What’s the story? According to a report from ESPN.com, former WWE broadcaster, Mike Adamle, says that he is suffering from dementia and likely CTE.
In case you didn’t know...Adamle may be best known as the co-host of American Gladiators from 1989 to 1996. After American Gladiators ended, he became a reporter for ESPN.On January 27th, 2008 at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Adamle began working for the WWE as an interviewer. He famously mistakenly referred to Jeff Hardy as "Jeff Harvey". He later became ECW's play-by-play announcer, replacing Joey Styles. It almost became a sort of a running joke with Adamle continuing to make mistakes frequently during commentary. On the April 29th episode of ECW, Adamle famously left the commentary table before the main event. The next week, he apologized for his harsh reaction to the situation.In July of 2008, Shane McMahon announced that the new General Manager of Monday Night Raw was Mike Adamle. During his GM run, he would promote important matches and call them, “Adamle Originals.” He would only last as the General Manager until November, when he resigned from the position on-screen and left the WWE in real life.
The heart of the matterMike Adamle was recently interviewed by Chicago’s WMAQ-Channel 5, the TV station he most recently worked for. In an interview that aired on Tuesday, Adamle stated that he had mood swings and memory lapses. He also mentioned that tests that he underwent in January showed that he has a high likelihood of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE. It is a degenerative brain disease that is often linked with repeated blows to the head. The perceived cause of the disease is Adamle’s football career before he became a television personality.
Adamle, 67, left his job as a sports anchor for the same news station a year ago. His health has deteriorated to the point where he can no longer drive or work. He must now wear a fanny pack that holds his keys, phone, and wallet in case he gets lost or cannot remember what he was doing.
What’s next? Unfortunately, CTE can not be accurately diagnosed until after a person’s death.
Sportskeeda’s TakeSportskeeda extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to Mike Adamle. He may have only been a part of WWE for a short time but the impression he left on fans was indelible. We wish him all the best.
