In a noteworthy comment made recently during an interview for “Mr. McMahon” documentary series, WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin openly voiced his disbelief in CTE. WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi deliberated about Austin’s contentious standpoints on a new episode of his “Off the Top” podcast.
Rikishi spoke about working in wrestling with an old-school attitude and understanding Austin’s point of view. He mentioned that despite being aware of CTE and concussion injures, he could see where Austin was coming from.
Highlights from the podcast include:
– Rikishi discussing the traditional mindset in wrestling: He recalled how injuries were part of the job, especially in full-contact sports. Working under the old-school mentality, he claimed not to remember getting concussions. If he did, he would just keep going since being absent meant no earnings.
– Rikishi also discussed relating to Steve Austin’s stance: He agreed that the old school mentality understood injuries, but he also affirmed his belief in concussion injuries. He believed that studying the injuries more would benefit wrestlers and could be the reason for recurring headaches or intermittent fatigue.
– Sharing his uncles’ advice of not disclosing injuries to the WWE: He stated he eventually understood that being vocal about injuries could lead to losing the opportunity and being replaced.
You can listen to the entirety of the discussion through the podcast link shared below.