Former WWE Personalities Reject Claim That Vince McMahon Pushed Steroids On Talent

Vince McMahon was a topic of discussion on "Piers Morgan Uncensored," and things quickly spiraled into the kind of verbal battle royal fans might expect on WWE programming. Alongside Morgan, the panel included former WWE talents Maven Huffman, Jonathan Coachman, and Charly Caruso, as well as former creative writer Vince Russo, and outspoken McMahon critic Phil Mushnick. When the subject of steroids was broached, things got heated. Despite McMahon being acquitted in the early 1990s steroid trial, Mushnick was unconvinced that he hadn't pressured his talent to use them. But Maven, who's openly admitted past steroid use, was adamant the choice was his own.

"No one from the WWE made me do it," Maven said. "I did it all on my own. ... I got a doctor's note, I got blood work done, and I did it as safely as I possibly could, knowing full well what the ramifications later might be."

Mushnick combatively pushed back, insisting there must've been a reason Maven felt compelled to become more muscular. Maven acknowledged that being in a league of muscular stars had an influence, but insisted it was his own vanity, not pressure from McMahon, as the reason for his actions.

Jonathan Coachman backed up Maven's claim. "I was physically next to Vince more than anyone around that time from 1999 to 2008 ... And not once have I ever heard a conversation about steroid use, or, 'You need to use steroids.'" 

Russo echoed similar sentiments. "I sat next to Vince McMahon in a room writing TV, one-on-one with the man, hundreds of days ... Never once did Vince McMahon say, 'Oh, we're not gonna push so-and-so because of his body.'" The WWE-steroid debate may never be resolved, but some people believe McMahon didn't need to explicitly mention them. One simply had to look at his top stars to see what he favored.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Piers Morgan Uncensored" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.