Who's responsible for the roid problem?

[The One]

I'm going to put this out there, it's 100% Vince McMahon. He's got a big man fetish, we've all talked about it for years. The fans have shown over and over again that they don't need huge muscles to get behind them. Hell look at Punk, he looks like he just finished sleeping off a heroine binge in a back ally, the fans are all over is cock right now. In all my years of being a wrestling fan and visiting this site or talking to other people, I don't think I've ever heard even once that someone wasn't "big enough" to pose a threat. I mean I've heard big enough when talking about height (Mysterio, etc.) or even general weight, but lack of muscle never seems to be a huge detriment in anyone's mind other than Vince's (WCW doesn't count, they just took Vince's formula for success and pushed it harder).

Basically, if all roids and male hormone and all of that just disappeared tomorrow, do you think any of the fans would give a shit?

[BigDaddyCool]

A guy swollen with muscles does look cool and look more impressive than a dude that looks like he goes to the gym and works out enough to kick ass. But some guys, like Stiener or Bats look like they have muscle just getting in the way and so forth. I don't know.

I don't think muscle are the only thing to get guys over, but they help in a fake sport is more about flash and sizzle and it is fundementals. But at the end of the day, fans are paying to see guys fight in unrealistic matches, not bodies chisled out of marble. If they wanted to see that, they would watch body building.

[BigDaddyCool]

Follow up question, which is a bigger problem? Roids or painkillers?

[Destor]

A lot of what makes wrestling work is the guys being larger than life, and the visual goes a long way. When these guys are twice the size of the average person it becomes more beleivable that they can do these unrealistic moves and feats.

[Destor]

At least in this country.

[Road Warrior]

Painkillers, easy, most guys are on roids to a. maintain there size and b. because it helps you recover from injuries 10 times faster, which keeps them on tv which makes their families and the WWE money. Painkillers, when combined with alcohol will severely damage your brain.

[Rammsteinmad]

Having a few people with big muscles would give them more of a character definition, if that makes sense.

Because most people look big, muscular and chiseled anyway, when we get another one turn up it's like, "ohh... another another roid'ed hoss who can't work"... and then when we get new guys who are smaller it's like "Oh... a cruiserweight jobber for the next three years!".

If WWE's approach was that the people didn't HAVE to be huge, then not only would the general "Wrestling" product be better ie, small guys who can actually go, but the few muscular guys would stand out more because then it's a case of "holy shit, look at that guy".

Right now it's like "Oh look... ANOTHER Dave Batista".

The Attitude Era had it quite well... everyone was reasonably big and ripped, but not so roid'ed up that they have veins sticking out all over the place and they couldn't move.

[Vastardikai]

The problem is definitely John Laurinitis.

He's the guy who made up the current standard for WWE superstars. Part of the problem with Wellness, though, is that they don't really give these guys any time off. If they did, then maybe they wouldn't need to be propped up on pain killers just to move. And then the Double Standard. They Suspend Chris Masters (I can't pronounce his real last name, let alone spell it.) for Wellness Violations. He cleans up and then they bury him on television.

Then again, I wonder if "William Regal" is the code name for John Cena during his wellness tests...

[Rammsteinmad]

If they didn't push their guys with so much travelling, TV shows, house shows, promotion appearances etc, plus the need to stay in shape/work out etc, they probably wouldn't need pain killers. Unfortunately, that's also how they make a lot of their money.

[Kane Knight]

You know, if carnies wouldn't rape their own mother for a push, I might agree. Wrestlers still have a choice, and they choose to do steroids. They do them for a fatter paycheck.