Jon Moxley Calls For Change Of Approach To Concussions In Wrestling

Jon Moxley was at the centre of a scary moment on AEW programming over the last month, suffering a concussion within a match against Rey Fenix on Dynamite. Moxley’s concussion wasn’t initially spotted, and it led to a full match taking place after Moxley picked up an early knock. The finish of the match was heavily criticised, as referee Rick Knox failed to count a pinfall after Moxley and Fenix changed the planned finish due to the injury. This led to Fenix hitting his finishing move again, potentially risking further damage. 

Moxley has spoken to The Messenger since suffering from this concussion, which has kept him out of the ring for over a month, and believes the professional wrestling industry needs to change its approach to concussions, pitching that matches end immediately after a concussion is spotted rather than trying to find a way to bring the match to an actual finish. 

"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. The doctor and wrestler are completely untethered to the creative portion of it. They have no idea nor any interest in what the story is, who wins, who loses or how long it's supposed to go.

"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."

Moxley opened up about how bad he felt during his match, and wants there to be additional layers of safety when it comes to these sorts of injuries in wrestling - something which the business hasn’t caught up on when compared to other sports.

H/T F4WOnline