10 Fascinating WWE Royal Rumble 2003 Facts
4. Chris Nowinski Suffered A Rather Notable Head Injury In The Royal Rumble Match
What looked to be a budding career for a natural villain was cut short as a result of a badly-timed spot. Harvard's own Chris Nowinski was supposed to take a double flying dropkick from Rey Mysterio and Edge, but the timing of the two was off. As a result, Edge jumped late and landed squarely on Nowinski's skull.
The miscue led to Nowinski suffering a concussion, which he attempted to work through, until he could no longer gain clearance. As of June 2003, Nowinski was no longer an active wrestler, and had no choice but to retire, due to the lingering effects.
Nowinski, still plagued by post-concussion syndrome, turned his focus to raising awareness of head injuries, particularly in the world of sport. He wrote a book, Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis, and took to examining the brains of deceased NFL players. In 2007, Nowinski also took high interest in the brain of Chris Benoit following the 2007 double murder-suicide, the same year that he founded The Sports Legacy Institute (now The Concussion Legacy Foundation).