Highlights

  • Some wrestlers, like Superstar Billy Graham, openly admit to using steroids and even consider themselves pioneers in their use.
  • Others, like Sin Cara, deny using steroids even after testing positive and attribute any accusations to false positives or other factors.
  • Steroid use has had significant consequences in professional wrestling, as seen with Hulk Hogan's admission almost destroying WWE and the government crackdown in the 1990s.

UPDATE: 2024/02/10 14:30 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

Steroids have always been a big subject in professional wrestling. Some have been accused based on their physique, others about suspensions for not passing WWE’s Wellness Policy. WWE has had to address various allegations of steroid use of their wrestlers, such as the 1994 Steroid Trial where Vince McMahon was brought in front of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Some wrestlers have been open about their use of steroids and others have completely denied any use of them throughout their career. Down below are five wrestlers who have admitted to using them and five who have not used them.

Steroid use in professional wrestling has been a topic of conversation and speculation since they became popularized among athletes looking to build muscle in the 1980s. The WWE began to crack down on steroid users in 2007. Nevertheless, that has not halted the urge for the drug, as countless wrestlers have been suspended for using them following the tragedy.

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10 Wrestlers Who Were Candid About Using Performance Enhancers
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There have been countless wrestlers, including some of the biggest names in wrestling history, who have admitted to using steroids during their careers. Likewise, there have also been just as many that have declared their innocence.

14 Superstar Billy Graham Was One Of The First To Use Steroids In Wrestling

The Former WWE Champion Had Been Taking Steroids Since The 1960s

  • Graham was WWE Champion in the 1970s.
  • His physique inspired Hulk Hogan, the successor of Graham in WWE.
  • He considered himself one of the first to use steroids in professional wrestling.

A WWE Champion in the 1970s, having dethroned Bruno Sammartino, “Superstar” Billy Graham helped popularize the bodybuilder physique in wrestling, inspiring followers like Hulk Hogan. But Graham was also a pioneer in steroid use, which he admitted in later years.

His use of the drug goes back to the 1960s — before he entered pro wrestling and before steroids were illegal. Because it was such a new drug, the long-term side effects were not yet known, and Graham also considers himself as one of the first to bring steroids into pro wrestling.

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Superstar Billy Graham's Steroid Lawsuit Against WWE, Explained
Superstar Billy Graham was one of wrestling's most outspoken stars, like the time he sued Vince McMahon and WWE.

13 Sin Cara Has Denied To Steroid Use

Despite Testing Positive, He Denies He Did Steroids

Sin Cara WWE
  • Sin Cara debuted in Spring 2011.
  • He was initially played by Mistico, the gimmick would later be played by Hunico.
  • Mistico would deny ever taking performance enhancers.

One of WWE’s most notorious failed projects was Sin Cara, who as Mistico was one of Mexico’s biggest lucha libre stars but failed to find the same success in WWE. After debuting in the spring of 2011, it was just a few months before Sin Cara made the news — in the bad way, as it was reported that he was being suspended due to a Wellness Policy violation.

It was reported that Sin Cara tested positive for steroids, but the wrestler himself denied taking them, instead claiming that an injection in his knee caused a false positive.

12 Ryback Openly Admitted To Taking Steroids

"The Big Guy" Was Introduced To Steroids When He Was 19

Ryback screaming
  • Ryback was a former WWE Intercontinental Champion.
  • CM Punk called him "The Steroid Guy."
  • He believed he needed steroids to make it big in professional wrestling.

Nicknamed “The Big Guy,” 2010s WWE star Ryback was a real throwback to what people think of when they think of wrestlers: hulking meatheads. Ryback’s size and absurd bodybuilder physique was certainly an anomaly in 2010s WWE — CM Punk once derisively referred to him as “the steroid guy” — but Ryback surprisingly admitted to it.

Another wrestler whose steroid abuse predated his wrestling career, Ryback was introduced to steroids by champion bodybuilder Jay Cutler (not to be confused with the football player) when Ryback was just 19 years old. As a result, Ryback was convinced that he needed steroids to make it in pro wrestling.

11 Kane Says He Has Never Used Steroids

He Denied Taking Them When Accused In 2018

  • Kane wrestled full-time in WWE until 2018.
  • He was the kayfabe brother of The Undertaker.
  • He was accused by a man from Protect Our Youth From Steroids of taking the drug.

