Stone Cold Steve Austin expressed some skepticism about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the new Netflix docuseries, Mr. McMahon.
The sixth episode of the docuseries broaches the subject of CTE in wrestling, with a specific focus on how it potentially impacted the late Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and son in a double murder and suicide in 2007. Benoit was found to have CTE, which was determined to be a contributing factor to the murders and his suicide along with his depression.
While Austin did not directly address CTE about how it could have impacted Benoit, he expressed doubt about the disease, which is linked to repeated head trauma.
"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," he shared. "My take on that has always been if you were just wrestling and you got a bunch of concussions, you’re probably doing something wrong. I’m not a CTE guy, just don’t believe in it."
In 2016, 53 wrestlers filed a civil lawsuit against the WWE over repeated concussions and CTE, per Ars Technica. The lawsuit was later dismissed in 2018, but in 2019 an appeal showed that six wrestlers who had since passed were found to have suffered from CTE.
Elsewhere in the documentary, Vince McMahon dismissed concerns that CTE and steroid abuse resulted in Benoit's double murder-suicide. Former wrestler Christopher Nowinski, however, was "certain" Benoit had it because he was known for his signature diving headbutt.
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Professional wrestling isn't the only sport plagued by cases of CTE. In 2013, former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd. He was found dead in his cell in 2017 and was posthumously diagnosed with CTE, which has since sparked conversations about how it might have played a role in the murder.
Other sports with notable cases include boxing, ice hockey, rugby, and mixed martial arts.