WWE Discovers Baron Corbin Is Involved In A Major NFL Concussion Lawsuit

We reported recently that Baron Corbin's sudden burial from Mr. Money In The Bank and subsequent removal from the WWE SmackDown Live main event picture was in part due to a recent incident backstage incident in which Corbin got into an argument with Dr. Maroon who was giving the talent a talk on the connection between CTE and concussions. 

We can now reveal via Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE learned in the last month that Corbin is involved in a rather high profile lawsuit against the NFL. For those unaware Corbin is a former National Football League (NFL) player who played offensive line for both the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals.  

The exchange between Corbin and the Dr. was said to be 'awkward’ and ‘uncomfortable’ with many in the room feeling Corbin should have aired his concerns away from everybody else in private.

In addition, Corbin has existing heat on him for the way he was conducting himself on twitter in regardings to fans and fellow professional wrestlers, including an army veteran who he later apologized to. 

Former WWE Announcer And RAW GM Mike Adamle Diagnosed With Dementia And "Severe" CTE

The former WWE announcer and RAW General Manager announced to NBC Chicago that he has officially been diagnosed with dementia and that he likely does have a severe case of CTE.

He says that he has been suffering from epilepsy for around 19 years, and that doctors believe that he has symptoms of CTE due to brain injuries suffered from his days back in the NFL. CTE can only be diagnosed after death but he is showing many of the CTE symptoms and dementia is the final phase of CTE.

"I’ve been on short-term disability and then long-term disability, I’ve had seizures and epilepsy for the last 19 years." He said that he can no longer work and the diagnosis is the reason why he’s been off the air for a year. He was an anchor on the local NBC affiliate in Chicago up until a year ago.

He had been asked how many concussions he thinks he had during his NFL days and he replied he couldn't put a number on it. He has memory loss, depression, anxiety, and other symptoms with dementia.

The Latest on Concussion Lawsuits Against WWE, Plaintiffs Attempting to Unseal Depositions Given By the McMahons and Triple H

According to PWInsider.com, a hearing has been set regarding the sanctions requested by Vince McMahon and WWE against attorneys Konstantine Kyros, Brenden Leydon, S. James Boumil, Anthony Norris, Erica C. Mirabella, and R. Christopher Gilreath. The hearing will take place on March 2nd in Hartford, CT at 10:30am.

Back in November 2016, WWE claimed that the attorneys had plagiarized some of the allegations against the company from a NFL-concussion lawsuit. Below are other claims made by WWE:

-The most recently amended complaint against the company includes facts that have already been proven false over the course of discovery.

-The complaint falsely claims WWE was aware of the effects of concussion-related disease such as CTE for decades.

-That WWE and Dr. Joseph Maroon have shot down claim and studies that several football players have been diagnosed with CTE.

-That WWE requested to examine the results and research on Chris Benoit’s brain.

-That WWE hid their knowledge of the dangers of CTE and other concussive effects from their performers.

On January 27th, WWE filed motions to fight requests to unseal depositions Vince McMahon, Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon Levesque gave in relation to the lawsuit. WWE argued that the request is premature in that the depositions have yet to be sealed.

Furthermore, WWE’s motion cited the following:

“Plaintiffs’ call for public dissemination of the confidential deposition testimony of WWE’s highest-ranking executives is their latest action in a protracted and abusive litigation campaign against Defendants. This Court has already repeatedly admonished Attorney Kyros for misrepresenting testimony and evidence in this case and for taking actions that are intended to generate negative publicity against Defendants. Such misconduct on the part of Attorney Kyros raises serious concerns about the potential misuse of the confidential deposition transcripts if the Court were to order them to be made public.”

WWE Files Motion Seeking Dismissal Of Class-Action Suit, Responds to Latest Claims

PWInsider reports that WWE has filed a new motion seeking dismissal of the class-action lawsuit against them from dozens of wrestlers claiming that the company is responsible for numerous health-related injuries over the years. The motion was filed on December 23rd and was followed by a personal motion filed by Vince McMahon, both of which again ask the court to dismiss the lawsuit and also request that the US District Court of Connecticut sanction lawyers Konstantine Kyros, Brenden Leydon, S. James Boumil, Anthony Norris, Erica C. Mirabella and R. Christopher Gilreath.

