14 WWE Wellness Program failures and suspensions that shocked fans
WWE fans were left stunned this week with the news that United States Champion Andrade had been suspended for a violation of the company’s Talent Wellness Program.
The 30-year-old, who retained his championship as recently as the Royal Rumble this past Sunday with a victory over Humberto Carrillo, was announced as being suspended for 30 days by the company, just hours after being written out of television with an injury.
The development came as a huge surprise to many, with company officials and fans said to be high on the Mexican’s talents and abilities. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that a suspension for a breach of the company’s extensive Wellness Program has come out of left field, however.
The Program, which WWE says “is administered independently by world renowned medical professionals and includes cardiovascular testing, ImPACT, testing for brain function, substance abuse and drug testing, annual physicals, and health care referrals,” has identified issues that have led to the temporary removal from active competition of a number of the company’s personnel.
Here are just a handful of the names who have been suspended over the years, plus some of the background behind some of them, and more details about the Program itself:
Roman Reigns
Arguably the highest profile of all the Talent Wellness Program failures, the suspension of Roman Reigns sent shockwaves through WWE in the summer of 2016.
It is believed that the suspension was the reason behind Reigns losing the WWE Championship to Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank just days prior, which in turn led to Dean Ambrose 'cashing in' his Money in the Bank contract seconds late
Arguably one of the company's biggest and most recognisable talents, Reigns would Tweet about the suspension, taking full responsibility.