling. And I grew up loving him as one of my favorites, and that’s what it is. It is very biased what they do there and all that. But the policy in and of itself, I love it. I wish they had strict drug-testing policies in all of wrestling.” — Ryback

“I’ve never failed a drug test in my life. When WWE told me to take one, I told them to have Triple H pick me up in a limo. We could go test together. (laughs) They never asked again!” — Scott Steiner

Randy Orton

The third-generation wrestler, Randy Orton, has been one of WWE’s biggest stars over the past few decades.

Orton was implicated in the 2007 article from Sports Illustrated, which released a list of WWE superstars who received steroids from the Signature Pharmacy.

Then, in 2012, WWE suspended Orton for 60 days after he tested positive for having oral steroid methandrostenolone in his system.

Ravishing Rick Rude

Since debuting on our screens in the 1980s, one of pro wrestling's most aesthetic physiques belonged to “Ravishing” Rick Rude.

In 1994, Rude admitted to the use of anabolic steroids under oath during Vince McMahon’s steroids trial.

Rude sadly died in 1999 at the age of 40 due to a drug overdose resulting in heart failure.

Roman Reigns

The cousin of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Roman Reigns, has been a WWE star since entering the promotion in 2010.

Reigns was implicated by the jailed CEO of World Fitness Nutrition, Richard Rodriguez, in a 2017 steroids bust. He was named as a client along with Hollywood stars Josh Duhamel, Mark Wahlberg and many sports stars.

In June 2016, Reigns was suspended for 30 days over a wellness violation, but his suspension was later linked to Adderall, used to treat ADHD but is banned in all major sporting leagues.

Scott Hall (Razor Ramon)

After joining the WWE in the late 1980s, Scott Hall moved from WWE to WCW a couple of times during his career. In 1996, Hall famously started the nWo with his buddy who had also just left WWE, Kevin Nash, and later Hulk Hogan.

Hall really fell off the rails later in his career with drugs and alcohol, sadly dying in 2020 following a heart attack.

He admitted to taking steroids as well as using drugs and alcohol to help him keep up with the wrestling lifestyle.

“If you’re going to try to be a pro athlete, why not use everything available to you? I’m not trying to get too involved in (the discussion), but I don’t have a problem with pro athletes being on steroids. You read about all of these baseball players getting in trouble, but I think there are a lot more important things going on in the world today than whether pro athletes use steroids to perform good.

Sting

One of the biggest babyfaces of the 1990s was Sting. After starting in WCW in the late 1980s, Sting changed his persona in 1996 to have facepaint resembling the movie character from The Crow. This is when his popularity skyrocketed.

Sting resonated with wrestling fans who were sick of the nWo ego and bad-guy antics in the mid-to-late-1990s WCW when they needed a hero.

Sting admitted in interviews to taking steroids early in his career, after originally gaining his physique as a bodybuilder. But claimed he then stopped a couple of years into his wrestling career. That’s up for debate, as he was still a big guy well into his 40s and 50s.

“Thankfully I got smart somehow or another in 1990 and stopped taking steroids. A lot of the guys I ran with all those years continued to take steroids year after year — those guys are having their knees and hips replaced. I’m not saying everybody who gets their knees and hips replaced took steroids. I just noticed that the guys who did that were too big, too bulky, too heavy, and the body couldn’t handle it and it took its toll.”

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin

The WWE promotion’s biggest star and perhaps the biggest name in the business for a brief period in the late 1990s is “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

He’s a wrestler than usually isn’t mentioned when it comes to steroids.

However, he has one very notable incident in particular against his name, which the WWE apparently tried to cover up.

In 2002, Austin’s ex-wife Debra Marshall (ring valet Queen Debra in WCW and WWE) called the cops to their home and Austin was arrested on domestic violence charges. She claimed that Austin often suffered from “roid rage”, giving him panic attacks and paranoia.

“I know it was contributed to the use of steroids, because I have seen the steroid rages. I have seen him being paranoid. I have seen his panic attacks. I mean, for three times, I’d seen him attack me — I mean, and at work, people would know it, and they would cover the bruises on my face.”

The British Bulldog

Many wrestlers have bounced between WCW and WWE throughout their careers. The British Bulldog, Davey Boy Smith, was no different, debuting in the WWE in the mid-1980s.

In 1992, WWE released Davey for receiving shipments of human growth hormones from a pharmacy in England — his native country. The Bulldog then joined WCW and his muscular physique remained for the rest of his career.

Davey sadly died at just 39 years old, and close friend Bruce Hart claimed “Davey paid the price with steroid cocktails and human-growth hormones.”

