In the Mr. McMahon Netflix documentary, Steve Austin stirred controversy by expressing skepticism about CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in wrestling, specifically discussing the Chris Benoit case. Austin mentioned a concussion he got during his 1997 SummerSlam match with Owen Hart but claimed he didn’t believe in CTE, stating:
“I worked for a long time, I got dropped on my head one time, I got concussed there. But other than that I can’t remember having too many concussions in the business of pro wrestling. My take on that has always been if you’re just wrestling and you got a bunch of concussions you’re probably doing something wrong. I’m not a CTE guy, I just don’t believe in it.”
RVD responded to Austin’s remarks on his 1 of a Kind podcast, expressing surprise and wondering if the footage was outdated.
He noted that the idea of CTE faced strong resistance initially and recalled a significant moment when Chris Nowinski convinced Chris Benoit’s father to let his son’s brain be studied, calling it a pivotal moment in CTE awareness.
RVD also criticized WWE’s handling of the situation at the time.
“I remember I was surprised, and it made me wonder if that footage was outdated because, at first, the whole idea did get nothing but pushback… For the perception from WWE to be that they were talking about this bullshit—I get it; the dad has to point the finger at something to feel better about what happened, but come on.”
RVD expressed doubt that Vince McMahon or Austin would still hold the same views today, considering how much more has been learned about CTE.
He compared it to people denying health risks from earlier eras, emphasizing that the effects of past behavior might not be immediately apparent.
“That’s the change; it always gets pushed back. Everyone always wants to say it was better in the good old days… You’re not fine, you know what I mean? You’ve got to consider what’s making you unhealthy, and you might not even know.”
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