Ex-pro wrestler ended up in ER on American Shaman pills. Now he’ll fight in court
Steven Ray once built a career on absorbing pain.
The 59-year-old former professional wrestler flew off top ropes, fought in cage matches in South Africa and squared off against stars such as Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat.
But Ray says the worst pain came later, when he tried to stop using Advanced Alkaloids, pills he purchased at a CBD American Shaman store in the Kansas City area.
Ray said he was led to believe the product was a natural pain reliever. Store employees recommended it, he said, even though he explicitly disclosed that he had a prior history of prescription opioid use for pain management related to ongoing shoulder injuries.
“I was never warned that the product could be addictive or opioid-like,” Ray told The Star recently. “It was presented as ‘safe,’ ‘natural,’ and appropriate for pain relief.”
Ray said he took the product for about a year, during which time he experienced worsening health effects. When he tried to quit Advanced Alkaloids, he went into atrial fibrillation and was taken to the emergency room. He said treating physicians were unsure how to manage his condition because the product was not widely known.
In September, Ray and another plaintiff filed a federal lawsuit accusing CBD American Shaman and related entities of misleading customers about the risks of Advanced Alkaloids, which Ray later learned contained 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH — a concentrated kratom compound that has drawn growing scrutiny from regulators and medical experts.
That lawsuit was dismissed last month without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled.
Ray said the dismissal had nothing to do with the strength of the claims.
“The lawsuit was not dropped on the merits,” Ray wrote. “It was withdrawn due to a conflict of interest involving legal representation. There was no adverse ruling, no finding against my claims, and no falling out with the law firm. The decision was procedural, not substantive.”
CBD American Shaman lawsuit
The attorney who filed the case, Eric Barton of the Kansas City firm Wagstaff & Cartmell, declined to comment on the dismissal. Attorneys for Vince Sanders, owner of CBD American Shaman, have previously declined to comment on the allegations.
The lawsuit sought class-action status on behalf of customers nationwide who purchased 7-OH products sold or manufactured by American Shaman and related entities. It alleged violations of federal racketeering laws, deceptive advertising and state consumer protection statutes.
Sanders and his companies are the subject of multiple investigations related to the sale and production of 7-OH products. In November, federal agents working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Justice Department seized thousands of units of 7-OH products worth roughly $1 million from Shaman Botanicals’ Kansas City-area warehouses.
$1,000 per month addiction
Ray began his professional wrestling career locally in the 1980s and competed under the names Big Steve Ray and Wildthing Stevie Ray. He later left the sport and became an entrepreneur in the fitness and nutritional supplement industries, work he said gave him experience with product formulation and FDA regulatory issues.
Buying from multiple different CBD American Shaman stores, Ray at the height of his addiction was spending $1,000 per month on Advanced Alkaloids, he said. When he asked staff for guidance, he said he was told to only take the pills every other day. “They’d been falsely educated about the product, too,” Ray said.
Ray said the dismissal has paused the case, not ended it. He is now looking for another attorney to take it on.
“I am actively evaluating next steps and appropriate legal counsel,” he said. “Any future legal action will be taken deliberately and with full consideration of jurisdiction, scope, and evidence.”
