John Cena Comments On Brock Lesnar’s Doping Violations: ‘He’s Got A Long, Hard Road Ahead Of Him’
News broke on Tuesday night that former UFC and WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has once again been flagged by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for a potential doping violation. This is the second time in just a couple of days that Lesnar has been flagged, as news broke last week that he had been notified of a potential doping violation.
The USADA tested Brock Lesnar eight times leading up to UFC 200, and he ended up passing the first five tests. However, he failed test number six and seven. The results of his eighth test should be known within the next couple of days, and, judging from the last two tests, it’s very possible that he’ll be flagged a third time for a potential doping violation.
According to ESPN, Lesnar’s first test showed that he was using estrogen blockers, which are typically used by an athlete who’s coming off of a steroid cycle. Of course, that hasn’t yet been confirmed, and we’ll have to wait until Lesnar’s hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission to find out what he’s been flagged for.
.@JohnCena joined @TheCoachESPN after the #WWEDraft to discuss the night's events. https://t.co/ehiyDNq1el pic.twitter.com/kD3r9Ve9IL
— WWE (@WWE) July 20, 2016
The Lesnar/USADA situation was addressed during Tuesday’s SportsCenter segment with John Cena, who has been in the ring with Lesnar on multiple occasions. When Cena was asked about the Lesnar situation, he said that people are going to look at Lesnar differently from now on, even if he’s able to prove himself innocent. Also, Cena said that Lesnar has a long, hard road ahead of him.
“Well, there was certainly a lot of hype [for Brock Lesnar’s fight at UFC 200]. I was on SportsCenter hyping that fight myself. My thoughts were in Brock Lesnar’s corner, as he was put as the underdog in that fight, and he ended up doing well. Anytime something like that comes out, it certainly affects your perception of the event. There’s no way that people aren’t going to perceive Brock Lesnar differently, and when something like this happens, you set yourself a long, hard road ahead of you, and Brock’s got a long, hard road ahead of him.”
Other than notifying their fans via their website, WWE hasn’t commented on this matter. Furthermore, they haven’t punished him for his USADA failures, and they’re continuing to hype his upcoming match with Randy Orton at next month’s SummerSlam.
Typically, if a superstar fails a drug test for the first time in WWE, they’re subject to a 30-day suspension, which is what we just saw with Roman Reigns. If WWE were to suspend Lesnar for 30 days right now, he’d still be free and clear to wrestle at SummerSlam. But it looks like WWE is waiting to see the result of Lesnar’s hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and if the hearing goes poorly for Lesnar, then WWE will likely take action.
Brock Lesnar has been a part-time performer with WWE since 2012, and, as previously mentioned, WWE does have their own drug-testing program. However, with the exception of Roman Reigns, there really hasn’t been a top-level performer who’s been caught doing anything over the last couple of years. Also, there has been some question as to how frequently WWE tests Lesnar due to his part-time status with the company.
#TheBeast heads to #RAW as @StephMcMahon & @RealMickFoley select @BrockLesnar in the 2016 #WWEDraft! pic.twitter.com/gwwEZbLQLf
— WWE (@WWE) July 20, 2016
WWE held their highly anticipated brand extension draft on Tuesday night, and Brock Lesnar ended up being one of Raw’s top picks. So, it’s clear that they’re not planning on punishing him anytime soon.
On Monday, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer appeared on the Live Audio Wrestling podcast, and he said that Vince McMahon “has to be furious” over Lesnar’s USADA failure. That was, of course, prior to the news that Lesnar had failed a second test, so McMahon is probably even more livid at this point.
[Image via WWE]
