As noted, Brock Lesnar is facing a world of issues right now as UFC was earlier today informed of a potential out-of-competition violation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), stemming from a test taken before his fight at UFC 200.
This has all kinds of implications for WWE, although as it stands all we have to go on is speculation as we continue to wait for an official statement from the company. As WWE and UFC have never shared talent on a scale of this magnitude before, there is no official precedent set to compare with Lesnar’s case. There will be an investigation by UFC, and it’s worth nothing that there is still a chance that secondary testing comes back negative.
We also still don’t know what the test popped for, and because of the nature of UFC as a private organization, unless Lesnar wants to reveal it himself (and given his history that seems extraordinarily unlikely) we may never know. There have been reports confirming that he was not flagged for any kind of street drugs. If he was caught with steroids he will face a two year suspension from MMA which will most likely, effectively end his career in the sport. While he wouldn’t commit to doing another fight so quickly after UFC 200, indication was that he was extremely happy being back in MMA, and if the communication between UFC and WWE was there and remained there, he would likely continue to do both.
On the WWE end, things are more complicated. WWE legally has no obligation to suspend anyone for anything, as they are a non-sanctioned company and handle all their testing and policy-making internally. If it does come out that he was on steroids through UFC and the USADA, they could take that at face value and suspend him in conjunction with their Wellness Policy, which as a first time violation puts him out 30 days. If they acted immediately, which they may not be able to do because of the complicated nature of the situation, he could be back in time for the SummerSlam match against Randy Orton. It’s very possible WWE could also want to test Lesnar themselves before making any decisions.
Another layer in this convoluted tale is that New York remains a commissioned state under the jurisdication of the NYSAC, which is one the last remaining places that still regulates pro wrestling. In most cases it’s just a doctor doing basic testing (blood pressure, etc) to make sure an athlete is healthy before a contest. But in this case, if the NYSAC decides to uphold any kind of punishment handed down by the NSAC (Nevada State), Lesnar could be altogether ineligible to compete at SummerSlam – which takes place in Brooklyn – regardless of what WWE does.
This is all extremely speculative at this point. We will continue to bring you updates on Brock Lesnar as they become available.
