The PED abuse controversy has been rampant in the wrestling industry for the past few decades and while it doesn’t really come as a shock to realize that these muscular wrestlers have abused it to enhance their figures, it might come as a surprise to many to discover that these smaller wrestlers abused it as well.

22Muscular Wrestler: Ahmed Johnson

Ahmed Johnson was quite the impressive wrestler for the WWE for a portion of time in the mid-90s, where he showed the potential to be the first ever African-American WWE Champion. Johnson was pushed hard after his debut and even won the Intercontinental Championship and was in line for a shot at the WWE title, but an injury derailed his push. He served as a mid-carder for the rest of his career, mostly because of his impressive buffed up figure. But it was quickly discovered that Johnson had abused PEDs in the 90s to make himself look jacked, which was rather obvious looking at how huge his muscles looked. The PEDs seemed to have a bad effect on his body in the long run, as Johnson looks quite unfit these days after he stopped using.

21Smaller Wrestler: Chavo Guerrero

Chavo Guerrero was quite the memorable heel in WWE’s Cruiserweight Division during the mid-2000s, where he asserted himself as the top guy and held the Cruiserweight Title for quite sometime. While he never attained the popularity of his uncle Eddie, Chavo did well with his impressive skill set and put on some memorable feuds in his years in the company. But when Chavo was discovered to have been taking somatropin, nandrolone, and anastrozole in 2007, it came as a surprise to many as his body did not really look like one enhanced by drugs. Chavo took different kinds of PEDs to help to enhance his figure, probably in an attempt to look better and move up in WWE. Not many would’ve even guessed that he abused PEDs had he not been busted for it, proving how even some cruiserweights have tried to enhance themselves.

20Muscular Wrestler: Chris Masters

“The Masterpiece” Chris Masters was definitely a gem to look at because of how amazingly muscular he was and loved to flaunt it to the crowd and it was quite obvious from the get-go that it was not a natural figure at all. Masters might’ve been pretty dominant in the WWE in his initial year due to his looks, but he had definitely used steroids to pump up his muscles and attain that kind of a muscular figure. Masters has himself stated in interviews about abusing steroids to impress WWE into signing him, but he continued his abuse even after joining the company. He was suspended for a Wellness Policy violation for his steroid abuse by the company who later let him go and that wake-up call probably made Masters realize his mistake at constantly abusing steroids to his advantage.

19Smaller Wrestler: Dolph Ziggler

“The Showoff” Dolph Ziggler often loves to flaunt his skills in the ring, with his current gimmick making his claim that he’s a better in-ring performer than anyone in the WWE right now, but Ziggler has always maintained a really good look to himself. While he might not be the biggest of wrestlers, he’s kept a very good figure intact and it seems like he enhanced it by abusing steroids in the past. To everyone’s shock, Ziggler was suspended by the WWE for violating their Wellness Policy in 2008 for using steroids while trying to rise up the ladder with his new gimmick. It seems like Ziggler wanted to attain the perfectly-toned figure and used some “enhancements” for it, but that suspension must’ve taught him a lesson at never trying to take the easy way out at achieving success.

18Muscular Wrestler: The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior was a huge fan-favorite in the WWE during the 80s for his energetic, powerful character who bulldozed through many wrestlers in his path to fame. Warrior also looked great because of his muscular, amazingly toned figure which was too perfect to be a natural one. Warrior had definitely taken steroids throughout his career which helped him maintain his impressive figure and become a really successful wrestler in the WWE. Bret Hart had himself admitted in an interview that Warrior had been taking steroids for quite a long time in his wrestling career. While he probably stopped taking it after his in-ring career was over, all those years of steroid-abuse took a bad toll on his health and definitely played a part in his shocking, untimely death after he had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

17Smaller Wrestler: Funaki

Funaki was quite the hilarious wrestler in the WWE during the mid-2000s where he served as a Cruiserweight on Smackdown and entertained everyone with his funny promos and in-ring work in the company. Funaki seemed like a simple man trying to win over the fans with his wit, which is why it was especially shocking for many to believe that he had taken steroids to enhance himself. Funaki was one of the wrestlers who was busted in the steroid scandal in 2007 as he had taken somatropin to try and jack up his figure. He was suspended by the WWE for his actions and even though he wasn’t a heavy steroid user, it came as a shock that even someone like him did it for a while which shows how even the smallest of wrestlers often try enhancing their figures by abusing steroids.

16Muscular Wrestler: Scott Steiner

Scott Steiner has been a really lively man in the professional wrestling industry over the past few decades, but the tag team specialist started to turn heads when he underwent a rather stark physical transformation in WCW during 1997. While Steiner was quite the intimidating wrestler who teamed with brother Rick, he started going solo and developed a really muscular figure all of a sudden. He’d flaunt his huge muscles which were not natural at all and it was quite obvious to everyone that he had taken steroids to help pump up the muscles in his body. While it helped Steiner become a legitimate top guy, the steroid-abuse was a rather easy and dirty way for him to make turn himself into a top star and it seems like he continued it for a long time to maintain this well-toned, muscular body.

