As part of the Committee's inquiry, the Committee sought information about any steroid testing involving Chris Benoit, the wrestler who killed himself and his wife and son in June 2007. WWE officials informed the Committee that Mr. Benoit was tested four times under the WWE program, He tested positive three times. He received no suspensions or other penalties as a result of these positive tests, and the Committee obtained no evidence indicating that efforts were made by WWE to discourage his steroid use, An autopsy of Mr. Benoit revealed that at the time of his death, he had ten times the normal testosterone level in his system."

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Policies and Practices

The Committee also obtained documents relating to the steroids policies and testing practices of the WWE's top competitor, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) According to the documents, the TNA conducted baseline steroid testing of its wrestlers starting in January 2008. The documents provided to the Committee indicate that, despite having advance warning of these tests, 15 of 60 wrestlers (25%), tested positive for steroids. An additional 11 wrestlers tested positive for other drugs.

Eight months later, in August 2008, the TNA issued a drug and alcohol abuse policy that includes random testing, although it fails to explain the protocol for selecting wrestlers who will be tested or provide information about how samples will be collected.

Conclusion

The evidence obtained by the Oversight Committee indicates that illegal use of steroids and other drugs in professional wrestling is a serious problem that the wrestling organizations are not effectively addressing. One former wrestler who agreed to talk to Committee staff on condition of anonymity explained that, in the wrestling business, "steroids are like white socks and tape, they're just part of your gear."

Since the Committee began its investigation last year, both the WWE and the TNA have made efforts to improve their steroid testing programs. But these efforts suffer from a lack of independence and transparency. As a result of these weaknesses, the organizations appear unable to effectively prevent the use of steroids and other illegal drugs by professional wrestlers.

Over 3 million children and teenagers watch professional wrestling each week. The apparently widespread use of steroids in professional wrestling sends the wrong message to youth. For this reason, I request that ONDCP examine steroid use in professional wrestling and take appropriate steps to address this problem.

If you have any questions regarding this letter, please contact Brian Cohen of the Committee staff at (202)225-5420.

Sincerely,
Henry A. Waxman
Chairman