10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (August 30)

2. JR Made A Decision On Chris Benoit's Neck Surgery For Him

This is the final Jim Ross-related point in this week's article. Honest.

It's a goodie however. Back in 2001, Chris Benoit was readying himself to go under the knife for serious, potentially-career altering neck surgery. He had two choices. One, surgeons could go in through the front of the neck and Benoit could spend a year on the shelf recovering. Two, go in through the back and heal fast but risk more problems later.

Benoit didn't know what he do, and he confided in JR that a year off would be bad for business because he wouldn't be paid. That was an eyebrow-raising concern to Ross. He sat Benoit down and assured him that he had a guaranteed deal with WWE. They were committed to him and couldn't exactly decide not to pay his salary just like that.

JR could see that Benoit was hesitant about making a firm decision, so he decided to make one for the wrestler and said he should get the issue fixed properly rather than half-assing it. In the end, it was Ross who made the call, not Benoit.