Less cardio, not enough knowledge of proper food intake, and more weight training was the modus operandi wrestlers mostly knew throughout the 20th century and parts of the 21st century when it came to sculpting their bodies to fit the norms of the squared circle back then. Hall of Famers like JBL were among several top stars who were aware of the steroids culture not only in wrestling, but in combat sports in general. With a competitive edge for those who may have struggled with producing their dream-like body forms from weight training, steroids came to the aid of those who wanted the almighty physique. Reflecting on the years when mandatory steroid testing first became prevalent in wrestling, JBL recalls what a relief it was to himself and others to participate in these tests. That way, it helped yet prevented wrestlers to correct and come off from substances that would hurt their bodies, despite the ramifications it would cause on their physical appearances on television.
"When they started steroid testing, guys were kind of relieved because now you don't have to compete with, you know, the guy who's going to just go over there and take, you know, I don't know if Anadrol is around anymore, but Anadrol was at one time the most androgenic thing you could take, and guys were huge on it. " JBL recalled on "Something to Wrestle." "Now, the catch-22 is you don't look as good, right? When WCW wasn't testing and our guys were, our guys don't look as good, and that's a real problem when you're on a television product."
Sure, looks are everything in this business; however, the longevity of a wrestler's career and their overall health come before everything else, which as fans see now, many precautions are taken to keep wrestlers safe and their careers longer than their predecessors. Despite the negative reputation steroids have had on the combat sports industry as a whole, as JBL noted in his interview, it wasn't steroids that killed so many of his co-workers, it was excessive abuse of pills.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Something to Wrestle" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