The motion argues that the Amended lawsuit, which was last updated in November, incorrectly claims that “all of the deceased wrestlers who have been studied to date had CTE” and that “several hundred wrestlers died from Alzheimer’s or dementia related injuries” per the Cauliflower Alley Club’s website. It also says that the lawsuit incorrectly alleges that WWE knew wrestlers had “received repetitive head trauma that dramatically increased their risks of developing neurological disorders because of its relationship to the CAC.”

The new motion to dismiss argues against the notion that the company is legally responsible for the claims of former talent from WCW and ECW, both of which WWE purchased in 1991. WWE claims that “The Amended Complaint falsely alleges that WWE had a continuity of ownership, management, employees, and physical location with both WCW and ECW. It also falsely alleges that Diana Myers, Aaron Blitzstein, Rob Garner, and Steve Barrett, all former WCW employees, were subsequently employed by WWE.” It adds that the ECW-related claims should be dismissed, calling them “legally frivolous because WWE acquired certain assets of ECW free and clear of all claims pursuant to an order of a federal Bankruptcy Court, because WWE did not acquire or assume any liability to Plaintiffs, and because Plaintiffs cannot plead any exception to the general rule that a corporation that merely purchases certain assets of another corporation is not liable for the seller’s liabilities.”

The motion argues that WWE did not take over WCW operations from parent company Universal Wrestling Corp, as the corporate entity still exists in name.

The motion also responds to claims that Ashley Massaro made upon joining the lawsuit in November, in which she alleged that WWE pressured her not to report a sexual assault allegation while on a military base in Kuwait for the 2006 Tribute to the Troops show. The motion calls those claims false and says, “This baseless and inflammatory allegation is wholly unrelated to the claims in this case and was presented for the improper purpose of generating negative publicity against WWE in violation of this Court’s prior admonitions.”

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Former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro Tags-In on Lawsuit Against WWE; Alleges Sexual Abuse, Brain Injuries

Ashley Massaro was on the WWE roster from 2005-2008. According to court documents published by the Boston Globe, Massaro says she was sexually assaulted at a US military base. Massaro says that she was examined by a WWE physician after returning from Kuwait and she says that she reported the assault to WWE executives who she says met with her “to apologize for their negligence, but [they] persuaded her that it would be best not to report it to appropriate authorities.”

The former WWE diva is one of seven others that joined in the lawsuit that she received several concussions during her time in WWE, including one that caused her to be unconscious in the ring.

According to the lawsuit, she claims that she has been dealing with multiple behavioral changes since leaving the WWE in 2008, including developing a drug addition which the company helped her for by putting her in sponsored rehab. WWE provides free drug rehabilitation to any former talent that has been under contract with them.

The Boston Globe also reports that Massaro mentioned in the lawsuit that she is suffering from memory loss, migraines, anxiety, and depression. Thoee are all symptoms of CTE but CTE (as of now) can only be diagnosed after death. Massaro also says that she suffered a hairline fracture in her spine, two herniated discs, a shattered knuckle and an ankle fracture. There is also a claim that Vince McMahon told the backstage crew to saw off a cast from her hand so she could perform. The claim is that he ordered to have the cast removed several weeks before she was fully healed.

You can read the full story from the Boston Globe here.

Two Wrongful Death Cases Against WWE Dismissed

United States District Judge Vanessa Bryant dismissed two wrongful death cases against WWE yesterday, initially filed by Michelle James and Cassandra Frazier on behalf of Matt Osborne and Cassandra Frazier respectively.

Matt Osborne, known to millions of wrestling fans as Doink the Clown and "Maniac" Matt Osborne, passed away on June 28th 2013 from an accidental opiate overdose at 55-years old.

