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

Head injuries bring just about every athletic persuit or sporting contest to an immediate halt whenever they occur. Football matches are paused whilst a player is given necessary checks, and even boxers are carefully reviewed by trained referees to determine if they can continue fighting even if they've maintained their vertical base.

Astonishingly, it took Chris Benoit's examined remains to force WWE's hand in reconsidering how they coped with concussions and similar cranial knocks.

Though undiagnosed at the time, The Undertaker suffered a concussion in his streak-ending loss to Brock Lesnar, but was immediately rushed to hospital with Vince McMahon in tow when the extent of the damage was clear. This was reflective of a company-wide respect for the issue following the excellent work conducted by former superstar Chris Nowinski on Benoit's concussion-addled brain.

Dolph Ziggler suffered a concussion during a World Title match with Jack Swagger in 2013 that ultimately resulted in his title loss shortly after. Kept out of matches whilst he recovered, it was a new method of coping from the company with a rather public admission that it was more serious that just taking a headache tablet and working through it. Former World Champion Christian tried several times to return from repeated concussions in 2014, but was forced into retirement.

There have been numerous other cases since. WWE have at long last accepted that wrestler health comes first, and have continued to train audiences that their safety comes at the expense of any scripted performance.