15Smaller Wrestler: Shane Helms

Shane Helms aka The Hurricane surprised many when the superhero-themed gimmick returned to the WWE at the Royal Rumble for a special appearance and even though he was hardly in the match for a few minutes, he delighted everyone with his antics. The Hurricane was especially popular in the early 2000s after which he took off his mask and became Shane Helms, who dominated the Cruiserweight Division. But many fans were shocked when Helms was named among the wrestlers tangled in WWE’s Steroid Scandal in 2007, as he had taken drugs such as testosterone and nandrolone in the WWE. Helms probably wanted to get out of the CW division and become a more prominent star in WWE, but this discovery not only derailed his WWE career but ruined his reputation among the fans as well.

14Muscular Wrestler: Ryback

“The Big Guy” Ryback might have resorted to operating his own podcast these days rather than wrestling on a regular basis, but he did pretty well to gain popularity in the WWE because of the monster push he received at the beginning. He had quite the intimidating figure with some huge muscles in his body, which propelled many to wonder whether he had taken steroids or not. Ryback did abuse steroids in his career and it was quite obvious seeing just how jacked his muscles were, which is not normal at all. In fact, the Big Guy himself stated in an interview that he abused steroids for almost four years to help enhance his figure and get him a chance in the WWE. Ryback attained most of his popularity thanks to his muscular figure, so it seemed like the “enhancing” did the trick for him.

13Smaller Wrestler: Dynamite Kid

The Dynamite Kid was one of the more innovative wrestlers of his time in the WWE where he formed the British Bulldogs with Davey Boy Smith and put on some great matches during his time at the company as well. While Kid was a terrific wrestler in the ring, he also had found the urge of constantly abusing steroids which were something very popular amongst wrestlers in the 80s. The steroids made him look better than he actually did but took a bad toll on his body in the long run as Kid would be later reduced to a wheelchair after losing the use of his legs. While the steroids might’ve done their job back then, they have acted like a slow poison to his body and made him age horribly, proving how brutal the steroid abuse can be for a person’s health.

12Muscular Wrestler: The British Bulldog

“The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith was a really talented wrestler to have come out of UK in the 80s and shine in the WWE, with his terrific work in the company making him a fan-favorite in his country and in general. While his days tagging with Dynamite Kid was terrific, just like his partner, he also abused steroids a lot to buff up his own figure. Smith was actually a big steroid-abuser and took it all the time in order to maintain his jacked up appearance and make himself look good in the WWE. When he shockingly passed away in 2002, his heart attack was apparently due to the steroids and growth hormones which he had taken in all the years leading up to it which proves how regularly he used these “enhancements” and how it resulted in the premature end for him.

11Smaller Wrestler: Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero was a really charismatic wrestler in the WWE during the 2000s where he became a fan-favorite because of his antics and was loved by the fans because of how unique his character really was. Guerrero might’ve been the underdog against most of the big wrestlers, but he had the urge to become “bigger” himself as he had also resorted to abusing steroids during his stint in the WWE. It was discovered in 2007 that two weeks prior to Eddie’s shocking demise, he was taking steroids such as nandrolone, testosterone, and anastrozole. The charismatic Eddie might’ve seemed to enjoy his stance as a small guy, but he tried hard to maintain his physique by constantly abusing steroids which took a terrible toll on his health and proves how even a successful star like Guerrero was desperate at maintaining his looks at all costs necessary.

10Muscular Wrestler: Lex Luger

Lex Luger was definitely one of the better-looking wrestlers of his time with the muscular marvel being compared to Hulk Hogan and even being brought in by the WWE initially to replace the Hulkster as the face of their company. While Luger couldn’t really do that, he was a big star in WWE and later in WCW as well for his impressive look and powerful nature. Luger had a really muscular, amazingly toned figure which was not natural at all because he had taken steroids to pump up the muscles in his body. According to Luger himself, he had taken anabolic steroids as a football player and a wrestler and this was along with his famous drug-addiction as well. The steroid-abuse along with his drug-abuse has taken a terrible toll on his figure as he looks like a skinny old man these days and Luger definitely regrets ever having taken them.

9Smaller Wrestler: Mr. Kennedy

Mr. Kennedy was a really charismatic individual during his time in the WWE and management were so high on him at one point, that they had plans for him to be a big star in the future. But it was then that Kennedy was implicated in the steroid scandal in 2007, where he was also named among the WWE wrestlers who took steroids to juice up their bodies. Kennedy allegedly took anastrozole, somatropin, and testosterone for which he was suspended by the WWE for violating their Wellness Policy. This not only put an end to his push, but the news shocked many because Kennedy didn’t look like the kind of wrestler on steroids. He had stated in previous interviews about abusing steroids in the past, as it seems like the greed for fame and a better figure made him go back to it later after joining WWE as well.

8Muscular Wrestler: Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan is a wrestling star whom almost everyone following sports-entertainment for the past 30 years knows about because of the Hulkster playing a big part in WWE attaining mainstream success in the 80s. Hogan was a real fan-favorite with his Real American gimmick and often flexed his muscles to the delight of the crowd back then, but little did they know that his figure was highly influenced by steroids. Hogan could’ve never attained his highly muscular figure naturally and had himself admitted that he used steroids. In the 1994 steroid trial against Vince McMahon, Hogan had admitted having taken steroids to help gain weight and muscles under oath! While Hogan’s decision at abusing steroids to make for a well-toned figure did wonders, he took an easy way out to success and became the huge star he was partly thanks to the enhancements he used back then.