Nelson Frazier, who appeared as various wrestling personalities including Mabel, Viscera, and Big Daddy V, passed away at just 42-years old from a heart attack on February 18, 2014.

Both cases claimed the former WWE Superstars suffered brain damage while working for the entertainment conglomerate that subsequently lead to their untimely deaths. It's important to note that neither wrestler had their brain examined postmortem to scan for CTE symptoms. Frazier's body was immediately cremated following his passing, making any necessary testing impossible.

Judge Bryant ruled Michelle James, Matt Osborne's girlfriend, didn't provide enough evidence that Osborne suffered from CTE or that CTE would even lead to the overdose that killed him. She also ruled that James couldn't legally file a wrongful death action against anyone, as she's not an administrator nor executor of Osborne's estate. It was suggested James re-file the claim with a member of Osborne's family, but Judge Bryant warned that the case would be futile because attorney's haven't plead a plausible cause of action.

The wrongful death case filed by Cassandra Frazier was dismissed due to her failure to allege a plausible link between the early death of her husband and wrongful acts perpetrated by World Wrestling Entertainment. Bryant said Frazier failed to establish any link between her husband's heart failure and a potential case of CTE. As far as the claim Frazier could have survived a heart attack had he not suffered from CTE, Judge Bryant said it was "another bald and baseless allegation, which the court deems unworthy of the barest measure of credibility."

Judge Bryant noted that both claims stated the wrestlers' deaths could be a result of CTE, but as previously noted, no official testing had been done. She said with no official diagnoses, it's hard to allege that either man died of CTE-related injuries, much-less prove the case in a court of law.

WWE lobbied to take sanctions against opposing counsel Konstantine Kyros, for offering "false and misleading statements" that Judge Bryant herself deemed "highly unprofessional," however the motion was ultimately denied. Bryant didn't let Kyros off-the-hook completely however, writing: "The court admonishes Kyros and his co-counsel to adhere to the standards of professional conduct and to applicable rule and court orders lest they risk future sanctions or referral to the Disciplinary Committee of this court."

First Case of CTE Diagnosed in MMA Fighter

He was only 25, but Jordan Parsons was a cage fighter, a professional mixed martial artist who on his best nights beat his opponents into submission. On his worst nights, Parsons was sent spiraling to the canvas by devastating blows to his head.

Now, six months after he was struck and killed as a pedestrian by an alleged drunken driver, Parsons is the first fighter in the multibillion-dollar MMA industry to be publicly identified as having been diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The diagnosis was disclosed to the Globe by Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist who first discovered CTE in a professional football player (in 2003) and a professional wrestler (2007).

Omalu also announced the discovery of CTE in professional wrestler Jon Rechner, whose ring name was Balls Mahoney, as well as signs of early stages of the disease in Rechner’s tag team partner, Brian Knighton, who went by Axl Rotten. Both died this year at age 44...More?

source: bostonglobe.com

WWE Says 19 Of The More Than 50 Wrestlers In Current Concussion Lawsuit Signed Away Right To Sue

WWE today filed motions in all of the consolidated lawsuits that deal with both contract issues and concussions in regards to former talent. In particular, one of the exhibits is something that was sent to the plaintiffs by WWE back in August, which proves that a total of 19 out of the over 50 wrestlers involved in the lawsuit actually signed away their right to sue the company. This is a similar issue that was brought up back when Rene Dupree attempted to sue WWE over royalties involving the WWE Network.

Below are the 19 names involved, as well as the reasons WWE say they signed away their right to sue:

--Carlene Moore-Begnaud (aka Jazz); signed a contract on January 18, 2007 that entitled her to an advance on royalties totaling $13,000.

--Rodney Begnaud (aka Rodney Mack); husband of Jazz, who signed the same type of contract on the same date as his wife.

--Mark Canterbury (aka Henry Godwinn); signed a contract on June 15, 2016 "from any and all personal injury claims, now known or later discovered, arising out of or related to [his] past affiliation with, or performances rendered to, WWE."

