LEGAL SMACKDOWN

Retired WWE Wrestlers Ask Supreme Court to Hear Head Injury Case

Dozens of former wrestlers allege that the WWE didn’t do enough to protect them from dangerous head injuries.

A group of WWE wrestlers from the 1980s and ‘90s are asking the Supreme Court to hear their case alleging that their former employer failed to protect them from head injuries. Joseph “Road Warrior Animal” Laurinaitis, Paul “Mr. Wonderful” Orndorff, Chris “King Kong Bundy” Pallies, and others allege that World Wide Entertainment knew of the risks of traumatic brain injuries and did not do enough to shield the performers. The case includes around 50 former wrestlers, some of whom have dementia and at least four of whom have died. Two of the wrestlers who are plaintiffs in the suit were diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy after their deaths. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City dismissed the lawsuit last year. Lawyer for the plaintiffs Konstantine Kyros said his clients were “deprived of their fundamental rights as U.S. Citizens, including their right to appeal.”