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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Rick Gardner ofManchester, England, PWTorch.com reader

The Congressional hearings are approaching, and could even commence in what’s left of 2007. Even if the Barry Bonds situation has taught potential witnesses that honesty is the best policy on Capital Hill, there is a definite conflict of interests for those called to the stand. Not to suggest that the WWE wrestlers are guilty until proven innocent, but it would be perfectly understandable for any wrestler to be reluctant to portray Vince McMahon in a negative light. After all he runs what is, for all intents and purposes, the only game in town. If either of the Congressional committees believe that the WWE is at the center of any wrongdoing, then they need to choose their witnesses carefully. There are five wrestlers who I feel the committees would be remiss to ignore.

Kurt Angle: Although Angle's integrity has been called into question in recent weeks due to his own brush with the law, he has been nothing but outspoken regarding the circumstances that ended his tenure in WWE. Told to rehab his painkiller addiction on the road, Angle is fully aware of the fact that he is a prime example of the Wellness Policy failing the very wrestlers who it is supposed to protect.

Joey Mercury: Mercury already had a Wellness Policy failure under his belt before he suffered the most horrific facial injury ever seen on a live wrestling broadcast at ECW's December to Dismember last year. Not only did the WWE show a lack of sympathy by airing a replay of the incident on the following night's Raw broadcast, but Mercury was back wrestling a few weeks later, albeit underneath a protective mask. Then he was released in March 2007 after becoming addicted to pain killers, which was surely the result of returning to action so soon after such horrendous injury. Another example of the Wellness Policy failing the wrestlers

Chris Masters: Recently fired after repeated Wellness Policy failures, it could be argued that Masters's dismissal is a prime example of the Policy having teeth. However, you don't have to scratch too far beneath the surface to find a Wellness Policy built upon a foundation of ignorance. Noticeably smaller after returning from his first failure, Masters was ridiculed on Raw by Triple H for losing so much muscle. Its all well and good suspending wrestlers for failing tests, but public humiliation for those who are suffering the effects of their suspension indicates that the WWE does not take these problems seriously.

Rey Mysterio: Not only was Mysterio's name mentioned by a 2007 Sports Illustrated article in connection with nandrolone and stanozolol, Mysterio was very close to the late Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, both of which are believed to be drug-related. It would be very interesting to hear what Mysterio thinks of the WWE Wellness Policy.

Ken Kennedy: Although Kennedy has gone to great lengths to create the perception that substance abuse is no longer any part of the WWE lifestyle, his credibility-shattering appearance on the Signature Pharmacy list and subsequent suspension would make his testimony intriguing. Surely Kennedy would not defend the WWE Wellness Policy in the same manner whilst under oath.

Although lack of activity has made it easy to forget about the controversy surrounding the WWE Wellness Policy, there is no doubt that the Congressional hearings have the potential to eclipse all of the top stories of the Pro Wrestling Torch years that Wade Keller listed in issue #1,000. All except one, that is.

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