Johnny Stamboli’s name came up on the scandal list as well. It was reported earlier in the week that Johnny Stamboli was coming back to WWE. He said that he would be working dark matches and house shows in a few weeks at an indy wrestling show on Tuesday night in Arizona. However, it is not known if he has officially signed a contract with WWE, although the expectation was that he would this week. Furthermore, earlier in the year, Stamboli’s real name, Jon Hugger, was published in government documents as being linked to a drug ring that was being investigated along with Oscar “Rey Mysterio” Gutierrez, Randy Orton, Adam “Edge” Copeland, Gregory Helms, Eddie Guerrero, Matt Bloom (A-Train aka Giant Bernard), Jon Heidenreich and three other wrestlers not publicly named. Due to the new allegation, Johnny Stamboli’s WWE status could very well be in a state of limbo.
Stamboli had a tryout prior to a SmackDown taping a few weeks back under a mask billed as “The Unknown Wrestler.” Stamboli was released by WWE in November of 2004. Since his departure from WWE, he has worked overseas in Japan, Italy and Mexico. He has also undergone a complete character overhaul as he now performs under the name REDRUM — which is “murder” spelled backwards. His gimmick is a horror gimmick. He puts on Boogeyman-style makeup and wears a Vader-like mask over his head. He also pours a red liquid all over his body, which is supposed to be blood.
The New York Daily News announced today that the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection will begin its hearings on “the destrutive drug culture of pro wrestling” in late September. The opening statement will likely be made on Monday, September 24th. The chairman of that subcommittee, Representative Bobby Rush, said the following about the upcoming hearings: “I am extremely concerned about the possible illegal and destructive practices by professional entertainment athletes that negatively influence the younger generation. We must make sure that today’s wrestling sports heroes are not using illegal performance-enhancing drugs that, unfortunately, can and have led to their untimely deaths.”
