Rumored WWE Suspensions List

The WWE announced it suspended 10 of its performers this past Thursday night, August 30, 2007. An 11th suspension was acknowledged the next day by WWE attorney, Jerry McDevitt. WWE said the suspensions were based on information received from the Albany County, N.Y., district attorney's office. Jerry McDevitt also stated the suspensions were due to wrestlers buying human growth hormones.

Suspensions under the WWE Wellness Program are for 30 days without pay for a 1st offense and 60 days for the 2nd offense. A 3rd offense results in termination. According to various sources the majority of the suspensions given were for 30 days with one wrestler receiving a 60 day.

No official list of names has been released by WWE. A Sports Illustrated article listed 14 names of wrestlers who had received some kind of steroids, human growth hormone or other performance enhancing drug from a pair of facilities in Florida that were raided by federal authorities as part of a government investigation. (3 of the names: Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Brian "Crush" Adams are deceased. Sylvain Grenier had been released by WWE.)

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List of 10 Rumored WWE Suspensions:

Ken "Mr. Kennedy" Anderson
Mike "Simon Dean" Bucci - released by WWE
Adam "Edge" Copeland
Edward "Umaga" Fatu
Shoichi Funaki
Chavo Guerrero
Charles Haas, Jr.
Shane "Gregory" Helms
John "Morrison" Hennignan (Johnny Nitro)
Darren "William Regal" Matthews

The 11th suspended wrestler could potentially be Robert "Booker T" Huffman, Anthony Carelli (Santino Marella), or Chris "Masters" Mordetsky, whose names have also been rumored as suspended by various sites. Eugene and Cryme Tyme were recently released by WWE, but have not been mentioned amongst the suspended names.

Randy Orton was mentioned originally as amongst the various suspended wrestlers but appears not to be at this point. David "Batista" Bautista was also rumored by sites but does not appear to be amongst those suspended. Both wrestlers were recently announced as being a part of the Unforgiven Pay Per View card, scheduled for September 16.

The WWE or Albany County, N.Y., district attorney's office have neither confirmed nor denied that any of these wrestlers are suspended. As you can see from the above info, rumors and speculation can only continue to fly without any official list of names released by WWE, making it difficult to pin down all of the names.

The Sports Illustrated article, "Fourteen wrestlers tied to pipeline" documents the various purchases of the names on their list for more information.

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PWTorch has also reported that WWE has added marijuana as a banned substance for its performers:

"WWE has told it's wrestlers that marijuana is now a banned substance and will not be treated as a drug that is in the same class of other banned drugs. Instead of a suspension if tested positive there will only be a fine of a $1000 and this also does not count as a 'strike' in the '3 strikes' rule."

Pro Wrestling Deaths: A Stunning List

It's been an unfortunate trend in professional wrestling and something that has been been brought to the public eye in recent months. That is the untimely death of many professional wrestlers, with many dying before they reach age 65. Too young for anyone to pass away. The media has been citing the pressure that pro wrestlers have to perform and blaming WWE for not having tougher policies as the main causes for pro wrestling deaths.

Always remember, the individual makes the choice of their profession (to be a wrestler/performer) and also the choice to use performance-enhancing or illegal drugs. Unless Congress discovers Vince McMahon and WWE are forcing guys to inject, but that shouldn't be the case. Below is the very alarming list of pro wrestling deaths. This list includes wrestlers who have passed before reaching age 65.

Famous Wrestlers That Have Died Since 1985 Before the Age of 65

Chris Von Erich - 21
Mike Von Erich - 23
Louie Spiccoli - 27
Art Barr - 28
Gino Hernandez - 29
Jay Youngblood - 30
Rick McGraw - 30
Joey Marella - 30
Ed Gatner - 31
Buzz Sawyer - 32
Crash Holly - 32
Kerry Von Erich - 33
D.J. Peterson - 33
Eddie Gilbert - 33
The Renegade - 33
Owen Hart - 33
Chris Candido - 33
Adrian Adonis - 34
Gary Albright - 34
Bobby Duncum Jr. - 34
Yokozuna - 34
Big Dick Dudley - 34
Brian Pillman - 35
Marianna Komlos - 35
Pitbull #2 - 36
The Wall/Malice - 36
Leroy Brown - 38
Mark Curtis - 38
Eddie Guerrero - 38
John Kronus - 38
Davey Boy Smith - 39
Johnny Grunge - 39
Vivian Vachon - 40
Jeep Swenson - 40
Brady Boone - 40
Terry Gordy - 40
Bertha Faye - 40
Billy Joe Travis - 40
Chris Benoit - 40
Larry Cameron - 41
Rick Rude - 41
Randy Anderson - 41
Bruiser Brody - 42
Miss Elizabeth - 42
Big Boss Man - 42
Earthquake - 42
Mike Awesome - 42
Biff Wellington - 42
Brian Adams (Crush) - 43
Ray Candy - 43
Nancy Benoit (Woman) - 43
Dino Bravo - 44
Curt Hennig - 44
Bam Bam Bigelow - 45
Jerry Blackwell - 45
Junkyard Dog - 45
Hercules - 45
Andre the Giant - 46
Big John Studd - 46
Chris Adams - 46
Mike Davis - 46
Hawk - 46
Dick Murdoch - 49
Jumbo Tsuruta - 49
Rocco Rock - 49
Sherri Martel - 49
Moondog Spot - 51
Ken Timbs - 53
Uncle Elmer - 54
Pez Whatley - 54
Eddie Graham - 55
Tarzan Tyler - 55
Haystacks Calhoun- 55
Giant Haystacks - 55
The Spoiler - 56
Kurt Von Hess - 56
Moondog King - 56
Gene Anderson - 58
Dr. Jerry Graham - 58
Bulldog Brown - 58
Tony Parisi - 58
Rufus R. Jones - 60
Ray Stevens - 60
Stan Stasiak - 60
Terry Garvin - 60
Boris Malenko - 61
Little Beaver - 61
Sapphire - 61
Shohei Baba - 61
Dick the Bruiser - 62
Wilbur Snyder - 62
George Cannon - 62
Karl Krupp - 62
Dale Lewis - 62
Gorilla Monsoon - 62
Hiro Matsuda - 62
Bad News Brown - 63
Bulldog Brower - 63
Wahoo McDaniel - 63