--Bryan Emmet Clark, Jr. (aka Adam Bomb/Bryan Clark); signed a contract stating that, effective January 9, 1996, released Titan Sports (WWE's former name) from any future claims after he was released by the company.

--Marc Copani (aka Muhammad Hassan); signed a similar contract to Bryan Clark that became effective upon his release on September 20, 2005.

--Mike Enos (aka Blake Beverly); signed a similar contract to both Clark and Copani that became effective upon his release on September 9, 1993.

--Bill Eadie (aka Demolition Ax); signed an agreement on May 25, 2001 "with the knowledge, advice, and consent of his legal counsel" after being involved in a lawsuit with WWE for over a decade over issues that included the rights to his "Demolition" gimmick.

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The Brooklyn Brawler Talks Approaching Vince McMahon About John Cena, Turning Down WWE Lawsuit, More

Recently on Talk Is Jericho, the greatest WWE Intercontinental Champion of all time, Chris Jericho, welcomed the ironman of enhancement talents, Steve Lombardi, to the podcast. Lombardi, who also worked behind-the-scenes at WWE, talked about knowing John Cena was going to be a major star very early on. Also, Lombardi, better known as The Brooklyn Brawler, talked about his loyalty to Vince McMahon and the ongoing concussion class action lawsuit lodged against WWE. Finally, Lombardi discussed why WWE is so highly scripted now.

According to Lombardi, who produced the promotional spots for local markets and other videos for WWE, he knew Cena was going to be a star right away.

"I remember Cena came in the room and he didn't come in the room. He was standing around. He had a mohawk. He called himself The Prototype. And, I mean, he was just standing in the back and I said, 'why don't you come in here and cut a promo?. I hear you can talk.' And he starting doing this interview and then he did it in reverse. And then he, like, rewind, kind of deal." Lombardi added, "I went to Vince. I said, 'Vince, we have a ringer.' He goes, 'really?' And then, he [said], 'take him off the dark match and put him on SmackDown.'"

Also, he named MVP and Mr. Kennedy as two other performers he put over to WWE higher-ups.

"A couple of times [Vince has listened]. I put [Cena] over, I put MVP over, I put Kennedy over one time because Kennedy came in and he had some good talent, but he didn't work out, obviously."

Lombardi remains loyal to Vince McMahon despite parting ways with WWE this summer and stated that he would even take the witness stand for WWE in its defense of the continuing concussion litigation if need be.

"This investigator calls me up. He goes, 'apparently, you parted ways with WWE.' He says, 'would you like to join the class action lawsuit for concussions because we're really going after them?' I said, 'I'll join the lawsuit, but it's going to be on Vince's side because your lawsuit is so frivolous. It's stupidity!' He goes, 'why would you say that?' [Lombardi replied] 'Because you're asking me to join the lawsuit and you never asked me if I had a concussion.' I said, 'you're the dumbest man alive.' I said, 'have your attorney call me. I'd love to tell him he's a dumbass too.' Do you know what I mean? He goes, 'you should be bitter!' I said, 'I have no bitterness in me.'"

During the podcast, Lombardi revealed that Roddy Piper would ask him to get WWE brass to let him go off script, but he did not have that type of influence backstage. Lombardi suggested that WWE being so scripted today is due to performers taking liberties and McMahon not being able to trust them.

"It's almost like Vince couldn't trust the guys anymore because some of them took privileges that they shouldn't have [taken]. Do you know what I mean?"

Major Update Regarding Ongoing Concussion Lawsuit Against WWE

Last night in New Haven, Connecticut, Judge Vanessa L. Bryant of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut ordered that the most recent concussion lawsuit filed against WWE, Laurinaitis v. WWE - which features Road Warrior Animal as the lead plaintiff and also has over 50 former talent on board - must be consolidated with all other existing lawsuits against the company.

The only two plaintiffs that are left in the existing lawsuit are Evan Singleton and Vito LoGrasso, and the case is officially known as McCullough v. WWE back from when it was consolidated with the lawsuit previously filed by Russ McCullough that has since been dismissed.