The Rock

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson joined the WWD in 1996 as Rocky Maivia and quickly became their biggest star, before his first Hollywood role in 2001. Dwayne left wrestling a few years later as his acting career took off, returning a couple of times over the years.

Johnson admitted in a 2009 interview trying steroids back in college — but apparently, that’s when it stopped. Obviously, it didn’t…

He admitted to having gynecomastia surgery in 2005 — a procedure for male breast reduction, sometimes called a “moob job”.

Often referred to as Gyno, it’s a common side effect of steroids where men experience growth in breast tissue.

“I tried it. My buddies and I tried it back in the day when I was 18 or 19 [as a defensive lineman for the University of Miami]. We didn’t know what we were doing…”

The Ultimate Warrior

One of the WWE’s biggest stars of the late 1980s and early 1990s partly due to his amazing physique was The Ultimate Warrior. He had a semi-retirement before rejoining WWE and then WCW in the mid-1990s, but was cut due to his drug addictions.

The Ultimate Warrior was let go by WWE in 1992 at a time the government was investigating them for drug use. WWE owner Vince McMahon said that Warrior’s experimentation with growth hormones was the reason he was let go.

Warrior later admitted to his steroid usage in court and in many interviews. He died at the age of 54 from a heart attack.

“Talking about steroids is always a Catch-22. They aren’t all bad, and they aren’t all good. Athletes are going to do them — or whatever else — to be the best at what they do. But, let’s face it, bodybuilding and wrestling are more circus-like — people want to see the ‘freaks’…”

Umaga

Active in the WWE from the early 2000s as Umaga, Eddie Fatu‘s name was tied up in the names released by Sports Illustrated in the Florida bust of 2007.

Fatu sadly died in 2009, before the age of 40. Heart disease was one of the causes, often linked to an enlarged heart from abusing steroids.

He had been released just 7 months earlier by the WWE for his second violation of the WWE drugs policy and had refused to go to rehab.

Vince McMahon

The WWE owner Vince McMahon has been active on air for decades, often playing the role of evil owner.

At 70+ years old, McMahon’s physique far defies his age. Apparently, the wellness policy doesn’t apply to him…

McMahon did admit to steroid use in the 80s, under oath during his 1994 federal trial for distributing steroids to his wrestlers.

However, he has denied any steroid use ever since. However, with a physique like he has at that age, McMahon is not fooling anyone.

“What is abuse of steroids? I don’t know what that is. No one can tell you what that is. You can abuse sugar or any other substance or any other drug…”

William Regal

A WWE and WCW wrestler from the 1980s to 2000s, William Regal was never the biggest name on the roster, nor have the biggest physique, but has openly talked about his steroid use.

In his 2005 autobiography, Regal mentioned that he overcame the addiction with a great deal of effort.

However, he failed a drug test in 2008, receiving a 60-day ban from the WWE. His career didn’t last long after.

Discussion and probable users

Before we conclude, there are also dozens of others that I would suggest are probably on steroids.

Three notable pro wrestlers I think used steroids but were never caught are Batista, John Cena and Chyna.

Batista — ESPN accused Batista (Dave Bautista) of being a steroid user in an article back in 2007, but he was never suspended by the WWE.

John Cena — looked ridiculous at 18 and was already in the bodybuilding scene where steroids are very, very prominent. However, a very tiny chance he has one in 1 billion genetics that allows him to look like this naturally.

Chyna — I mean just look at her. The jawline is a bit of a giveaway and like Cena, she started in bodybuilding very young where PED use is very common.

Sadly, heart problems are a common issue with both long-time steroid users and wrestlers dying young.

Many professional wrestlers die in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Just like bodybuilders, the mortality rate of wrestlers is much higher than that of the average person.

Many pro wrestlers are dying, as many as 483 pro-wrestlers in total have died before the age of 50, according to wrestlerdeaths.com,

A 2014 study looked at the data of 557 professional wrestlers active between 1985 and 2011. They found that the mortality rate of professional wrestlers was up to 2.9 times greater than that of men in the general United States population.

“Wrestlers between the ages of 25 and 49 were 4.5 times more likely to die than the general population.” — Herman et al., 2014

Final Words

In conclusion, pro-wrestlers have been using steroids to appear more “cartoonish” or comic-book character-like in their appearance.

Because it sells fake fighting.

This article identified 25 famous pro wrestlers that used steroids to attain their amazing physiques.

If you enjoyed the content, you might be interested in the article below about how pro wrestlers are dying to entertain us.

Thanks for reading.

Professional Wrestlers Are Dying to Entertain Us

Why do so many pro wrestlers die young?

medium.com