RINGSIDE

WWE SCORED an important legal victory on September 17 when a Connecticut District Court judge dismissed all lawsuits alleging the company knew the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and tried to hide that information from its performers. Attorney Konstantine Kyros of Massachusetts represented lead plaintiff Joe Laurinaitis (Road Warrior Animal) and 52 other wrestlers.

This lawsuit was very similar to two other recent cases, one involving Vito LoGrasso and Evan Singleton and another with Russ McCullough as lead plaintiff. Of those three wrestlers, only “Big Vito” appeared on WWE’s main roster.

The strongest evidence had been the denials made by WWE executives such as Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon about a decade ago, that CTE had not been a factor in the Chris Benoit tragedy, in which the former WWE World champion murdered his wife, Nancy Benoit, and his seven-year-old son before ending his own life. Christopher Nowinski, who founded the Sports Legacy Institute after concussions ended his brief WWE career, obtained Benoit’s brain for extensive research. , who was made famous by in the film Concussion, confirmed that Benoit suffered from CTE at the time of his death, a likely factor in the 2007 murder/suicide.