Additionally, WWE is also seeking to have the WWE Network royalties lawsuit filed by Marcus "Buff" Bagwell and Scott "Raven" Levy consolidated with the other lawsuits as well since, in addition to head injuries, the Laurinaitis v. WWE lawsuit also addresses royalties and legality issues regarding WWE contracts.

This is being seen as a big victory for WWE, and the company also had a similar victory last week as well when an appellate court ruled that appeals from plaintiffs regarding some of the dismissed lawsuits wouldn't be able to proceed until Judge Bryant issued a ruling on issues in the consolidated cases.

Former WWE Star Jim Brunzell on His Current Lawsuit Against WWE

“There was a point in the middle eighties, toward the end there, I worked in Salt Lake City, and I was working against the Barbarian. His finish was a high leg kick coming off the ropes, and he comes flying off the ropes and hit me in the chin and I slammed the back of my head on the mat. I was out. They had to help me in the locker room, I just couldn’t get my bearings. So, for two days, I was sort of nauseated and dizzy, and you know what, I told the guy, and the agents said I still had to wrestle every night. Then, I was in [Los Angeles], and this doctor (Ungar, I believe), was examining me. I told him, I don’t feel too good, I took a bump on the back of my head in Salt Lake City three nights ago. He looked at me and said, ‘Jim. You can’t wrestle. You have a third degree concussion.’

So, I can’t remember who the agent was who said, ‘He has to work tonight, because we have no substitute.’ We went over and I was working with Hercules, Ray Fernandez, and the doctor told him, ‘The only way that I will let Jim wrestle tonight is if you don’t hit him in the head, slam him, or – in any way – kick him in the head.’ We agreed and had a pretty decent match, and he got disqualified. But, the reason why I did that, was because there [was] no thought in head injuries during that early time of the [WWE]. And what this lawsuit is trying to get is money from the WWE to put it in a pool to compensate for these guys that might have early dementia, and it’s the same lawsuit that got the four billion dollars from the NFL.”

Enzo Amore on coming back from a concussion and fulfilling a dream at SummerSlam

Enzo Amore and his tag team partner Big Cass have become arguably the biggest breakout stars in WWE this year. Since the very first night Enzo and Cass debuted on the main roster, the night after WrestleMania 32, their entrances and in-ring promos have consitently gotten some of the biggest pops of the night, and the team even temporarily joined forces with 15-time champion John Cena prior to the brand extension. Now on Raw, Enzo and Cass are headed toward a showdown with Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho at SummerSlam August 21st. Enzo Amore spoke with Fox Sports ahead of WWE's second-biggest event of the year to talk about his journey to the main roster, getting his big break from Triple H, and the concussion that knocked him out of action at WWE Payback.

Fox Sports: Let's go back to your debut in April. Coming up from NXT, were you expecting the type of reaction you got from the Raw crowd with everybody knowing the words to your entrance bit?

Enzo Amore: You know, there was probably a ton of people there - including Vince McMahon - that would have never expected that kind of reaction. But going into it, you know, Triple H gave us the opportunity of a lifetime and I don't think anybody ever realized that when the WWE Network came out and NXT was on the Network it became a brand. And it was the third brand of our company.

The opportunity we got there was to perform in front of crowds by the thousands in the U.K. [at NXT TakeOver: London], and the majority of the crowd that night after WrestleMania for Monday Night Raw in Dallas was a U.K. crowd, a crossover crowd. People who are enthusiasts of WWE and they knew what WWE NXT was.

I kinda looked at Hunter when my music hit from across Gorilla, I saw him right before I went out of the curtain ... and it was organic, it was real. I could have never imagined that kind of reaction in a million years, but at the same time I had an inkling that 'hey wait, these are the same fans that I just performed in front of in Europe three months ago."

FS: Speaking of Triple H, I know you have an interesting story about how you got your big break with WWE in the first place?

