AEW's Poor History Of Handling Concussions, Explained
Highlights
- WWE has changed over the years and now immediately stops matches when something goes wrong.
- AEW has had several instances of wrestlers getting concussed during matches, but the referee lets the action continue.
- Wrestlers like Matt Hardy, Adam Cole, and Jon Moxley have all suffered concussions in AEW matches, raising concerns about safety.
The January 12, 2024 episode of WWE SmackDown had a scary moment when, during a match between Austin Theory and Carmelo Hayes, a bad tumble resulted in Theory landing on the top of his head. Both men looked hurt and the referee immediately stopped the match. Though thankfully both were okay, it showed how WWE has changed over the years, immediately stopping a match when something goes wrong. There was another WWE incident a few months back when a Rey Mysterio match was stopped after he hit his head as well. It's a lesson AEW needs to learn. There have been several instances of their wrestlers, from the likes of Matt Hardy and Adam Cole, to "Hangman" Adam Page and John Moxley, getting concussed during their matches, only for the ref to let the action continue on.
- Matt Hardy suffered a nasty concussion in a match with Sammy Guevara at All Out 2020
- Adam Cole was out for many months following a concussion at Forbidden Door 2022
- Jon Moxley accidentally knocked out "Hangman" Adam Page in a 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite
- The referee let the match continue after Jon Moxley suffered a concussion against Rey Fenix at AEW Grand Slam 2023
Matt Hardy And Adam Cole Took Awful Head Bumps During AEW Matches
Matt Hardy's Head Bouncing Off The Concrete Was A Bad Look For AEW
In 2020, when Matt Hardy was still doing his "Broken" gimmick, he entered a feud with Sammy Guevara. It culminated at All Out in a Last Man Standing match called a "Broken Rules Match." It was an okay match, with much of it taking backstage at Daily's Place. The two wrestlers then ended up on top of a scissor lift, where disaster struck. When Matt Hardy fell from the lift and through a table, his head smacked the concrete floor hard. It was a disgusting sight, and to her credit, referee Aubrey Edwards immediately threw up the "X" sign, notifying a real injury. It was then that Dr. Michael Sampson rushed in to evaluate Hardy, but despite Matt having hit his head from a high fall onto unforgiving concrete, the match was shockingly allowed to continue. It was a move that left fans sickened. A wrestler's safety had been put at risk so the show could go on. Surprisingly, he wasn't even diagnosed with a concussion, but with the outrage so loud, Hardy showed up on Dynamite to talk about the injury and to say he would be taking a hiatus to heal. This was likely done out of desperation by AEW, who had to give in to the backlash surrounding what had happened.
In 2022, Adam Cole's AEW career took a sad turn when he suffered not one, but two concussions. The first came at Double or Nothing in May. Arguably, he was brought back too soon, for just a month later Cole suffered a much worse concussion at the first Forbidden Door pay-per-view. The second was a brutal injury that kept Cole out of action for many months and nearly ended his career. It's an injury that may not have happened had his brain been given time to heal from the first concussion in May.
Adam Cole On Speaking To Bryan Danielson During His Concussion Recovery: "He Was Very Helpful"
When Adam Cole was kept out of action in AEW for months due to a concussion, it was reminiscent of what Bryan Danielson went through in WWE.Adam Page And Jon Moxley Suffered Head Injuries Inside An AEW Ring
"Hangman" Adam Page Was Knocked Out During A Match With Jon Moxley
One of AEW's scariest moments came during an October 2022 Dynamite match between Jon Moxley and Hangman Page, where Page was accidentally knocked unconscious. It was a scary scene and the match was immediately stopped as a stretcher was brought in to remove Page. You have to wonder though, if Page hadn't been knocked out and could've gotten up, would the match have continued?
That question is important because of what happened during another Jon Moxley match, this time in an International Championship bout against Rey Fenix at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam in 2023. Moxley suffered a concussion early in the match, and knowing he was messed up, he made the call to have Fenix beat him. However, when Rey went for the pinfall, confusion took over, as the ref refused to count to three despite the fact that Moxley never kicked out. It was then that Fenix picked Moxley up and dropped him on his head again, now getting the 1-2-3. Fans were disgusted with everyone involved. Not only was Moxley allowed to continue wrestling with a concussion, but he was dropped on his head more than once after. To many, it made AEW look like an unsafe promotion.
AEW: How Many More Injuries Can Bryan Danielson Afford?
Bryan Danielson's broken arm at Forbidden Door is just the latest serious injury the wrestling legend has suffered in the ring.Jon Moxley Calls For Changes To Concussion Protocol In Wrestling
Even A Hardcore Wrestler Like Jon Moxley Knows Wrestling Can Be Safer
Even Jon Moxley, who has done some of the most death-defying stunts in modern wrestling (the guy bleeds nearly every week!), understood how bad that moment looked for professional wrestling. Luckily, he, Hardy, and Page would be okay, and many months after his injury, Adam Cole would be too. In an October 2023 interview with The Messenger, Moxley shared his ideas about how to make the sport safer for athletes. He said:
"Maybe a really experienced wrestler and a really experienced doctor, who are trained to see signs of that sh--, are watching it on a separate feed. Even if they have a doctor close to ringside, what if the guy f---ing spills outside the ring? He doesn't see that... If a guy f---ing spins around or something and the doctor goes, 'Is he OK?' the wrestler can tell him, 'That's just a pro wrestling thing. Don't worry.' As soon as the doctor sees a sign of somebody being concussed, he just hits the f---ing red button. Boom, this is over. No matter how much time is left. No matter if it's on live TV. It's just over, and you figure it out from there."
WWE has taken its share of criticism for how they've handled injuries in the past, but they've learned how to change and be better, as recent moments with Rey Mysterio and Austin Theory showed. AEW needs to be better too before someone gets concussed so badly that they never wrestle again.
