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Surprise, surprise - TNA's drug testing is a complete farce and they're still being shady about Desmond Wolfe

Well, at least now we can exclude Desmond Wolfe failing a drug test as the reason why he was pulled from TNA action!  (Wikimedia Commons)

In the October 11th 2010 Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer finally got around to confirming the story that TNA conducted a round of drug testing several weeks ago, a story we discussed almost a month ago in our coverage of Desmond Wolfe's strange enforced sabbatical from TNA action.  Thankfully, being late to the party, he offered new details to the story, basically revealing that said testing was a complete farce.  Unsurprisingly, given that TNA haven't done any testing for nine months and has never punished anyone for failing, there were several test failures.  Once again, it doesn't seem like the weak-minded Dixie Carter took any firm action.  If that wasn't bad enough, the urine testing was even uninspected, presumably so Jeremy Borash could go pee for Hulk Hogan wink wink.  Here's the exact quote from Meltzer: 

TNA did drug testing several weeks back and wrestlers did fail tests, were told that they had failed tests, and there was no disciplinary action nor suspensions over at least some if not all of the failures. The basic message is people are still doing what they were doing, and there were people concerned after the testing because some knew they would fail. The monitoring of the testing was also said to not be at WWE level, where you have someone watching you and your pants have to be below your knees and shirt above your nipples to make sure you aren't sneaking someone else's urine into the testing.

Maybe Irv Muchnick was right after all for calling Meltzer pathetic for failing to advocate government regulation of the wrestling industry, instead meekly suggesting that "WWE study the issues".

Speaking of Meltzer being late to the party, he also finally confirmed that the reason London Brawling was pulled from the No Surrender PPV was due to an issue with Desmond Wolfe.  However, despite TNA's shady secrecy he still doesn't buy the story that Wolfe could have been pulled for failing a physical due to his longstanding concussion issues: 

Whatever the story is that took Magnus & Desmond Wolfe out of the program with the Motor City Machine Guns and last month’s PPV seems to have been established that the issue was with Wolfe and not Magnus. The company has been completely quiet, and as noted to me, if it was a concussion issue with Wolfe, that would hardly be something that would be kept secretive since TNA wrestlers have concussions fairly often and it’s always talked about. But it’s not Magnus since he worked the house shows this past week.

Sadly Meltzer is coming off as gullible and obtuse with his reporting here.  I'm sure TNA wrestlers have concussions fairly often, but we're not talking about any old TNA wrestler here.  We're talking about Desmond Wolfe, the only person within the industry to have ever been refused a job with WWE for failing a physical, which has long been rumoured to be due to issues with brain trauma.  Before publishing such naive twaddle, Meltzer should get to the bottom of the reasons for Wolfe's WWE physical failure.  If he can't be bothered to do that, as a post on his message board suggested responding to a critical post by me that summarised my last piece about Wolfe entitled "Dave Meltzer is being strangely coy about the reason's behind Desmond Wolfe's absence" (see below), then he should stop passing on ill thought out arguments from his sources who could be seeking to cover for TNA's inept management.

Because when you tell me what Desmond Wolfe's health problems are, I'll discuss them.

 

Right now we only know he has an issue that kept him from going to WWE. Was it his brain? Was it his biceps? It has never been established. A biceps injury is not more serious than a heart injury. A brain injury may or may not be more serious than a heart injury.

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I’ve defended him in the past (and still think this whole “Meltzer Watch” thing is a bit silly) but I do agree that whole newsbit about Wolfe was strange. I mean, it seems like an open secret in the company, but Dave is claiming nothing has leaked out.

What would his motives for being vague or coy be though? Is it possible the folks at TNA don’t mind being called crap bookers, don’t mind being called incompetent, but something like this, that could potentially be a major, major issue, possibly a criminal one, then they feel the need to put pressure on Dave not to report it?

As I touched on in the column I wrote, I think there are people in TNA that are very happy to go along with the whole “our main problem is old guys and Russo booking” mindset, and thus the majority of times that’s what journalists report (“Russo is clueless” “Dixie is nice, but dim”) because if you start getting into the nitty gritty of things (the Wolfe thing, women’s champions that live barely above the poverty line) you realize there’s actually stuff that goes on in this company that is borderline criminal. Russo might be a crap booker, but they, at least his terrible booking is never going to get them sued…thus, we end up talking about TNA’s creative failures instead of their atrocious and inhumane business practices.

Although Dave has reported stuff on the treatment of talent before, but its possible there has been stuff he’s shied away from too, I suppose.

by S.Bruce on Oct 6, 2010 11:11 PM EDT reply actions  

I mean, I don’t like Vince Russo, but he’s not anything close to worse thing about this company. But yet he’s always the one that is constantly complained about and as “the main problem with TNA.” We hear way more about Russo than we do about say Terry Taylor (the guy that is, from what I understand, in charge of contracts,and doesn’t think you need to give your women’s champion or Gen Me enough to make a house show.)

Well, what about the people in TNA management who sign up physical wrecks, convince wrestlers to work for peanuts and refuse to pay medical bills? Or are they the ones talking to the dirtsheets and blaming “Russo and his terrible booking” for everything that’s wrong with TNA.

by S.Bruce on Oct 6, 2010 11:21 PM EDT reply actions  

Are we really gonna hold Meltzers’ feet to the fire for not speculating one way or another? The man has exposed TONS of stuff for over 20+ years, do you really think he’s trying to protect TNA? Perhaps he could be protecting Nigel but either way if Meltzer had enough of the story to say for certain he would say it.

Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes...

by Major on Oct 7, 2010 3:13 AM EDT reply actions  

This is definitely an unfortunate situation...

Since Nigel/Desmond is one of the better wrestlers around. I hope he gets cleared of whatever ailment(s) he may be suffering from and gets back in the ring with his health hopefully (somewhat) intact.

Thanks for keeping me informed you guys. I haven’t come across another Pro Wrestling site that writes articles anywhere near as interesting and provocative to what CSS constantly puts out.

Keep it up.

Bitch.

by timetosaygoodbye on Oct 7, 2010 3:56 AM EDT reply actions  

A cookie for the first Pro Wrestling journalist who breaks this story.

by rovert on Oct 7, 2010 5:50 AM EDT reply actions  

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