Professional wrestling is a cutthroat industry and there are not many spots at the top. Unfortunately for most wrestling hopefuls out there, not just anybody can make it to a major franchise like the WWE. There are a lot of hurdles one has to overcome before making it big. And, no pun intended, you need to be big to make it big in wrestling.
Wrestlers are professional athletes. Therefore, their size and strength are both vital for the actions they perform on the ring as well as for the appeal they have to the public. A lot of the people who watch wrestling matches would not find them as entertaining if the wrestlers were not as big as they are. With that much pressure hovering over how their body should look, some wrestlers have gone down the darkest path an athlete can take. They used steroids.
Luckily, this is not a rule for the industry and there are lots of wrestlers who should be commended for staying true to the sport and becoming prime athletes without using performance-enhancing drugs. Here are 10 great examples that should be followed.
10 Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley is one of the most respected wrestlers around. He debuted with the WWE in 2005 and has increasingly put his mark on the promotion. This year has been special for Lashley as it marked his first title reign in the WWE since June 2007 as he won the Intercontinental Championship in January.
Not only a successful wrestler, but Lashley has also made a name for himself as a very good mixed martial artist. With a professional record of 15-2, he is undefeated in major promotions like Bellator. The most impressive part is that he accomplished all of that without using forbidden substances.
9 Rusev
It is not easy playing the Soviet guy in an American promotion. One way or another, you always end up becoming the villain. Still, that is a role Rusev has embraced and thrived in. The Bulgarian wrestler debuted with the WWE in 2014 and has been a main feature in the promotion ever since. He is a three-time WWE United States Champion.
To go along with his amazing wrestling career, Rusev was also an astounding athlete before he decided to pack his bags and go to America to try and become a wrestler. He was an accomplished powerlifter and was apparently even invited to participate in the Olympics by the Bulgarian national team.
8 Braun Strowman
Few people have taken larger strides in the WWE over this past couple of years than Braun Strowman. Arguably one of the strongest men in the promotion, and a natural born athlete, Strowman played semiprofessional football for a while and was even invited to attend the NFL scouting combine in 2007. Luckily for wrestling, football wasn’t his thing. He participated in several strongman competitions until finally becoming a professional wrestler. Strowman even won the Arnold Amateur Strongman Championships in 2012.
Strowman is a testament to the idea that hard work along with a little help from the right genes is more than enough for someone to become a monster without having to use steroids.
7 Mark Henry
Many of the professional wrestlers who manage to survive their entire careers without using performance-enhancing drugs did so because they were also athletes in a sport other than professional wrestling. A good example of that is wrestling legend, Mark Henry. Henry is a WWE Hall of Famer who was with the company from 1996 until he retired in 2017. Nevertheless, he is still with the WWE under a legends contract.
Henry went through his entire career without using performance-enhancing drugs. Not only that, but he is also a two-time Olympian and a gold medalist in the Pan-American Games.
6 Big E
There are not as many fun and charismatic guys in the world of wrestling as Big E. The man has been making us laugh ever since he joined Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods as a member of The New Day. Not only that, but Big E is also a very successful wrestler when fighting solo. He is a one-time NXT Champion and a one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion.
As a member of The New Day, Big E has earned two RAW Tag Team Championships, three SmackDown Tag Team Championships, and the 2018 SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament.
As a testament to his cleanness, Big E has survived the rigorous drug testing powerlifters go through as he won a couple of championships in the sport before making it to the WWE main roster.
5 Roman Reigns
Another controversial entry on our list, Roman Reigns, just like Brock Lesnar, is so strong that it seems almost impossible for someone to look like him without making use of performance-enhancing drugs. Still, there is no proof Reigns has ever gotten caught using performance-enhancing drugs. He did get suspended by the WWE a few years back, but neither he nor the company revealed the reason for the suspension.
The shadiest moment regarding Reigns and steroids came in 2018 when a Miami gym owner who allegedly ran a steroid ring claimed Reigns was one of his customers. Reigns denied all allegations before passing every drug test he has been put through ever since. Jon Bravo's evidence amounted to very little of actual substance.
4 Batista
Do the Guardians of the Galaxy drug test? Well, even if they do, Dave Bautista should have no problem passing since this great former wrestler has gone through his entire career with a clean slate. The closest he ever got to a suspension was when ESPN incorrectly included him in a list of athletes who were allegedly clients of an Orlando pharmacy that provided anabolic steroids. He denied involvement and the WWE back him up as they suspended every single other name on that list with the exception of Batista.
That was indeed a key moment in Batista’s career, as keeping his pristine reputation helped him become a legendary wrestler as well as a very successful Hollywood actor.
3 The Big Show
There are a lot of massive guys in the WWE, but even in that industry of giants, it is hard to find someone bigger and stronger than the 7-foot-tall, 380-pound Big Show. With his wrestling debut back in 1994, The Big Show is one of the most experienced wrestlers in the WWE today. Even though he only makes part-time appearances, the man has been around the industry for so long that it seems almost impossible he has not had a run-in with performance-enhancing drugs. Nevertheless, that is exactly what has happened.
The Big Show has been a wrestler for more than two decades and he still maintains a clean slate, performing at the highest level through sheer hard work and without taking any shortcuts. The man is truly an example to be followed.
2 John Cena
One of the things parents want the most from professional athletes is that they behave as good role models, especially if they are popular with children. John Cena is the personification of a great role model. Playing the All-American hero in the WWE, Cena was bound from the beginning to be a fan-favorite and someone the kids in America would always look up to.
Not only has Cena given back to the community through community service and charity, but he also sets a great example in showing kids that they do not have to resort to methods like performance-enhancing drugs to become superstars, as Cena has been clean throughout his illustrious career.
1 The Undertaker
Along with entertaining fans from all around the world, The Undertaker is a role model for every single wrestler. He is a legendary figure in the industry and has earned that spot through his hard work, showmanship, and work ethic. The Undertaker has been in the industry since 1984, and with the WWF/WWE since 1990. During that entire time, the man has remained steroid-free while becoming one of the most legendary figures in the history of the sport.
There is not a single wrestling fan in the world who does not know the Undertaker. Still, he has managed to get that kind of recognition without having to resort to juicing. Hopefully, the newer generations of wrestlers will choose to follow the example set by this legend.