WWE Concussion Lawsuit Basics

Are you a former WWF/WWE wrestler? Do you agree or disagree with the legal claims being brought by many former wrestlers?
Read below, answer these questions and ask yourself if we are greedy lawyers or if you believe that are we standing up for the rights of the Pro Wrestling community?

Five basic elements of the claims being asserted by dozens of former wrestlers against the WWF/WWE include:

1) History of Medical Neglect/Indifference. For most of its history it is alleged that the WWF/WWE offered no long-term medical care, conducted matches with inadequate ringside monitoring & treatment, and offered poor or nonexistent medical care during the booking contract period. Enhancement talent or jobbers not under contract were offered even less care.

-Do you feel that the Majority of injuries during WWF/WWE matches were undiagnosed, untreated and unreported?
-Were Head Injuries & Concussions being documented, noted & recorded and expertly treated or were they downplayed or completely ignored throughout history of WWF/WWE?
-Did you ever experience a Head Injury during your wrestling career that was not properly documented or cared for by the WWF/WWE?

2) Grueling Work Schedule. The WWF/WWE maintained an abusive workplace: A) first the WWE creative team directed and controlled the wrestling moves, storyline & performances. B) The wrestlers performed for WWF on a rigorous travel and performance schedule with inadequate rest, with many full time performers “required” to wrestle for hundreds of nights per year with no offseason.

In some cases it is alleged wrestlers worked more than 300 nights per year on tight travel schedules across the US and the world?
The WWF imposed no mandated rest or injury return to work rules?
If you were injured were you guaranteed a spot to return to work after your recovery?

This difficult & dangerous schedule was allegedly enforced through WWE assigning its talent to independent contractor status, ad hoc employment policies, no union for wrestlers, thus no collective bargaining agreement coupled with arbitrary hiring & firing decisions-which in turn discouraged wrestlers from reporting injuries for fear of losing their job.

3) The Medical Neglect & Dangerous Work Schedule Leads to Injuries, Drug Addiction and Death. The long working hours/weeks & rigorous travel schedule, inadequate rest, allegedly caused occupational injuries, these injuries often went untreated, undiagnosed or improperly treated which fostered and created a culture of drug abuse, particularly use of opiate painkillers, muscle relaxers & a culture of steroid use for physique and injury recovery.

Did you ever excessively use or abuse or become addicted to painkillers while a professional wrestler for WWF/WWE?

The WWE allegedly assumed a duty to former and current wrestlers after high profile deaths by selectively offering its own drug rehab program and began to send Wellness Letters to many former wrestlers offering rehab. While some wrestlers are helped by these programs, many are not helped, and dozens of wrestlers die of suicide, heart attack and drug overdoses.

Do you know anyone who died of a drug overdose or health complications related to their wrestling career?

4) Long-Term Head Injuries Take Toll. WWF/WWE Wrestlers relying on their trainers, bookers and the WWF/WWE to conduct safe matches are unaware that head injuries pose any long-term risk and they continue to perform after being knocked out or sustaining head blows. Many report being hit in the head resulting in an injury “dozens” of times during their career. Additionally repeated head trauma from standard moves even those conducted properly leads to increased risk of developing brain damage and diagnosed diseases. The sudden acceleration and deceleration of the wrestlers head causes the brain to move inside its fluid filled protective covering striking the back, front or sides of the skull resulting in head injuries.

5) The Lawsuit & Wrestling Community Health Crisis. Although medical science was well aware of the risks of head trauma for generations of other athletes, it was not until 2007 that the WWF/WWE offered any consistent concussion assessment.  Indeed before 2007 it is alleged that there were no warnings, no protocols & no head injury education for wrestlers performing in matches. Our belief is that the WWE continues to offer none of these things to retired wrestlers.

Throughout the history of WWE/WWF it is alleged hundreds of have wrestlers sustained brain damage leading to basic symptoms including:

Difficulty problem solving.
Inability to plan multi-step tasks.
Inability to focus on a task, persistence of a single thoughts.
Mood changes which are sometimes violent.
Changes in social behavior.
Right lobe damage can cause persistent talking.
Inability to express language (difficulty speaking).
Short and long term memory loss.
Difficulty understanding spoken words.
Difficulty recognizing faces.
Confusion and Depression.
Suicidal Thoughts?
Problems with drug & alcohol abuse?

Experience any of these symptoms? Do you know any wrestler who has? Some or all of them may be related to head trauma that can be diagnosed by a qualified neurologist.

To the present day it is alleged that the WWE offers no studies, warnings or programs on long-term head injuries. The WWE does NOTHING to help retired wrestlers with more serious brain damage including dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and related long term neurological impairments which are all too apparent to an observer at any gathering of older wrestlers.

As of July 2015, the WWE denies that there is a healthcare crisis in the community.

Is there a case for joining the concussion lawsuits to get injured wrestlers compensation & long-term neurological medical care?

Call me: Bill Kyros 1-800-934-2921

Standing up for Wrestlers.

We may be able to help you and your family recover damages from the WWE.

Kyros Law Offices along with our partners has significant experience representing consumers in complex plaintiff's cases throughout the country, including representing former NFL players (we are based in Boston) and we have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of our clients.