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S&P Cites Increase In Sports-Related Brain Injury Insurance Claims Following WWE Lawsuit

In the wake of the concussion-related class action lawsuit filed by more than 50 former WWE performers against professional wrestling's largest promotion, S&P Global Ratings, a market intelligence company, has declared that sports-related brain injuries are among the largest new areas for insurance claims.

Last year, thousands of former professional football players settled out of court with the NFL for alleged brain injuries, paving the way for many former professional wrestlers to make similar claims against WWE.

S&P identified injured rugby players and participants of other sports where helmets are worn as potential personal injury plaintiffs. As for parties that may be named as defendants, S&P mentioned athletic groups, sports teams, schools, retailers, and helmet makers.

Interestingly, S&P compared the concussion-related lawsuits of the day to the once prevalent asbestos exposure cases. While S&P does not project the brain injury claims to rise to the level of the asbestos cases, the two types of tort lawsuits are similar insofar as the both involve large numbers of potentially affected individuals and both types of personal injuries are known to worsen over time.

S&P noted that American insurance companies have learned from the asbestos cases to include exclusions clauses in contracts for concussion-related claims and cap lawsuit payouts.

source: cnbc

WWE Brain Injury Class Action Lawsuit Update

WWE scored a partial victory in the brain injury lawsuit brought by Evan Singleton (f.k.a. Adam Mercer), Vito LoGrasso, and others, as the United States District Court of the District of Connecticut granted, in part, the professional wrestling promotion's Motion for Reconsideration. The move enables WWE to revive its countersuit against four other professional wrestlers who threatened to bring personal injury claims against the company last year. The suit is similar to the one filed earlier this month with 53 former WWE talents claiming that the WWE was responsible for neurological injuries they suffered from their time with the company.

Earlier this year, the Court rejected all but one of Singleton and LoGrasso's claims against WWE and ruled that it would only hear arguments regarding whether WWE failed to disclose to its performers the link between head trauma and permanent degenerative neurological conditions. Arguably, fraudulently omitting such pertinent information could have influenced the decision-making of the performers as to whether to enter and re-enter the squared circle, which, in turn, could be sufficient grounds to suspend Connecticut's statute of limitations.

In its Motion for Reconsideration, WWE stated that the threatened claims should be barred by the statute of limitations in the same way that the claims of the plaintiffs in the cases, as well as any of the so-called 'John Doe' who may bring claims.

The litigating professional wrestlers responded by arguing that their threatened causes of action did not give rise to federal jurisdiction over the countersuit. The Court disagreed with this position and dismissed only the claims against the 'John Doe' litigants.

Concussion lawsuit should be slammed, says former professional wrestler

When done properly, professional wrestling should look violent, but actually be safe for the performers getting punched, kicked, body slammed and suplexed in the ring.

That's why former professional wrestler Lance Storm says a lawsuit filed against World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) by more than 50 former wrestlers is "frivolous" and "unfounded."

"At the end of the day, pro wrestling is designed to be a non-contact sport in a way," he told the Calgary Eyeopener.

"It's not a true competitive sport, it's a performance art and when you do the job properly, you don't actually hit people very hard."

As well, many of those named as plaintiffs in the class-action suit — including former superstars like King Kong Bundy, Road Warrior Animal, Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff and Jimmy Superfly Snuka — only spent a portion of their careers with the WWE, said Storm.

"I've looked at the list and there's a few people that it wouldn't surprise me if they are suffering because they did a very reckless, dangerous style," he said.

"There's people on this list that are third generation, their grandfather did it, their father did it and they wrestled for upwards of a decade before they got to the WWE, I don't know how you can dump that on the company."

The NFL recently settled a similar suit for $1 billion and a group of more than 100 former NHL players are suing the league.

A pro wrestler for 25 years, Storm spent four years in the WWE and now runs Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary, training the next generations of superstars. His latest class graduated Friday and Storm's school is fully booked until the spring of 2017.

