Former WWE star thought failed Wellness Policy test was a gimmick and part of a storyline

A former WWE Superstar recently revealed that she once thought that her failed Wellness Policy test was part of a storyline. The company launched the program in 2006 to help talents stay healthy and safe amid scrutiny from different agencies at the time.

One of the major catalysts of the Wellness Policy was the unexpected death of Eddie Guerrero in November 2005. A lot of stars have been suspended for failing drug tests over the years, including big names such as Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and Rey Mysterio, among others.

Eva Marie failed a Wellness Policy test three days before the biggest match of her career at SummerSlam 2016. She tested positive for Adderall, but it wasn't the reason for her suspension. She had a prescription for it but failed to submit her paperwork on time.

Speaking on the Ring The Belle podcast, the former WWE Diva Seach winner opened up about her failed Wellness Policy test. She called it confusing at the time and even thought that it was just a part of her gimmick and storyline.

"WWE allowed me to put out my statement the way that I did because it was all paperwork. They totally knew for sure everything was documented from my doctor. That's why I thought it was a gimmick. (...) It was just horrendous, and then what was crazy about that, Nikki is the one who replaced me. So, I was like, 'Is this a storyline?' Like, 'What is going on?' Like this does not even seem like real," Marie said. [25:58 - 26:47]

After her suspension was over, Eva Marie never returned to WWE television and she was released on August 4, 2017, nearly a year after her failed test. She would pursue a career outside of wrestling before returning to the company for a short run from 2020 to 2021.

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Eva Marie on what it was like to work with AJ Lee in WWE

In the same interview on Ring The Belle, Eva Marie was asked what it was like to wrestle AJ Lee early in her career. Marie had nothing but positive things to say about the former WWE Divas Champion.

"She was actually fantastic. Because, looking back, I have to give a lot of love to many of the girls, especially working with me out the gate because they didn't know who I was. (...) For them to have the patience to be willing, gracious enough to kind of guide me through a lot of the things that we did or any of the work that we did together is amazing," Marie said. [H/T - Fightful]

Eva Marie had two wins over AJ Lee during their feud. They faced each other four times in a two-month span, with Lee winning the first two matches.