MVP just gave a wild look back at WWE’s old marijuana policy, revealing that he paid so much money in fines during his first WWE run that he could have bought a new car.
While speaking to RVD, MVP talked about WWE’s previous approach to marijuana under the company’s wellness policy. He said marijuana was not originally part of the program, but WWE later added it after complaints from others backstage. MVP explained that the punishment was initially a $1,000 fine with no suspension attached.
“I paid enough fines that I could have bought a new car. Before — and so when that s*** first started, I’ve been smoking weed since I was like 13 or 14 years old. And initially, when they started the wellness program, weed wasn’t included—it was just pills and hard drugs. I specifically remember the meeting where Stephanie McMahon said, ‘Hey, look, if you test positive, there’s no heat. We’re adding weed to the list now,’ because all the pill heads were complaining about, ‘Well, how come they can smoke pot and we can’t take pills?’
And Stephanie said, ‘Hey, look, we’re adding weed to the list now, but it’s not a suspension. If you test positive, you pay a $1,000 fine, and there’s no heat with the office—you’re good.’ And I was like, ‘Okay.’”
MVP said he was making major money at the time, so he tried to get ahead of the situation by offering to pay a full year of marijuana fines upfront. He recalled joking with WWE executive Laurinaitis about writing a $12,000 check to cover the entire year.
“Well, at that point, I was on a rocket ship. I was making more money than I had ever made in my life. And I went to Lor Nikes—because I remember Derrick Coleman from the New Jersey Nets, when they had a policy that the team had to travel with a sport coat. That was the travel policy. And DC went to the coach and just gave him a blank check—that’s a wrap.
So I went to Lor Nikes, and I was like, ‘Hey man, so we get tested once a month, right?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘And if you’re positive—so that’s 12 times a year. Can I just give you a check for $12,000 and we call it even?’ And we laughed about it.”
Things didn’t stay that simple. MVP said WWE eventually changed its tone after he continued testing positive, and he was told the company had “plenty” of positive tests from him.
“But then a few months later, they changed their whole policy. It was like, ‘Hey kid, this is your fifth time testing positive for pot. We’ve got plenty of you.’ And I was like, ‘You said there was no heat for smoking, man. What the hell?’”
MVP then recalled Joseph Maroon telling talent that the $1,000 fine was not stopping people from smoking, so WWE raised the marijuana fine to $2,500 effective immediately.
“Then I remember when Joseph Maroon called everybody together and said, ‘Because the $1,000 hasn’t been stopping anybody from smoking, we’re raising the fine to $2,500.’ And he specifically said, ‘I want you guys to know—we’re not trying to catch you, we’re not trying to set you up. That’s not what we’re trying to do. But effective immediately, the new fine is $2,500.’ There was no grace period—‘effective immediately.’”
MVP said WWE tested talent the very next day at television after making the announcement at a pay-per-view. He also said he, Randy Orton, and Evan Bourne used to compare who had the most marijuana fines before he finally decided to stop.
“And that was at a pay-per-view. Then they tested us the next day at TV. I think I probably had like—me, Randy Orton, and Evan Bourne used to joke about it. We’d compare notes to see who was in the lead for fines.
I think I had about 11 grand. And then when they started the $2,500 fines, they got me like two more times, and I said, ‘Alright, man. You got me. I’m done.’”
MVP’s story comes after Mia Yim revealed on THE SPEAKEEZY podcast in February 2025 that WWE had already removed marijuana from its banned substance list. Yim said the company changed its approach as marijuana became more legal and accepted.
“Because it’s (marijuana) more legal, they’ve kind of accepted it. So before, that used to be—marijuana used to be on the drug list, and they took that off a couple years ago. So, when I get home on Saturdays, I’ll do that, and just chill out all day, and then I get back into the gym on Sunday. Sunday through Wednesday, I work out…”
WWE has not made a major public announcement about marijuana being removed from its banned substance list, but Yim’s remarks and MVP’s story show how much the company’s stance has changed over the years. What once cost MVP thousands of dollars in fines is apparently no longer treated the same way under WWE’s current approach.
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