On August 30, 2007, WWE announced the suspensions of 10 of its performers for violations of the company’s Wellness Policy (now officially known as the Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy) based on independent information received from investigators from the Albany County District Attorney’s Office in Albany, New York. At the time, it was WWE’s practice not to release the names of those suspended, but the company pledged that beginning on November 1, 2007, it would publicly disclose ‘the names of anyone who is suspended under the Wellness Policy.’ Now in 2018, this rule apparently no longer applies to all people under contract to WWE for ‘in-ring services.’
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, while it remains company policy to publicly disclose a WWE performer’s name and duration of the suspension for a violation, this only applies to those on the main roster. Meltzer says NXT performers and other developmental talent are not subject to having their name publicly disclosed for a drug testing violation.
This contradicts what is written in WWE’s Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy, which states that it ‘is applicable to and binding upon all WWE Talent under contract to WWE who regularly perform in-ring services as a professional sports entertainer.’
17. APPLICABILITY OF THIS POLICY
This Policy, as it may be amended from time to time, is applicable to and binding upon all WWE Talent under contract to WWE who regularly perform in-ring services as a professional sports entertainer (“WWE Talent”).
Two months after the policy change went into effect, WWE suspended two developmental performers on January 15, 2008 — Neil Bzibziak (aka Chet Jablonski and Chet the Jet) and Derrick Neikirk — for violations of the company’s Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy. Since then, WWE has only publicized one suspension of a developmental talent and it was 10 years ago (Afa Anoa’i Jr. on March 20, 2008, who joined the main roster later that year under the name of Manu).
In April 2016, WWE announced the suspension of both Adam Rose and Konnor for 60 days each for a second violation of the company’s policy. However, WWE never announced when either talent had served their first respective suspensions.
Meltzer said then that both Rose and Konnor were in developmental at the time of their first respective suspensions. WWE suspended Rose in 2013 and Konnor in 2006 (both for 30 days). Rose is the last known suspension of a developmental talent.
