This is from the Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard Podcast. This is a podcast where Bruce Pritchard a.k.a. Brother Love discusses behind the scenes events of some of the most important and controversial moments in WWF/E history. He has a co-host in Conrad Thompson who also is the co-host of Ric Flair’s Podcast.
Today they talk The 1994 Steroid Trial
The show starts off with Conrad tellings us he is a subscriber to the Wrestling Observer and has befriended Bruce Mitchell who writes for The Torch. Bruce had told Dave Meltzer that this podcast is “appalling” and that Dave should not listen to the podcast. Mitchell says that Bruce is full of it and doesn’t tell the truth on here. Bruce responds that “issue I have with wrestling media, is that they have no credibility. They will report rumors as fact and when things change, they say that management changed their mind.” Bruce then says Meltzer was hired by WWE for a bit to give the company dirt on other companies and spin some stories in WWE’s favor.
Prichard says that these internet guys have never really been in the business and only get scoops from ‘inside guys’ because the guys leaking the news want positive things written about them. Bruce Mitchell says that Bret Hart had sued WWF after Montreal, and Mitchell got information from legal records. Prichard says Bret never even sued.
Prichard then calls Bruce Mitchell a jack-off. Says Meltzer, Wade Keller and other internet writers are the biggest marks in the business. “The guys that are heralded as the best wrestlers are probably giving them information. The guys that draw the most money and do the best ratings are the worst wrestlers in the world.” Conrad brings up that Meltzer has a Ric Flair award, so does that means there is a reason behind the Flair award? Bruce says “You said it not me”.
They then dig into the topic of the week. The Steroid Trial which was voted on a fan poll that was on Twitter. Conrad said he needed to read a lot on the topic to research for the show. Dr. Zohourian, who was the doctor for WWF wrestlers, got three years in jail for illegal distribution. McMahon in 1994 is charged with conspiracy, possession and attempt to distribute steroids. Steroids became illegal in 1989-1990.
Conrad asks if it was shocking to the boys in the back that Vince revealed he had taken steroids? Bruce tells us that doctors provided the steroids before they were illegal, which means there really wasn’t anything wrong with that. We hear once Steroids were made illegal that Vince and Linda fired Dr. Zohourian
Bruce says during the trial there was a hiring freeze. Vince did not want to hire anybody and not be able he could guarantee them that he would be there. Conrad points out that the trial started in early July and Hulk Hogan was about to face Ric Flair in the middle of July for WCW. Hogan would become the star witness in the McMahon trial.
Vince would have gotten 11 years and fined $1.5 million. McMahon spent $6 million on lawyers. Bruce said Geraldo Rivera and Donahue were hired by the Federal Government to get the message out to the masses. The message was that WWF was horrible and drug ridden. Prichard says that because of the legal costs, everyone took pay-cuts. The people at Corporate WWF did not get pay-cuts because they didn’t “understand when business is up, pay is up. Business is down, pay is down.” Vince was adamant that no matter what “the show must go on. With or without him.”
Bruce says there would be agents waiting outside WWF employees and wrestlers homes. Bruce said it wasn’t a fun place to be at the time. In the line of the night, Bruce says “Thank God for O.J. Simpson” because O.J.’s trial was a month after this started and that story knocked Vince off the front page.
Bruce said Dr. Zahorian never worked for WWF, he was a doctor appointed by the State Athletic Commission and did all sporting events in Pennsylvania. Then we hear that Zahorian destroyed records before the trial began. Chief Jay Strongbow was quoted as saying “the boys need Zahorian because the boys need their candy.”
Pat Patterson, in court records, was known to only talk on pay phones at this time. Chainsaw Sages was brought up, his real name is Doug Sages, who was the CFO for WWF. Chainsaw provided untraceable cash to Vince. They used checks so nothing can be tied to Titan Towers, the then name of WWF. This all came to light because Emily Feinberg, who was an assistant to Vince. After her years severance pay is up, she goes to the FBI and spills the secrets to start the case. She testifies “she heard Vince use slang for steroids, saying “gas, juice, and riggs”. She says Vince asked to get drugs from Zohourian and McMahon wanted a mini fridge that Emily found vials in. She saw Vince receive a package from Fedex and Vince picked some vials out of the package and sent the rest to Hogan.
