Ex-WWE Star Wants To Resurrect Major Lawsuit – “That’s The Least We Can Expect”
One longtime wrestling veteran wants to resurrect a major lawsuit against WWE.
Jim Brunzell spent two decades in the world of professional wrestling, a world that takes a great physical toll on its performers. He worked for WWE (then WWF) between 1985 and 1993, performing as one half of the Killer Bees before the team broke up in 1988.
In 2018, US District Judge Vanessa Bryant dismissed a class action lawsuit against WWE that sought damages for performers who suffered head trauma during their time working for the company, a lawsuit Brunzell was part of alongside names such as Jimmy Snuka, Luther Reigns, and the wife of the late Nelson “Viscera” Frazier. The United States Supreme Court refused to hear appeals on the case, citing the fact that the appeals were filed too late.
Why Did Wrestlers Sue WWE?
Speaking in a new interview with Steve Fall of WrestlingNews.co, Brunzell opened up about the lawsuit’s conditions and said that he’d like to resurrect it as he believes medical compensation is the least WWE’s past performers deserve.
“Here’s the whole premise of the lawsuit. The fact that a number of us sustained head injuries, whether it be concussions, knocked out, etc, you know, over our career with the WWE.
“What the lawsuit said was if individuals, like if Jim Brunzell winds up with early dementia, or you know, Alzheimer’s or ALS or something related to CTE, and you can’t find out if you have CTE until you’re dead when they cut your brain open, in this lawsuit, what they wanted the WWE to pay for our treatment in a nursing home. That’s basically what it was. There was no upfront money.
“It was basically saying, hey, if Jim Brunzell has Alzheimer’s or dementia and he’s got to go into assisted living, we’d like WWE to contribute. It’s $12- $15,000 a month to be in those. There were 50 to 60 members, talent, on this lawsuit that all had some impaired injury over the course of 15 to 20 years, so I hope that they resurrect that sucker because I think that’s the least that we can expect from the WWE.”
WWE is currently dealing with another major lawsuit brought by MLW, who accuses the company of “unfair business practices.” Executive Chairman of the Board Vince McMahon is also embroiled in legal troubles and was recently the subject of a federal grand jury subpoena.
h/t WrestlingNews.co