7Smaller Wrestler: William Regal

William Regal was never the most buffed up or good-looking of wrestlers as he was known more for his astounding technique in the ring and antics outside of it in the WWE. While Regal was famous for his drug and alcohol abuse in the 90s which cost him his job two times(once in WWE and once in WCW), he recovered from that and succeeded at a non-wrestling role in the WWE. Regal admitted during an interview that he did abuse steroids to help enhance his looks in his twenties when he was still up and coming as a wrestler, but when he was suspended again in 2007, it was discovered that he had taken it yet again. It was apparently due to his push after becoming King of the Ring and Regal must be regretting his steroid abuse which cut-short his in-ring career in WWE.

6Muscular Wrestler: Rick Rude

Rick Rude was definitely one of the most stunning wrestlers in the WWE during the 80s where he amazed everyone with his “Ravishing” gimmick where he’d show off his muscular, well-toned figures and dazzle the ladies in the crowd. While Rude did well to maintain his astounding shape, it was mostly due to the steroids which he abused when he was in the WWE. Rude wanted to keep his figure intact and started to abuse steroids in the WWE to remain in good shape and maintain his stout figure in the company. While it doesn’t really come as a surprise that Rude abused steroids, it was partly due to it that he suffered a heart-attack and shockingly passed away at the age of 40 as all that “enhancements” had taken a bad toll on his body and deteriorated his health.

5Smaller Wrestler: John Morrison

“The Shaman Of Sexy” John Morrison earned his name due to his stunning looks in the WWE which turned quite a few eyes on him in the company. Morrison was high on the officials before he was discovered to have abused quite a lot of steroids during his stint in the company to help enhance his figure. Morrison had taken a number of steroids including testosterone, somatropin, and even chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced naturally during pregnancy. It seemed like Morrison was a man on a mission at attaining the perfect figure and took a number of steroids to help pump up his figure and was rightfully suspended by the WWE for terribly violating their policy. It seemed like Morrison wanted to become a bigger star by pumping up his figure, a decision which backfired badly when his reputation was tarnished after the shocking discovery of his enhancements.

4Muscular Wrestler: Ken Shamrock

Ken Shamrock was quite the big signing for WWE during the Attitude Era, with the UFC legend arriving as a star in the company and getting the nickname of “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” because of his looks and intimidating nature. Shamrock was actually quite the muscular, buffed individual who had some legitimate fighting skills and put them to good use in the WWE. It wasn’t really surprising that it was later discovered that Shamrock had been abusing steroids for quite a long time in his career, with his own brother in Frank Shamrock stating that he did it his whole life. While that may or may not be true, it’s quite certain that he did abuse steroids as he was suspended by the UFC for it a few years ago as well and could’ve never attained such a well-toned figure without using any enhancements.

3Smaller Wrestler: Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit is now an unspeakable name in the WWE because of his controversial murder-suicide over a decade ago, but the Rabid Wolverine will always be remembered by the fans for his amazing work for the company. Benoit was a terrific wrestler who put on some great matches with almost anyone, but it seems like even he wanted to look good and abused steroids for that cause. After his death, it was discovered that Chris had also abused steroids as he had taken nandrolone and anastrozole to help himself look better. Despite being a great wrestler, Benoit probably wanted to be a more mainstream star by looking more buffed and it could be that the enhancements affected his mental state and played a part in him committing that barbaric act of violence and tarnishing his reputation forever in the end.

2Muscular Wrestler: “Superstar” Billy Graham

“Superstar” Billy Graham was an inspiration for Hulk Hogan who often imitated him in his amazing reign in the WWE in the 80s and tried to replicate his buffed, muscular figure as well. Graham was originally a professional body-builder before arriving in the wrestling business, spending quite a few years in the WWE where he held the WWE Championship for over nine months! While Graham definitely looked like one of the better wrestlers because of his muscles, it was rather obvious that they were enhanced due to steroid abuse as everyone did it back in the day. Graham himself admitted having taken steroids to enhance his figure, with his constant abuse leaving with a condition which caused a severe degeneration of his hip and ankle bones and making Graham regret ever abusing steroid to help make for a jacked figure.

1Smaller Wrestler: Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio gave the fans a delightful shock when he was a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble this year and put on an exciting showcase, which fuelled rumors of him returning to the company soon enough. While Mysterio might be the ultimate underdog of his generation, it seems like he wasn’t content with being small and skinny as he wanted to gain more muscles and resorted to steroids for that. Mysterio was also named among the wrestlers to have taken steroids in the 2007 steroid scandal, as he had taken nandrolone and stanozolol and was suspended by the company for 30 days. Mysterio violated WWE”s Wellness Policy yet again in 2010 and was suspended for 60 days, as his obsession with gaining a more muscular and well-toned look proves how even a “small wrestler” like Mysterio is intent on looking muscular and more intimidating.