WWE Hits Back at Nowinski

More

Former wrestler and anti-head-trauma advocate Chris Nowinski said some very critical things about Senate candidate Linda McMahon and the WWE in a recent interview with NECN, alleging that the WWE encourages steroid use and provides an unsafe environment for its wrestlers. While the McMahon campaign has not responded, to my knowledge (an email to the campaign was not returned--then again, it was only one email), the WWE has.


The WWE emailed this response to Nowinski's criticisms today:

WWE RAISES CREDIBILITY ISSUES FOR CHRIS NOWINSKI

Chris Nowinski did not reveal, as required, that he suffered previous concussions before signing his contract with WWE.
He states WWE suggested that its performers take steroids. However, at no time does he ever state that it was suggested that he do so. 
His comments that WWE talent perform in matches 200 days a year is not factual.  In 2009, the average active roster talent performed 135 days.
A sheer fabrication --- that he went through tables four days a week. 
Mr. Nowinski states, "They have an environment where it's absolutely unsafe to work in that ring." "They have no oversight into what actually happens in the ring."  If so, then why would Mr. Nowinski have ever wanted to be a part of such an environment?
It is very dubious that he ever had a conversation with Lance Cade much less Lance Cade confiding to a total stranger that he used painkillers and steroids. 
Although renowned in the field of CTE, we are unaware of any specific qualifications or medical degrees that he possesses which would qualify him as an expert on steroids and pain killers. 

McMahon and the WWE are inextricably linked on the campaign trail as the former CEO vies for Connecticut's open Senate seat: when Democrats attack McMahon, they attack the WWE. It's probably fair to say that McMahon's Senate campaign has brought more negative press to the WWE than it's had in years, as her political opponents make hay out of steroids, workplace safety, and the WWE's racy televised storylines.
Jump to comments

Chris Good is a political reporter for ABC News. He was previously an associate editor at The Atlantic and a reporter for The Hill.

Get Today's Top Stories in Your Inbox (preview)

Video

More Video
Here's What Happens When You Light a Fire in Space


Elsewhere on the web

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register. blog comments powered by Disqus

Video

Miami: The Next Big Start-Up City?

How the city became a center for innovation

Video

Video

A Brief History of Romantic Comedies

From The Atlantic's Chris Orr

Video

Life in 'the New Arctic'

A moving portrait of a fading landscape

Video

Video

The Rise of New York City

A fascinating look at Manhattan in the 1940s

Video

What Is Methane Hydrate?

"Flaming ice" is a vast natural energy source

Video

NASA's Time-Lapse of the Sun

Now with epic dubstep music

Video

Shaken Not Tuned: Cocktail Experiments

Can a tuning fork improve a cocktail?

Video

Video

Is He Cheating? A 1950s Guide

'That little blonde secretary from the office?’

Video

New Yorkers: Vintage Vacuum-Tube Amps

Risking electric shock to restore old amplifiers

Video

The DIY Piano-Bicycle

Everybody needs a hobby

Video

What Does It Take to Make Real Craft Gin?

Tour the Green Hat Gin distillery

Video

What Straights Can Learn From Same-Sex Couples

New insight from decades of research

Video

The End of the Mall Rat

A tribute to that pillar of teen culture

Video

The Wonderful World of Capitalism

An adorable 1950s cartoon

Video

New Yorkers: Miss New York USA

An unconventional beauty queen.

Writers

Up
Down

More in Politics

In Focus

Reenacting the Past