10 Ways The Chris Benoit Double-Murder/Suicide Case Changed WWE Forever

4. Head Shot

Vince Mcmahon Chris Benoit Raw June
WWE

Triple H and The Undertaker were deep into their WrestleMania 27 clash when 'The Game' swatted at 'The Deadman' with a steel chair. Connecting with a wicked head shot, Hunter floored Undertaker to audible gasps from the largely quiet Georgia Dome crowd.

Fans hadn't witnessed an intentional strike to head with a chair since an occurrence between Daniel Bryan and Sheamus that saw both performers and the agent fined, with the spot protected to such a degree that it proffered a fabulous false finish in the WrestleMania match between the iconic stars.

WWE's blanket ban had been so successful that the move carried supreme weight, but even the company cornerstones weren't immune from the consequences.

The pair were both fined in violation of the carefully monitored concussion clause woven into the upgraded Wellness Policy following studies performed on Benoit's frazzled brain. Over six years have passed since the shot, and the move hasn't been seen in WWE since as the company looks for new ways to preserve the mental and physical wellbeing of their talent, in part to prevent a similar tragedy occurring.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett