WWE News: Two Former WWE Superstars File Concussion Lawsuits Against WWE

WWE is being sued once again. It has been considered a running joke when it comes to WWE lawsuits, as many are done each year. Most are settled and some are thrown out. There are some like Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk who get what they wanted out of their filing, but usually WWE likes to settle with stuff to keep things easier. However, they may not be able to do that this time around.

According to Daily Wrestling News, former WWE Superstars Big Vito and Adam Mercer recently filed concussion lawsuits against WWE and the state of Pennsylvania. This goes along the same lines as the Billy Jack Haynes lawsuit. Interestingly, both are being represented by the same lawyer as Haynes. That being said, these two lawsuits could be added to the Haynes case.

Vito Lograsso, better known as Big Vito, was known for his ring attire more than anything else. Vito wore a dress to the ring, and was with WWE during it’s period of the Attitude Era into the new millennium. He claims to have gone through various concussions and “suffers from serious neurological damage, including severe headaches, memory loss, depression and anxiety, as well as deafness.”

Most who know about brain issues can tell you that concussions could have led to his severe neurological issues. However, he has not been with WWE in over a decade, yet he is now filing a lawsuit against WWE. So how can a court be sure that WWE is where he suffered the concussion that made him go through severe neurological problems? His case, like Haynes, has a lot of holes that are tough to break through.

Another thing that hurts his case is that, like all talent, he signed on to wrestle with WWE. He knew the schedule and the matches he had to be in. Medical knowledge on concussions was not as big in Vito’s or Haynes’ era. So WWE could not keep people safe, as they never would have considered it a major problem. The same thing happened in the NHL and NFL. Haynes’ case is one that is similar to how the NFL lawsuit started. The NFL went ahead and paid money to former players to could avoid issues.

Meanwhile, WWE has not done this, and many believe they do not have to.

The one case that might help the lawsuit is the case filed by Evan Singleton, better known as Adam Mercer. Mercer wrestled with WWE in their developmental territory. Many thought Mercer was relatively good, but he never seemed to connect. Mercer claims that “after approximately 15 matches, during which he sustained multiple traumas, he suffered a serious head injury during a match with Eric Rowen [sic]. The WWE cleared him to continue wrestling after inadequate rest time and downplayed his injury.”

The rest issue does not make a ton of sense to many. Mercer was out for five months following his match with Rowan. He then worked one more match after being cleared, and was then released. He suffers from a number of severe neurological symptoms and later found out that he had bleeding in the left hemisphere of his brain. Could his past concussion have caused this? Did he have an undiagnosed brain issue?

WWE also released others, Mercer happened to be in with everyone. So you can make the case that WWE didn’t release Mercer just because of his concussion history. Plus, he cited “inadequate rest.” Five months is a lot of rest, especially when the average recovery period for a concussion is one to three months. WWE may have released Mercer for concussions, but it could have been simply business.

While Mercer may have suffered multiple traumas, he may have not reported them. It is uncertain what happened, as it could be hearsay.

However, the fact that Mercer is listed is helpful, as it adds someone relatively new to the lawsuit. This is most likely helpful in the effort to say that WWE still puts talent at risk. Of course, this is the same company that made developmental talent Corey Graves retire due to concussions. So take this for what you will.

WWE has a lot of issues to work through with this lawsuit. More will most likely come out of the woodwork and file. What we have to wait and see about is who actually does come out. They will most likely need a bigger name to help them out, but we’ll have to wait and see.

[IMG Credits: wrestling-catchpodcastshow.blogspot.com, wrestlingreport.com]