Rey Mysterio suspended 30 days for WWE wellness violation

World Wrestling Entertainment has officially suspended Rey Mysterio 30 days effective Wednesday for a violation of its drug / wellness policy, according to a press release issued via WWE.com Mysterio (real name: Oscar Gutierrez) is the current Intercontinental champion. The length of the suspension indicates that it is Mysterio's first official wellness violation.

As is standard for champions suspended under wellness, WWE delayed the suspension's start date to allow time for Mysterio to lose his title in the ring. With Mysterio's suspension delayed until after next week's Smackdown taping, his title reign should end at that point.

----
Before we proceed any further, credit has to be given to World Wrestling Entertainment for putting some teeth into its wellness policy even at the expense of a top star in the company. WWE's proactive action should serve as a lesson for a certain other company (TNA) that refuses to do anything about the ludicrous actions of its own top star.

That said, I share the WWE fandom's profound disappointment with one Rey Mysterio. The man had gone out of his way during his extended WWE stint to make himself a role model for kids, someone for the youngest members of the so-called WWE Universe to look up to and emulate.

More than perhaps anyone else in the company, Mysterio had a special responsibility to act responsibly, both in and out of the wrestling ring. His apparent failure to do so disgusts me. I pray there's a reasonable explanation for this.

Chris Masters to return to WWE

"The Masterpiece" Chris Masters (real name Chris Mordetzky) is expected to soon return to WWE, reports PWInsider.com. Masters is cancelling off his independent books in preparations for a surprise return to the fed.

In late 2007, Masters had been fired from WWE after a second violation of the company wellness policy though the policy itself only required a 60 day suspension for his second failed drug test. The firing was at a point in time when extra mainstream attention was being focused on the drug issue in professional wrestling.

It will be interesting to see if Masters' apparent WWE comeback indicates a company belief that scrutiny over drugs is no longer a concern. More interestingly, since Masters had already been fired, it will have to be clarified whether the "two strikes" from the previously failed drug tests still hold true.