One of the big news stories in pro wrestling so far this week is WWE suspending Paige (real name Saraya-Jade Bevis) for her second violation of their Talent Wellness Program just a few weeks after her previous 30 day suspension ended. Paige and her loved starting speaking openly about the suspension almost right away, with Paige tweeting (I’ve fixed her formatting for clarity’s sake) “Same shit different day.  Kids…Please don’t get prescriptions or doctors notes. Not acceptable.” and “Rules apply depending on your status.” Her boyfriend, Alberto El Patron/Alberto Del Rio, quickly chimed in to back up her story, with her father, Ricky Knight, and brothers, Zak and Roy, all posting on Facebook that she was flagged for doctor-prescribed painkillers.
So, what makes this a violation? First, let’s reexamine the key section of what Zak wrote:
She has gone private and went to a different Dr, who is amazing I’ll add. He gave her PRESCRIPTION pain killers to ease the pain that she’s in 24/7 and I have witnessed.
They’ve not excepted [sic] this and this leads to yet another suspension.
Nobody is disputing that Paige has a legitimate neck injury to the point where she may need narcotic/opiate painkillers to be functional. It’s been reported in the past (and was alluded to by Dave Meltzer on Monday night’s Wrestling Observer Radio for F4WOnline subscribers) that WWE prefers to have talent get painkiller prescriptions from the company doctors. Presumably, this also extends to any specialists that the company sends talent to. This way, WWE avoids the perils of talent going doctor shopping, as the performers’ use of dangerous and addictive drugs is being tracks by trusted physicians
Same shit different day. Kids..Please don't get prescriptions or doctors notes. Not acceptable.
— PAIGE (@RealPaigeWWE) October 10, 2016
The implication of Zak Knight/Zak Bevis writing that Paige “has gone private” is that she got a second opinion from a doctor other than the one(s) that WWE sent her to. That means that they’re going to be more scrutinizing of prescriptions for banned substances. Still, the written policy has a procedure for requesting a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) to a banned drug, and there are no medications or classes of medications listed as ineligible for exemptions That said, according to the policy, it appears that the talent just needs to have the doctor provide a copy of the prescription if the drug is being taken for less than 60 days.
If “the use of such prohibited drug is required for more than sixty (60) consecutive days,” that’s when the more formal TUE process must be undertaken. According to the policy, “A WWE Talent in need of a TUE must immediately notify, or cause his/her issuing physician to notify, the Medical Director of the existence of a prescription for a prohibited drug and the medical need for the TUE.” A TUE lasts one year, and “A urine sample which is found to contain a prohibited drug will not be deemed a positive test result if such sample was provided by a WWE Talent with a valid and effective TUE for that prohibited drug.”
Rules apply depending on your status.
— PAIGE (@RealPaigeWWE) October 10, 2016
If a performer tests positive for a banned prescription drug and does not have a TUE, then they “may not challenge a determination that he/she violated the Policy by contending, in connection with a ‘no fault or negligence’ defense or otherwise, that he/she believed he/she would qualify or had qualified for a TUE.” In other words, don’t plead ignorance. In Paige’s case, it appears that she’s saying that whatever happened with her, which presumably involves a non-WWE doctor, was not substantively different from other cases where the talent was not deemed to be in violation.
Also, specific to painkillers, “a test that confirms the presence of drug metabolite concentrations in excess of the levels expected when a drug prohibited by this Policy is being used consistent with the therapeutic management of pain will be treated as a positive test.” There’s no specific definition, numerically speaking, given in the policy. Since continuous use of narcotic painkillers can, even if taken as directed, lead to the patient building up a tolerance and requiring higher doses to get the same effect, this isn’t inherently a sign of abuse, but for the safety of the talent, it’s definitely cause for concern.