Ex-wrestlers sue WWE over head injuries nearly 10 years after Chris Benoit suicide

A 2007 study of the “Canadian Crippler” Chris Benoit’s brain revealed he had suffered from CTE, a degenerative brain disease resulting from repeated head trauma. The study took place after the death of Benoit from a double-murder suicide earlier that year.

Nearly a decade of extensive CTE research later, with several more brain-trauma related suicides and lawsuits thrown at the NFL and NHL during that time, a group of over 50 former professional wrestlers have banded together to sue World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. and chairman Vince McMahan, for long-term neurological damage.

The class-action lawsuit, filed in federal court in Connecticut, claims “WWE placed corporate gain over its wrestlers' health, safety, and financial security, choosing to leave the Plaintiffs severely injured and with no recourse to treat their damaged minds and bodies.”

Former wrestlers attached to this statement include Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Joseph “Road Warrior Animal” Laurinaitis and Canadians Vickie Otis and Sylvain Grenier.

Back in June, Snuka, 73, was declared mentally incompetent by a judge to stand trial for the murder of his former girlfriend 33 years ago. His lawyers claimed concussions and head trauma suffered throughout his professional career resulted in his dementia and therefore made him unfit for trial.

The lawsuit claims that the high-flying, dangerous moves performed by Snuka and his fellow ex-wrestlers were all scripted and choreographed by the WWE and “as such the moves that resulted in Named Plaintiffs’ head injuries were the direct result of the WWE’s actions.”

Konstantine Kyros is reperesenting the former wrestlers. Kyros is a familiar face to the WWE, having represented other former wrestlers in similar lawsuits that have been dismissed.

''This is another ridiculous attempt by the same attorney who has previously filed class action lawsuits against WWE, both of which have been dismissed," said the WWE in a statement. "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.''

With recently deceased former wrestlers like Joanie "Chyna" Laurer having offered their brains to be studied, the research could provide a lot more information and ammunition for Kyros. If former NFLers can earn a $1 billion settlement with the NFL over the same issue, it stands to reason that this case has a shot, despite Kyros' track record to date.