Bruce said long before Emily showed up Vince already had a mini-fridge.Bruce says that the government seemed to have most of the information given to them from dirtsheets.
Conrad asks if Emily was used as a tool for a government witch hunt. Bruce said he had no idea, but it is weird that after a year of nothing, all of a sudden all this evidence pours in. That leads into a discussion on the credibility of witnesses. Prichard says the defense attorney’s never even questioned one witness during the trial based on the answers the witnesses gave the prosecution.
Discussion jumps to Rick Rude being told by Vince that he needed to “push himself” and Rude took that as the need to take steroids. Nailz was on the stand and said McMahon told him “he needed to get as big as he could”. Nailz said WWF pushed hard for him to get on steroids. Conrad finds this funny because Nailz looked like this. Nailz was then asked if he had any animosity against Vince McMahon, to which Nailz replied “no”. Then was asked if he hated Vince and Nailz said “yes”. Conrad says it was smart to recognize that Nailz didn’t know the definition of animosity.
Bruce said Vince offered any person available for grand jury questioning. That meant that Bruce Prichard was submitted to a government interview. Bruce says that the interview process was similar to what you see on TV. Eight guys with nothing but rumors to bring up to Bruce. Prichard says his file picture was a Brother Love trading card.
Bruce admitted to being the hardest partier and took a lot of pills and smoked tons of pot. He was mainly questioned about his drug use. He said it’s not illegal to use drugs, it’s illegal to possess drugs, but not to use them.
Chainsaw Sages said he was involved in making the steroid money untraceable. Sages said he spoke to McMahon to get steroids for Vince and Hogan. It all came back to $1,800 in checks written for steroids, that is what the whole trial hinged on.
Zohourian said Pat Patterson had once asked if he was giving the wrestlers cocaine and heroin. McMahon had asked Zohourian if the Dr. was giving steroids to the wrestlers and Zohourian said he did but if he stops the wrestlers will just get it from some guy in the gym and could possibly die.
This moves on to testimony. Moondog said he was on steroids when Vince was a ring announcer and not even an owner. Tom Zenk mentioned that a high school complained that needles were left behind after a show. Tom Zenk threatened to tell the newspapers. Tully Blanchard said that the drug testing protocol was talked with Vince and Vince said only cocaine was not allowed in the locker room. Tully was let go later in his contract do to cocaine use. Tully then said that NWA had a similar steroid problem. Ultimate Warrior took the stand and said 90% of the WWF roster was on steroids.
They jump to during the peak years of WWF in the 80’s, the most he company made in profit was six million dollars.
Then they discuss Hogan taking the stand and Hogan admitted that he would place orders to Emily Feinberg. Hogan said he would stop at Titan Towers to get his paycheck and fan mail along with the steroids.
Hogan then said McMahon never told him to take steroids. Hulk Hogan said he lied to the public. This is where he lied.
Big John Studd also said he took steroids but they were all his personal choice.
Conrad brings up the rumor that if Vince was arrested and jailed, the WWF needed a contingency plan. That plan was supposedly that Jerry Jarrett would take over if Vince left. Bruce said Jerry was brought in because Vince didn’t know him. Jerry was ‘exposed’ in Bruce’s words. Prichard said “Jerry Jarrett is a liar, if his mouth is moving, he is lying.” Bruce says Jerry wasn’t a good booker and never contributed a good idea. Prichard said working with Jerry was one of the most painful experiences of his life.
Bruce says during the wait for the verdict, everyone was in Titan Towers. Then when they found out Vince was not guilty, many office guys cried tears of joy. Vince then told them to pick Stephanie up and bring her to Long Island to celebrate the victory.
That wraps up this episode.
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Thank you!
-Jake
Passion For Wrestling 