From 1995 to 2018, Glenn Jacobs was consistently around in WWE, performing through multiple eras, most famously as the fire-conjuring monster heel Kane. As a result, Jacobs has likely seen a whole lot more of the seedy underbelly of wrestling than many other stars, a fact that was used against him once he was elected mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.

In 2018, a man from a group called “Protect Our Youth From Steroids” wrote a letter accusing the wrestler of having taken steroids, but the former Kane denied it, claiming that he had never taken the drug in an interview with the Knoxville News Sentinel (H/T Fightful):

"I do not condone steroid use or the use of any illicit drugs,” he said. “I think that’s very bad. I’m a bit of a health nut, and I just think it’s just really bad. No, I’d never do that.”

10 Hulk Hogan's Admission About Steroids Almost Destroyed WWE

Hogan Was A Major Part Of The 1994 WWE Steroid Trial

  • Hogan was called to court about his use of steroids.
  • In the past, Hogan famously lied about his steroid use on the Arsenio Hall show.
  • He took them for 14 years of his career.
  • He used them during the 1970s and 1980s.

Hulk Hogan was one of the biggest names to testify in the 1994 federal trial against the WWE. Not only did he testify to taking the drug, but he said that he took them for 14 years of his career. Hogan has even gone on record to say that steroids were normalized across all professional sports, because people believed they were safer than sugar for an athlete's body.

He would also say that doctors prescribed the drugs to him in the '70s and '80s, which led him to believe they did not have adverse effects on his health. While Hogan's admission may have tarnished his reputation as the All-American athlete who did everything the right way, it also helped raise awareness of just how massive the steroid issue had become behind the curtain.

9 Braun Strowman Says He Is All Natural

Many Speculated That He Was Taking Steroids Early-On

Braun Strowman
  • Strowman posted a picture of Vitamin B12 shots, which many believed were steroids.
  • The Undertaker stated that Strowman was all natural.
  • The Undertaker admitted to Joe Rogan that he took steroids.

Thanks to his massive size, many have speculated that Braun Strowman has used steroids since he began his WWE career in 2015. The speculation surrounding the 6'8" behemoth only intensified in October 2020, after Strowman posted a picture to his Instagram story in which a syringe is beside his bathroom sink.

Strowman deleted the picture shortly after posting it and claimed that the syringe was for B12 shots that he takes every day. In an interview with Joe Rogan, the Undertaker recently went to bat for Strowman, saying that his muscles are natural (while also admitting to taking steroids himself).

8 The Ultimate Warrior Was An Obvious Steroid User

The Ultimate Warrior Was A Heavy User

The Ultimate Warrior pointing in ring

  • Many believed that steroids played a role in his death.
  • The WWE had to halt plans for him due to the government's policies toward steroid use.
  • The Ultimate Warrior said 85-90% of wrestlers in WWE used steroids.

The Ultimate Warrior was reportedly a heavy steroid user during his wrestling career, and many believe the drugs played a role in his untimely death at the age of 54 in 2014. The WWE had big plans for him after returning from a short absence in 1992, but they were forced to scrap them, after the government began to crackdown against the drugs.

The Warrior was another one of the top names that testified against the WWE in the 1994 federal trial. During his testimony, he stated that 85-90% of wrestlers in the company had taken steroids at one point in their career. Nevertheless, despite the drug's obvious downside, he has argued that they have their benefits if used responsibly.

7 Mark Henry's Olympic Strength Never Came As A Result Of Steroids

"The World's Strongest Man" Is All Natural Strength

Mark Henry pointing to air

  • Mark Henry had been openly against steroid use.
  • He is a former Olympic athlete.
  • Henry holds numerous records in powerlifting.

Mark Henry has adamantly denied using steroids since his WWE career began, and has even been outspoken against steroid users throughout his career, calling the drugs morally wrong. While speculation still surrounds many of the wrestlers who have denied using them, many believe Henry, who weighed 225 pounds at 12 years old, has gained his strength naturally. In an interview with the LA Times in 1996, he said he did not use steroids and probably would have been caught if he did.

It is safe to say that Henry, who not only is a former Olympic athlete but also holds multiple records in the world of powerlifting, has not needed any help from steroids to become the beast that he is today.

