[Sting&Rock]

PLEASE NOTE: I DO NOT SIMPLY WANT A REPLY TO THIS. I WANT CITATIONS AND LINKS. I WANT THE ANSWERS TO COME DIRECTLY FROM THE SOURCE!

Years ago, I stopped watching wrestling - except for nostalgic wrestling on free Internet streaming services such as Youtube or dailymotion - because of Chris Benoit. See, Benoit was believed to have suffered severe brain damage as a result of years in the wrestling business. Slamming, getting slammed, using the diving headbutt as a finisher. Although it's impossible to tell exactly how much WWE contributed to the brain damage (since Benoit spent a solid decade before coming to WWE), the wrestling business as a whole is certainly to blame.

It's no secret that wrestling takes its toll on the human body, but the wrestlers themselves generally understand and accept the risk involved, much like with cigarettes. However, when Nancy and Daniel Benoit were murdered, that excuse became entirely inapposite.

I've spent the better half of the last decade boycotting wrestling, not because it's not fun to watch (as I said before, I still watch old wrestling online, as long as I don't support it with either money or ad-viewing), but because I refuse to support an industry that has such disregard for human life.

However, while the Benoit scandal was still hot, Vince McMahon did an interview for a CNN special, where he delivered, in my opinion, a very powerful counter-argument against the allegations of brain damage.

The findings themselves stated that Chris Benoit had the brain of an 85-year-old man with dementia. And I would suggest to you that from a layman's standpoint, Chris Benoit could not do what he did for a living - he could not function as a normal human being, he couldn't even go to the airport and board a plane - if that report were accurate.

see 22:26 of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sA4j6IJnHc

Ok, I have to admit, that's a very good point.

Well, it's been several years now. Plenty of time for these reports to be analyzed by the medical community. Plenty of time for peer-reviews and re-analysis of alleged brain damage.

Have they reached a general verdict yet? Was he deranged due to his years of wrestling abuse? Or did he, for no reason reason other than being a piece of shit, murder his family in cold blood?

If it's the former, how do they explain McMahon's very well thought out counter-argument to that?

 

[CretinHop138]

McMahon later accepted Nowinski's and the the SLI's findings and I don't need to link you to anything. You only have to watch the show today. He, Triple H and Stephanie attended a conference of theirs recently when it comes to dealing with head injuries.

McMahon later donated over $1 million to the SLI for some research in Boston they were doing and in return WWE were honored by the SLI.

 

[Sting&Rock]

So ... I was right to boycott wrestling? Not just WWE, but everything?

 

[Sting&Rock]

Also, I can't find anything on Google about McMahon conceding that Benoit had brain damage.

And I'm not watching the god damned show today! I told you ... I'm not supporting an industry that kills innocent women and children, you god damned psycho!

 

[NotGuilty]

If you watched today you would see that when people recieve severe head injuries they have to go through a lot of hoops to be able to be cleared to perform again. WWE changed their policies and are very careful about the health of their performers now a days.

 

[Lone Star]

So ... I was right to boycott wrestling?

You certainly haven't missed much.

 

[Doloph]

If you watched today you would see that when people recieve severe head injuries they have to go through a lot of hoops to be able to be cleared to perform again. WWE changed their policies and are very careful about the health of their performers now a days.

Yeah it seems like they do for example Danial Bryan. I can see why people might think WWE is purposely holding him back to be cleared by the WWE doctors of his head injuries and there is probably some truth in that or probably not, but I think it has more to do with making absolute sure something like this Benoit incident will never occur again.

 

[Sting&Rock]

I'm not just going to take someone's word for it without proof. And I sure as shit am not going to blindly believe people who just issue comments of less than 1,000 characters each.

I want details, motherfucker! Details! With sources! And evidence! And proof! And sources!

Sources that are written by professional. I want to see a detailed plan - with details - that minimize the chances of brain trauma.

