Everything you need to know about former WWE Superstar Chris Nowinski

Chris Nowinski (aka Chris Harvard) is just one of many former WWE Superstars that most fans are not familiar with due to his short run with the company. Although the star only spent a year, he was able to team up with iconic names and find success outside the sport.

Born Christopher John Nowinski on September 24, 1978, he graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Not only did he focus solely on academics, but he also played college football as an All-Ivy defensive tackle. Later on, he also graduated with a Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience at Boston University.

Nowinski started his run with WWE when he joined Tough Enough's first season (2001), he was one of the three finalists but it was Maven Huffman who won. Despite losing the show, Chris made his RAW debut a year later by aiding William Regal to defeat JBL. A week later, Chris won his in-ring television debut against Spike Dudley.

Months later, he feuded with his former Tough Enough mentor Al Snow and fellow contestant Maven. At the end of the year, he formed a short-lived tag team with D'Lo Brown where they defeated the Tough Enough personalities on two occasions.

Chris Nowinski's run slowed down the following year. He participated in that year's Royal Rumble but was eliminated by Rey Mysterio. In July, he revealed that he suffered post-concussion syndrome during the match and retired from the sport.

Before his retirement, he won the WWE Hardcore Championship by defeating Crash Holly twice.

What does Chris Nowinski do now after his time with WWE?

The former Hardcore champion may not have had an impactful run as a wrestler, but he still contributed a lot to the sport. Following his departure, he became a writer and co-founded an important foundation.

He is the co-founder of a non-profit organization called the Concussion Legacy Foundation that is dedicated to concussions and CTE. His co-founder was Dr. Robert Cantu, the doctor who checked on him after the former WWE Superstar suffered a concussion. Chris Nowinski also co-founded VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank.

Chris Nowinski also wrote the investigative book Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis and authored more than 30 scientific publications.

Although his WWE run was cut short, it's a good thing that he landed a career on a path that will help a lot of athletes.

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