During his career, Storm was never diagnosed with a concussion and he teaches his students to work the same way.

"I can think of one time that I banged my head really hard, that I'm like, that was probably a concussion," he said.

"I didn't suffer side effects from it, I guess I'm lucky I've got a hard head."

Even though he's never been diagnosed with one, Storm has been part of a long-term study on the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, for the last eight years, run by the Concussion Legacy Foundation.

"I've donated my brain and my brain stem to them and I'm part of a legends study where each year I fill out an online survey then do a phone interview where they basically give me an impact test, which is what they do to determine concussion, whether you've recovered from one or not. It's an ongoing study to see if my mood changes, my memory, my cognitive function."

One reason he wanted to take part, said Storm, is because he's never abused alcohol or drugs, so will be a good baseline of sorts.

"There's a lot of drugs and alcohol involved in sport and we don't know what role that plays in addition to concussions," he said.

"They've got football players, they've got basketball players, they've got wrestlers. I was someone that never drank and never did drugs of any kind, so when they're doing this study, if my results are different than other athletes that suffered the similar physical symptoms, then perhaps the results could be compounded or due more to the drugs and alcohol and lifestyle of professional athletes."

Jonathan Coachman Comments On WWE Concussion Lawsuit

ESPN posted the following video featuring Jonathan Coachman appearing on ESPN First Take to discuss the recent news of a concussion related lawsuit against WWE by a large number of former talents.

Coachman talks about his own experiences with concussions and his relationship with Vince McMahon, then says he does not like how people blame Vince for their issues. He says Vince paid them for years and has still helped them out, and in response they sue WWE and blame the company for not taking care of them.

Full List Of 51 Plaintiffs Involved In WWE Lawsuit

As noted, Bloomberg reported that WWE was sued by "dozens" of retired wrestlers who are claiming that the WWE was responsible for neurological injuries they suffered from years of wrestling.

The full lawsuit is available at this link. Wrestling Inc.'s own Chris Harrington posted the full list of plaintiffs involved in the suit, which you can check out below:

A full list of all 51 Plaintiffs in the latest WWE lawsuit over CTE injuries.https://t.co/g74SmOcikk #wwecte pic.twitter.com/XkVSDlzNGG

— Chris Harrington (@mookieghana) July 19, 2016

WWE Issues Statement Responding to Lawsuit Filed By Former WWE Wrestlers, More Wrestlers Named as Plaintiffs

As we noted earlier today, 24 former WWE wrestlers, including Jimmy Snuka, Road Warrior Animal, Chavo Guerrero Jr and more have filed a lawsuit against WWE over brain injuries.

The lawsuit alleges WWE failed to care for wrestlers’ repetitive head injuries “in any medically competent or meaningful manner.

Additionally, the lawsuit argues that despite WWE’s ironclad control over the Plaintiffs, WWE refused and continues to refuse to classify its wrestlers as employees. WWE maintains the untenable position its wrestlers are independent contractors, requiring its wrestlers to sign unconscionable “Booking Contracts,” employment contracts of adhesion intended solely for the benefit of WWE and VKM. These contracts were drafted by WWE and its army of attorneys to restrict and abolish all of Plaintiffs’ rights and to fraudulently misrepresent and deceive both Plaintiffs and the federal government. The misclassification of wrestler-employees as “independent contractors” effectively eliminated WWE’s wrestlers’ knowledge of any employment rights they had under federal and state law, including OSHA, FMLA, and the NLR Act. The Booking Contracts are nothing more than an unconscionable scheme to save money in violation of public policy and the legal rights.

WWE has issued the following statement regarding the lawsuit:

“This is another ridiculous attempt by the same attorney who has previously filed class action lawsuits against WWE, both of which have been dismissed. A federal judge has already found that this lawyer made patently false allegations about WWE, and this is more of the same. We’re confident this lawsuit will suffer the same fate as his prior attempts and be dismissed.”

