In a recent installment of his podcast “Everybody’s Got A Pod”, WWE Hall of Fame inductee, Ted DiBiase Sr., shares his earliest experiences witnessing drug consumption in the world of professional wrestling.
See some of the standout excerpts from the podcast below:
Recalling his first encounter with drug usage in wrestling: “Pinpointing the first time is challenging. Back in those days, the drug I encountered most frequently was pot. My stance was that, as long as it doesn’t interfere with their performance in the ring and there was a perceived benefit to the user, then that’s really their business, and I worried about mine. Though, I always turned it down when offered to me. I’d simply say, ‘Thanks, but no, thanks.’”
Discussing how his wrestling generation was the first to rely on substances such as cocaine and pharmaceuticals: “I can’t be fully confident in this, but I do know that I would take – they refer to them as bennies, I suppose it was synonymous. The usage was akin to truck drivers relying on bennies to stay awake during long trips. For me, pot was not a viable option as it would make me lethargic and ravenous. Cocaine, however, provided a stimulant effect that appealed to me. Regardless, conscious of my mother’s alcohol addiction, I vowed never to let myself descend into dependency.
“Regardless of the drug in question, from pot to cocaine, usage was sparing. If I used pot, it was usually a few hits before hitting the sack. Cocaine was a stimulant that appealed to me, but its usage remained limited to times of need. I never found myself staying up through the night solely to take advantage. Essentially, my actions were driven by an underlying fear of addiction, stemming from the painful memory of my mother succumbing to alcoholism, passing away at the tender age of 56.”