Roman Reigns Suspended for Violating the WWE Talent Wellness Program

Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoai, who performs under the ring name Roman Reigns, was suspended for 30 days effective on June 21, 2016.  The suspension is the penalty for a first-time violation of the WWE Talent Wellness Program. Many people have assumed Reigns was suspended for using anabolic steroids but the WWE has not confirmed the specific offense committed by Reigns.

“I apologize to my family, friends and fans for my mistake in violating WWE’s wellness policy,” Reigns wrote on Twitter. “No excuses. I own it.”

The WWE Talent Wellness Program is advertised as a comprehensive screening program that tests for recreation drug use, anabolic steroid use and prescription drug abuse. It also tests each entertainer for pre-existing or developing cardiovascular issues. Unless Reigns decides to waive confidentiality and disclose details of the violation, we will never know whether the suspension was related to steroids or any other drug.

The Reigns suspension caught many fans and writers off-guard due to the widely-held perception that the WWE is reluctant to suspend any of their top talent. And given that Reigns is in contention to be the WWE's next top entertainer, a suspension does not seem consistent with the WWE's marketing efforts to make Reigns the next big WWE superstar.

Perhaps the WWE felt that it was good to suspend one of its top performers since so few people take the WWE Wellness Program seriously as a legitimate anti-doping and anti-steroid initiative. 

The media's incredulity over the WWE anti-doping efforts was most apparent when WWE superstar Brock Lesnar was given permission to sign a UFC contract to fight at the UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 9, 2016. Everyone assumed that Lesnar had no problem using steroids while employed with the WWE. However, the UFC Anti-Doping Policy was expected to make it more difficult for him, even if only slightly, to get away with using steroids.

The WWE can now say it is tough on steroids in the weeks before Lesnar stepping into the octagon against Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt. It looks good for the WWE. It looks good for Lesnar. And it even looks good for the UFC.

Furthemore, the WWE timed the suspension so that it would have minimal impact of its summer entertainment schedule. Dave Meltzer, of Wrestling Observer Radio, reported that the WWE allowed Reigns to perform in the main event at the WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view show on June 19, 2016 even though WWE officials knew he failed a drug test. And Reigns will return from his suspension just in time to perform at the 2016 WWE Battleground even in Washington D.C. on July 24, 2016.

Rather than a meaningful punishment for steroid/drug use, the suspension of Reigns may be nothing more than creative marketing for the WWE.

Source:

Fiorvanti, T. (June 22, 2016). WWE's Roman Reigns suspended for wellness violation. Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/16398531/wwe-star-roman-reigns-suspended-30-days-violating-company-wellness-policy