Jimmy Snuka, Chavo Guerrero, Road Warrior Animal, Marty Jannetty, Paul Orndorff and 19 Other Wrestlers Suing WWE Over Brain Injuries

According to Bloomberg.com, Jimmy Snuka, Road Warrior Animal and numerous other former WWE stars are all plaintiffs in a lawsuit against WWE alleging the company failed to care for wrestlers’ repetitive head injuries “in any medically competent or meaningful manner.”

WWE is also accused in the lawsuit of misrepresenting and concealing the nature of long-term neurological injuries they suffered during their careers. The following is a list of plaintiffs who have joined the lawsuit, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet:

Paul Orndorff
Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Bryan Clark aka Adam Bomb
Ahmed Johnson
Kamala
Dave Hebner
Earl Hebner
King Kong Bundy
Ken Patera
Sabu

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Val Venis Opens Up About The Chair Shot From Triple H That Changed His Life

You likely remember Val Venis from his time in the WWE. He worked for the company for over a decade from 1998-2009 in various roles. He is a European, Intercontinental and World Tag Team Champion with the WWE during his tenure. Since leaving the WWE, Val Venis has still wrestled independently along with owning his own Medical Marijuana business. In a heartfelt facebook post, he recently spoke about the chair shot that changed his life. It is a really detailed post about the brain injury he suffered as well as his recovery.
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Val Venis (real name Sean Morely) posted this on his Facebook page about the chair shot from Triple H that changed his life:

THE CHAIR SHOT THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

It was a November 2005 match against HHH where I took one of the most vicious chair shots to the head the wrestling industry had ever seen. This chair shot was a humbling and very scary experience. Prior to that chair shot, I felt indestructible. After that chair shot, I realized I was mortal. I never said anything to the staff, trainers, medics or any of my colleagues as I wanted to continue performing on the road and knew I would be pulled off the road if I mentioned anything about the chair shot rattling my brain into a heavy concussion. I did not even tell Lourdes at the time as I knew she would have called the office and spilled the beans. I spent almost 1 full year with one pupil dilated wide open while the other pupil was the size of a pin hole. I experienced nausea for about a month but it soon subsided. Ringing in my ears was the norm for quit a few months after this chair shot. I had many sleepless nights, found reading difficult as my focus was drastically reduced. Remembering spots or finishes became noticeably difficult for a few months after that chair shot. I remember feeding HHH and getting my hand up followed by looking up at the ceiling of the arena not knowing where I was or even what I was doing there. I’m guessing it took about 10 seconds or so before I realized I was performing in a match and I needed to finish out this segment. I do not recall taking the pedigree afterwards or even being back in the ring after said chair shot. My ears rang at a constant level for quite some time afterwards. Needless to say, in March 2010, I was joyful over the fact the WWE banned chair shots to the head. I would like to see all wrestling companies ban chair shots to the head. It’s just not worth fucking up your brain or your life. I can honestly say that chair shot to my head began one of the most difficult years of my life and I could not tell anyone. Brain injuries take a long time to heal if the brain ever does actually heal. I had taken many chair shots to the head prior to that one November 2005 match with HHH. None caused me any grief or noticeable injuries. That said, it only takes one heavy blow to the head where you feel the lasting, annoying and extremely frustrating effects that will throw a monkey wrench into everything that defines you as a human being. WWE absolutely did the right thing banning chair shots to the head. Performers who cling to the old school mentality of “if your not tough enough to take a chair shot, you should not be in the business” are putting their lives in serious jeopardy. It’s extremely difficult to put into words how it feels to have a severe concussion. It’s life changing. I do regret not speaking up and seeking treatment at the time and if I could go back in time, I would have sought treatment and not have worried so much about losing a spot on the roster. I appauld the WWE taking the initiative to ban chair shots to the head. The company did a tremendous favor to the current crop of WWE Superstars. Let’s hope other wrestling companies around the world follow the WWE’s lead and adopt the same policy. Hopefully, in the future I can appauld the WWE for changing their policy in regards to cannabis. Cannabis absolutely helps brain injuries. But that is another rant for another time.