Wrestlers#8217; court date canceled

Published 12:00 am Friday, July 14, 2006

HANGING ROCK — The court date is in limbo for two professional wrestlers busted for drug possession last weekend in Hanging Rock, but World Wrestling Entertainment has already decided to put the smackdown on them for their apparent violations of the organization’s anti-drug policy.

Robert Alex Szatowski, aka Rob Van Dam, and Terry Michael Brunk, aka Sabu, were scheduled to appear in Ironton Municipal Court this morning to face charges of drug possession, but their attorneys asked for and were granted continuances. Their appearances in court have not been rescheduled.

Szatowski, 35,

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was reportedly in possession of 18 grams of marijuana and five Vicodin prescription pain pills when the Ohio State Highway Patrol pulled him over on U.S. 52 for speeding Sunday night. Brunk, 42, reportedly had a pipe and nine prescription pills that were not immediately identifiable, but were known to be controlled substances, according to the OSHP.

The wrestlers were apparently leaving their performances at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, W.Va., when they were stopped.

Although they have not had their day in court yet, the wrestlers were sanctioned Wednesday by the WWE.

According to the organization, Szatowski has been suspended without pay for 30 days and Brunk has been fined $1000.

The WWE Web site reports the wrestlers were sanctioned in accordance with the organization’s recently introduced anti-drug policy. The policy states that the “non-medical use and associated abuse of prescription medications and performance-enhancing drugs, as well as the use, possession and/or distribution of illegal drugs by WWE talent are unacceptable and prohibited…”

All wrestlers are subject to random testing under the policy, but the tests do not screen for marijuana, unless there is “reasonable cause” to do so, the policy states.

The suspension comes on the heels of Szatowski’s being stripped of his WWE championship belt by fellow wrestler Edge on Monday night’s “Raw” television program.

Szatowski also lost his Extreme Championship Wrestling title Tuesday night to Big Show live on “ECW.” The ECW is a spin-off of the WWE.