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Oscar Gutierrez aka Rey Mysterio became the fourth person to get a precarious second strike on his record when WWE
announced on 4/26 that he had failed a Wellness policy test and was being suspended for 60 days.
Gutierrez tested positive for amphetamines in a test taken on 2/13 when he came to a Raw taping to visit since the show was in
San Diego. Even though he didn’t appear on the television show, as soon as he arrived, he was told before he did anything that
he needed to be drug tested.
The case was unique since the test failure was so far in advance of the announcement. It’s unclear when he was told about the
failure other than it was in March, so the company was likely skittish on whether or not to suspend him given the delay, or there
were other unknown reasons involved. At the time he was told of the failure, he was told to submit all the different medications
he was taking since he had apparently had no idea why he would have tested positive. They would have their doctors evaluate
the medications to see if there was a legitimate reason to have that in his system.
Gutierrez has had issues in the past, being linked to both steroids and pain killers, and publicly admitted going through rehab a
few years ago for a problem with somas. Among the medications he was taking were a medication for ulcers and a nasal
spray, but those involved in the rulings on the WWE program stated neither medication would trigger an amphetamine positive.
Gutierrez was called by John Laurinaitis on 4/25 and asked when he could return, and he said he was hoping to be back in
June, and Laurinaitis told him that it looks like July because you’re suspended for two months. The company announced the
suspension publicly the next day. The belief now is that a dietary supplement he was taking to lose weight could have
contained a small amount of amphetamines, since that’s uppers, which are used in some weight-loss drugs, and that is likely
what caused the positive.
The policy states that a third violation will result in termination. If a wrestler is terminated, they can not be signed to a new
contract for at least one year, and they return with two strikes on their record, meaning another failure would be a termination. If
a wrestler quits the promotion, like Booker Huffman (Booker T) did, or lets his contract expire and leaves the promotion (like Jeff
Hardy did), they would still return with the next failure being a termination. The only other wrestler with two strikes is Matt Korklan
(Evan Bourne), whose 60 day suspension ended before WrestleMania but has yet to be brought back.
Gutierrez would be off not only television, but he’s been pulled from all personal appearances such as a Wizard World
convention, a promotional tour of Japan and autograph signings.
Gutierrez, 37, has been out of action since August. He had suffered a serious knee injury in a house show match, but returned
for SummerSlam, and then worked a television match with Alberto Del Rio to do the injury angle. During that match, working on
the bad knee, he injured it significantly worse, and underwent surgery. Mysterio has had multiple knee surgeries stemming
from a high flying style that dates back to a 1989 debut at the age of 14, wrestling in Tijuana, Mexico and Southern California as
Colibri. In recent years, he became one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, including at times the company’s leading
draw in a number of Spanish language countries as well as for a time in Italy, and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.
His previous violation was in August, 2009, when he tested positive for a pain killer that he failed to produce a prescription for.
Over the previous years he had both knee problems and a torn biceps, the latter of which required three surgeries due to an
infection after the original surgery.
The torn biceps kept him out of the main event at the 2008 WrestleMania which would have been the match that could have
taken his career to its highest level. The plan was for him to be the tag team partner of Floyd Mayweather Jr. (who was originally
brought in as a babyface) to face Big Show & Shane McMahon (who had brokered the deal to get Mayweather). The actual first
idea was Mysterio Jr. & Oscar De La Hoya vs. Show & Mayweather Jr., but De La Hoya turned down the offer. Mysterio, after
tearing his biceps, was originally in the angle with Mayweather Jr., but when it became apparent that even when linked with
Mysterio, that the people had made Mayweather Jr. the heel in the feud with Show, Mysterio was pulled from any involvement.
It was noted to shortly after 2/13 about Gutierrez being brought in for the test, as others noted since he would not have been
expecting a test being on the injured reserve list. However, even though he likely wasn’t expecting a test that day, he was tested
at least one or two times during his period out of action.
There had been talk shortly after his appearance in San Diego of company frustration with him to the point it was said he would
not be getting any kind of a push upon his return. While talked about openly by certain writers, few expected that to stick. WWE is
so shallow when it comes to headliners and it was figured when he returned, he’d end up with the same level spot he’s always
had. When it comes to drug test failures of people not announced and in the process of it garnering information, the number of
people in the company informed about it are few, Dr. Black and probably a number that can be counted on one hand. But it was
noted that people were told in early March he wasn’t getting a push any time soon and not to waste time coming up with angles
or stories for him, but no reasons were given.
He had been an issue with management in recent years, who were frustrated because of his injuries and feeling that he was
taking more time off than he should have. There was also unhappiness privately regarding him getting surgeries from local
San Diego doctors, including one with a spotty track record, instead of Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, AL, considered the
best in the world at working with athletes and who the company prefers its top stars to be operated on by. There had also been
issues with contract negotiations over the years, although he is currently singed to a long-term contract. Even though he was
“over,” with the audience, there was the feeling he didn’t work enough (ironically, over the past 11 years, he worked more dates
than either HHH or Undertaker almost every year, neither of whom ever took heat for being injured too often), had a high dollar
contract, and was fortunate that the WWE made him into a big star given his size, as the smallest man in modern wrestling
history ever given the level of a push that he received.
Those who were in creative in recent years noted that Mysterio had always been a “mind-block” of Vince McMahon, who would
concede that he was popular, but would always battle against pushing him past a certain level. McMahon did okay three title
reigns for him. The first, in 2006, which he had to be talked into by everyone because he was dead set against it, was only due
to a feel good story regarding the aftermath of the death of Eddy Guerrero. And even then, few champions in history were ever
buried so much in booking while champion (it was like nothing before, although a later title reign by Jack Swagger was worse).
But he was given a second title reign in 2010, but that was only due to Undertaker being out with an injury and they used
sympathetic Mysterio to be champion and then victimized by Kane to make Kane strong for Undertaker. A third title reign took
place on July 25, 2011, when he won a tournament for the vacant title when C.M. Punk was in storyline having left the company
as champion. But he lost the title on that same television show to John Cena to set up Cena vs. Punk at SummerSlam.
On the flip side, one person who had years as part of the inner circle noted to us that with all the attempts to replace him over
the past two years, they felt his bargaining power was at its strongest point. The company feels it needs a Mexican superstar
because of all the Spanish speaking countries they go to. Sin Cara, pushed to be his replacement, failed a drug test, got
tremendous heat with the wrestlers, then got hurt and is generally considered a flop. Alberto Del Rio is not nearly as over as he
should be given how much the company focused on him, and there is no guarantee he’ll connect and draw at anywhere near
the level Mysterio did when he does his inevitable babyface turn. Plus, even though Del Rio fancies himself as being a strong
politician, there was a feeling he played his cards all wrong when he was quoted as saying that he didn’t want to spend many
more years in the business. Mysterio is likely on borrowed time as far as doing a full-time schedule given his age and history of
knee problems, plus at his size, he can’t get away with doing a style easy on his body, but is immensely popular among the
wrestlers and one that most of the top guys would hand-pick to work programs with.
He won’t be eligible to return until 6/25. He had targeted a date a few weeks earlier for his return to the ring. Since he was not
working on the road, the two month suspension would likely cost him in the range of$166,667 in salary.
_________________ Drop In wrote: I'm picturing a 12 year old Bob Loblaw bitching out a Randy Savage Wrestling Buddy for botching his finisher. Also envisioning Bob Loblaw getting bitched at for lighting the living room table on fire for said finisher.
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