Former WWE Doctor On If He Ever Saw Steroid Use Backstage
Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor Nick Hausman sat down with Dr. Frank Romascavage on a recent episode of The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Dr. Romascavage was a WWE doctor from 1993 – 2006, and he reflected on working for Vince McMahon.
"The experiences in WWF, working with Mr. McMahon and and his family was awesome," Dr. Romascavage expressed. "Probably the nicest compliment he ever told me, 'I like your style as a doctor.' He told me that right to my face. In other words, they watch you, you know? Obviously, I hope so. They want to make sure that everything goes right for the guys and girls, and that was a compliment. I liked that a lot."
Hausman asked Dr. Romascavage if he tested athletes before they signed with WWE. Recalling a WWE veteran that he helped get into the company.
"Some people that I doctored or knew before came to me, and I gave them recommendations to help them get into WWF at the time," Dr. Romascavage recalled. "Gene Snitsky, he's one. Before he was a member of WWF, he was very interested. He had a tryout with the Eagles. I used to bring him to some of the wrestling matches before he was a member with WWF, and he worked and worked and he made it. Most of the new guys, not really. It was after they became members of WWF."
Hausman then asked if there were any red flags or warning signs that WWE looked out for during their screening process.
"I think it's with anything, you want somebody who has no injuries," Dr. Romascavage said. "Obviously, you want somebody who has no heart problems, no lung problems, no orthopedic problems, back problems, knee problems. Idealistically, that's your ideal type of guy."
Steroid and drug abuse was a major issue for WWE in the '90s. Dr. Romascavage explained his own policy when it comes to steroids and pain medication and how that reflected in his work in WWE.
"I have always be known as, even back as an ER doctor, as a good, clean doctor. That's my reputation," Romascavage noted. "In my office today, I write for no codeine cough syrup, no sleeping pills, no Xanax, no nerve pills, no Valium, no Tylenol threes, no Vicodin, no Percocet, none of that garbage. I'm talking about my patients here. I said, 'listen, I'm your friend. I'm your doctor, but I'm not your legalized dope dealer.' There's other people out there that write that crap.
"I don't write any of that garbage. Why? Because five years from now, you're gonna look back and say, 'you know, that Romascavage was my medical friend because most people don't need it.' If you do need it, I send you to a pain specialist who does that. That's how I do my practice. So throughout the years in WWF, have I been approached?
"I guess so, maybe indirectly, but my reputation stood me above all the other critiques of how it was. I was always dealt like I'm dealing with you, always fair and square, right to the point. Did I ever have to sell anybody? Not really. Did I ever see anybody put steroids in there butt? Their arm? No, never did. As the doctor, I never saw any of that stuff. I was just just totally immune to that situation."
You can find the full audio and video from part two of Dr. Frank's interview below:
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