- Are wrestlers paid for time off due to concussions? Because to do otherwise would incentivize them to seek premature clearance, just to pay the bills.

- On a similar note, do the McMahons actively prohibit harassment of wrestlers, both on-screen and in the locker room, for wrestlers who stay sidelined as a result of this? For example, I recall, back at around the time the Benoit case happened, JBL doing color commentary on Smackdown and bad-mouthing Batista and Lashley for being sidelined for one injury or another, making the sound like punks for not sucking it up and growing a pair. Both on-screen and behind the scenes, is such harassment of wrestlers prohibited in order to prevent wrestlers from being encouraged to cut corners in their rehab?

- Does the WWE pay for concussion treatment themselves, like an unofficial version of worker's compensation? Because I know WWE wrestlers are treated as independent contractors.

- How often are WWE wrestlers required to get cat-scanned?

- Does WWE only allow new talent to enter its roster that hasn't suffered brain damage on the independent circuit? As I said in my OP, we have no way of knowing just how much WWE, itself, contributed to Benoit's brain damage. Does WWE have a means of filtering out the talent that's already past the point of no return?

- How many doctors need to give the consensus that a wrestler is cleared?

- What's stopping the WWE doctors from pulling a CM Punk on us? I heard him complain that doctors would clear him to wrestle MONTHS before he was actually ready.

And there's a million other factors, besides these. I'd like to see a full copy of their ENTIRE wellness policy.

While we're at it, I'd like to see some evidence that this policy is actually followed. What do I mean by that? Well ... take, for example, this court case:

https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=14507421714704980967

Notice, the jail had a written policy of providing health care to inmates. But they didn't actually FOLLOW the policy. It was just a sheet of paper.

Now, the appeals court made the excuse that the warden didn't have an opportunity to hear any grievances pursuant to it, since the three instances only happened over the course of a single night, between warden shifts.

But that's total bullshit. When the inmate filed his lawsuit, the warden was notified of the issue then. There wasn't a god damned thing stopping the warden, then, from reviewing security camera footage and cracking down on the three guards who are responsible, and then submitting a petition to the DA to have those guards prosecuted.

Nothing ... except his own laziness.

So, I'd like to know ... how often does Vince try to pull a CM punk on us, cutting corners in wrestlers' health & diagnosis for the sake of getting their ratings-drawing, merchandise-selling names back on his card?

 

[AlansAwake]

You would probably have to call the WWE themselves to get answers to these questions as many we don't have the answers for.

All I know is that they are 5h1t scared of the concussion issues and this is why they won't clear the likes of Bryan to return and also forced Christian to retire as they just don't take the chances anymore.

 

[Sting&Rock]

So ... two examples of sidelining ... and suddenly Vince has a halo over his head? That's it? That's the best you've got?
Also, I asked for SOURCES!

 

[Sting&Rock]

Sources, god damn it! Sources!

SSSOOOUUURRRCCCEEESSS!

 

[Lone Star]

NOW DAMMIT, WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU, HUH? :vince5

Calm down, bruh. You sure you don't need a cat-scan?

 

[I eat mangos]

"We keep on trying to work out if he was crazy. I guess because if he wasn't it's an unforgivable crime. But what if it wasn't an unforgivable crime? What if he was justified? What if Nancy was screwing his son behind his back?"

- Vince Russo

 

[AJ Leegion]

Are you sure you wouldn't prefer sauces?

:laugh: I crack myself up.

 

[Brock]

If you look around and Google this shit you might find more than people know here.

We obviously arnt privy to some information so how are we supposed to know detailed aspects of some reports.

Benoit threads always start and end the same way and you are obviously not going to accept anyone's opinion or post here so what's the point.

Track down the WWE doctors at that time and ask them because you know what......how the fuck are we supposed to know? We can only speculate and that's not what you want is it.

We can only post what we have read and not huh more. Not all details were publicly known, as in all medical cases.