6 Lex Luger Has Been Open About His Steroid Use

Luger Has Warned Others Against The Dangers of Steroid Use

Lex Luger with cape in ring

  • Luger began taking them when he was playing football.
  • He said Vince McMahon expected WWE superstars to look a certain way.
  • He has helped WWE to improve their Wellness Policy.

Luger has been an open book regarding his issues with steroids during his career. He said he began taking the drugs in the years leading up to his wrestling career during his days playing football, where he took them in the offseason to gain muscle. Luger says that Vince McMahon's expectations of superhero-like characters in the ring, and the company's deeply instilled culture played significant roles in the steroid issues behind the scenes.

Luger is now attempting to be an activist to help a new generation of wrestlers go down the correct path, unlike he did during his career. In his newfound role, he has occasionally worked with WWE on improving their Wellness Policy.

5 Dave Bautista Says He Is All Natural

Batista Was Furious When He Was Accused Of Steroid Use

  • Batista had denied using steroids since 2007.
  • He has never failed a drug test in his career.
  • ESPN released names using steroids from an online pharmacy.

Batista was reportedly furious after hearing that ESPN mentioned his name among a list of other wrestlers who bought steroids from an online pharmacy in 2007. He adamantly denied ever using the pharmacy and has no history of failed drug tests in his career.

There is still a massive amount of speculation surrounding the injuries that have plagued Batista's career. Some believe he was not injured during his long absences from the company, but instead serving suspensions for his steroid use. Others think his injuries could have been legitimate, but they only happened because he took steroids, as the injuries that he suffered in his career are common among those who use the drugs.

4 Admitted To Taking Them: William Regal

Regal Wrote About Them In His Autobiography

William regal punching wrestler in ring

  • Regal used steroids between 2004-2006.
  • He failed a drug test in 2008.
  • He served a 60-day suspension as a result.

William Regal admitted to using steroids in his 2005 autobiography Walking a Golden Mile. He reportedly used the drugs for over two years between 2004-2006, but he once again came under fire after failing a drug test in 2008, after claiming to be drug-free for over a year.

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Many believe Regal might have started doing the drugs again to get his body back in shape after returning to the ring, following his victory at the 2008 King of the Ring tournament. Despite his newfound momentum, he would be written off television just weeks later due to the ensuing 60-day suspension following the failed test.

3 Denied Taking Them: Jinder Mahal

Speculation Arose After His 2016 Return To WWE

Jinder Mahal NXT
  • Mahal returned to WWE with an impressive new physique.
  • He has never failed a drug test in his entire WWE career.
  • He stated that he was following a strict workout and diet routine.

Former WWE superstars and fans (and bodybuilders) alike have speculated that Jinder Mahal used steroids to drastically increase his muscle growth and definition after making his return to the company in 2016. Nevertheless, Mahal has stood his ground and insisted that he achieved his success through a strict workout routine and eating healthy.

Mahal also said that he has never failed a drug test during his wrestling career, and until he does, the speculation surrounding him will always only be just that.

2 Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Admitted To Steroid Use While Playing College Football

He Took Them During His Football Days

the rock
  • He used them while attending the University of Miami.
  • The Rock stated he didn't know how bad they were.
  • He denied using them as a wrestler.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson admitted to using steroids during his college football days when he was a standout defensive tackle at the University of Miami. Johnson claims that he did not know how dangerous the drugs were and if he had known, he would have never touched them.

While he may have admitted to using steroids during his days at The U, he has adamantly denied using them during his wrestling career. Nevertheless, there has been endless speculation surrounding Johnson, during his time with the WWE and the years following his wrestling career.

1 Roman Reigns Says He Is An All Natural WWE Champion

Rumors Arose In 2018 About "The Head Of The Table"

  • Reigns was suspended in 2016 for violating the WWE Wellness Policy.
  • He was brought up by an illegal steroid ring, but denied it.
  • Reigns said he never heard of the group.

In 2016 Roman Reigns became arguably the biggest name in company history to be suspended for violating the WWE's Wellness Policy. His name was again linked to the illegal drugs two years later, when the leader of a $10 million steroid ring mentioned Reigns as one of his high-profile clients.

Nevertheless, Reigns claimed that he had never heard of the organization and had passed all his drug tests cleanly leading up to the 2018 rumors. WWE would surely like to avoid any further speculation surrounding one of their biggest stars, as it would not be a good look for the company, after all the negative experiences they have had with the drugs in the past.