(Sources include: Pro Wrestling Illustrated Almanac, Obsessed with Wrestling.com, & Wrestling Information Archive)

WWE Meets Family Feud

WWE superstars & divas will be appearing on an upcoming episode of "Family Feud" the popular game show. On the show contestants try to guess the top answers in various surveys to win prize money. The WWE will have a week-long series on the Feud, where it will be the ladies versus the men, with divas such as Kristal and Candice Michelle on one team and wrestlers including Batista and John Cena on the other team. The WWE edition which taped the week of August 10th, will have a week's worth of episodes and air on TV in November.

From WWE.com:

"WWE Superstars and Divas will face off in a few rousing games of Family Feud this week, as Batista, Candice Michelle, John Cena, Mr. Kennedy, King Booker, Layla, Maria, Michelle McCool, MVP and Queen Sharmell are in Los Angeles taping the game show." Read WWE.com's Diva dish for more on this.

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In related news, an older WWF themed re-run of Family Feud aired this past Friday on Game Show Network (GSN). The episode featured wrestler Brian "Crush" Adams who recently passed away this past week. One team was headed by Shawn Michaels and included Big Boss Man, the Repo Man, IRS and Papa Shango. They went up against a Macho Man Randy Savage lead team which included Tatanka, Crush, and Reverend Slick Rick. Macho Man/Crush's team won the game and the money was to be devoted to Somalia relief. Great to see some of the old school characters from WWF on TV again.

Adams Autopsy Inconclusive

The latest news regarding the passing of former WWE wrestler, Brian "Crush" Adams from digitalspy.co.uk:

"An initial autopsy report on the former WWE wrestler Brian 'Crush' Adams was said to be inconclusive last night.

The wrestler was found by his wife, unconscious on his bed in his home in Florida earlier in the week. Doctors were unable to revive the star.

A medical examiner said of the autopsy: "Further studies will be required to determine the cause and manner of death."

Toxicology reports on the sports entertainment star are expected to be made in the next four to six weeks.

Bret 'Hitman' Hart, a friend and fellow wrestler, told the St Petersburg Times that he had spoke to Adams two hours before his death and that he had seemed in good spirits.

Hart added that the the former Demolition wrestler had told him he was suffering from intense back pain. Pain killers and a prescription were found in the late wrestler's bedroom."

RIP Brian Crush Adams

Former WWF/WWE wrestler Crush far right as a member of Demolition.
Sad news from the wrestling world today as former WWE star, Crush was found dead in his home.

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WWE.com report:

"World Wrestling Entertainment has learned that Brian Adams, also known to our fans as Crush, has been found dead today.

Known for his formidable strength, the Hawaiian native made his first impact on the U.S. wrestling scene in the late 1980s with the NWA’s Pacific Northwest organization. (Read full WWE.com article here.)"

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From FoxNews:

TAMPA, Fla. — Former pro wrestling champion Brian "Crush" Adams died Monday after he was found unconscious in his home. He was 44.

He showed no visible signs of injury and foul play was not suspected, police spokeswoman Janelle McGregor said. Authorities were awaiting autopsy results from the medical examiner before proceeding with their investigation.

Adams' wife, who was not identified, found her husband not breathing and called 911 about 11 a.m. Fire Rescue workers later pronounced him dead, McGregor said.

Adams, a former world tag team champion, last performed for the World Wrestling Federation in 2001 and served intermittently on the roster beginning in 1990, World Wrestling Entertainment said. WWE spokesman George Cabico had no further comment.

Adams death comes less than two months after pro wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife and son before hanging himself on the cable of a weight machine in his Georgia home. Prescription anabolic steroids were found in the family's home, raising questions about whether the drugs played a role in the killings.

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Condolences to the friends, family and fans of Brian Crush Adams. Adams wrestled under the names The American Ninja, Demolition Crush, Kona Crush, Brian Adams, B.A. and The Demon throughout his lengthy wrestling career. He was a 2 time tag team champion with WCW (as part of Demolition) and 1 time tag team champ in WWF (Demolition) and entertained fans for many years of pro wrestling.

Adams appeared in his last match in January of 2003, and suffered an unfortunate spinal injury that forced him into retirement. Whether he was beloved or jeered, Adams made a strong impact on WWE wrestling and he will be greatly missed by Superstars and fans.

Let's hope the media does not use this as yet another attack on pro wrestling, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the story go there as it is yet another wrestler lost before age 45. Thanks to Myspace friend Jo who informed me of the unfortunate news story.

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To see more about the career of Crush, view his Wikipedia here.