There are moments to be proud of, and then there are ones most of us wish we were never part of, and This Day in Wrestling History could go either way depending which perspective we look at.
On July 14, 1994, Vince McMahon was in the biggest fight of his life as allegations he supplied steroids to his wrestlers and other allegations were threatening to put him in prison.
Throughout the 1980s, the WWE became the land of the giants with wrestlers like Andre the Giant, Big John Studd, Hercules Hernandez, and the Immortal Hulk Hogan.
For a majority of the decade, we heard Hogan tell us to “train, say your prayers, and eat your vitamins,” and he quickly became the idol of millions across the world.
Nothing lasts forever
Hulkamania was a phenomena we’ll probably never see again, and it all came crashing down for many when he took the stand to testify.
From the NY Times:
“Gone were the screaming yellow muscle T-shirt and the manic persona of the charismatic Hulkster. Mr. Bollea, his long blond hair spilling over the collar of a dark business suit, answered questions somberly as the Government tried to show that Mr. McMahon’s Titan Sports Corporation had illicitly provided him with anabolic steroids. Defense lawyers, in cross-examination, sought to show that Mr. Bollea’s nearly 14-year use of the drugs had been an entirely personal action.
“Prosecutors have charged that Mr. McMahon provided steroids to his wrestlers to build up their physiques and thus make them more appealing to audiences.
“Under questioning by a prosecutor, Sean O’Shea, Mr. Bollea, who was testifying under immunity from prosecution, said that steroid use ‘was fairly common’ among wrestlers working for the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980’s. He said that while touring for the W.W.F., he would call Emily Feinberg, then Mr. McMahon’s executive secretary, ‘and ask her to place an order for me with Dr. Zahorian.’ George T. Zahorian is a Harrisburg, Pa., physician who has been convicted of illegally distributing steroids and who has been named as an unindicted co-conspirator in this case.
“Mr. Bollea, who now wrestles on a rival circuit, Ted Turner’s Atlanta-based World Championship Wrestling, said that when the steroid orders arrived at Titan Sports headquarters in Stamford, Conn., he would ‘pick them up along with my paycheck, fan mail or whatever.’
“Mr. Bollea said that he took anabolic steroids not only for body building but “to heal injuries, to keep on going,” but that he no longer uses the drugs.
“During cross-examination, Laura A. Brevetti, a lawyer for Mr. McMahon, sought to demonstrate that the steroids were not used or distributed illicitly.
“’I believed it was legal because I had a prescription for it,’ said Mr. Bollea. He also said that Mr. McMahon never ordered him to take steroids and never purchased any steroids for him.
“A crowd of nearly 80 people, about 30 of them forced to stand, filled the small audience section of Judge Jacob Mishler’s courtroom here. Many of the onlookers were pro wrestling devotees.
“The fans saw the Hulk Hogan character reassert itself as Mr. Bollea left the courthouse. Before stepping into an airport taxi en route to a special cable television event this weekend, he smiled, pointed into the camera lenses and said, “’Better watch the Pay Per View this Sunday, brother!’”
Bouncing back
Like other athletes of the era, Hogan refused to acknowledge he used steroids prior to the trial, but ti wasn’t the death of his career many may have suspected.
He made his in ring debut in WCW later that week against Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Bash at the Beach.
He would later see his career revitalized when he turned heel with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to form the nWo (New World Order) in 1996, and then when he returned to the WWE and faced the Rock in WrestleMania 18.
Sometimes a This Day in Wrestling History moment could make or break a career, but in Hulk Hogan’s case, it was just another notch in the belt of the greatest sports entertainer in history.
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