AEW boss Tony Khan has revealed his promotion is set to upgrade medical protocols while the coronavirus pandemic continues to be an issue in the United States.
Khan, who spoke to wrestling outlet PWInsider, said the additional protocols will go into effect at the Full Gear PPV on Saturday. While COVID-19 remains a general worry for the industry, lately, AEW has come under fire for the way injuries are handled during matches.
Matt Hardy was the victim of a bad concussion at All Out following a botched forklift move with Sammy Guevara. The maneuver resulted in Hardy's head missing the intended surface and hitting the concrete. The match was stopped for a moment but was allowed to continue although Hardy was clearly worse for wear.
Another scary moment came in the form of Alex Reynolds getting knocked out during AEW Dynamite on October 21. Reynolds lay motionless in the ring for minutes while wrestlers continued to do spots.
Fans and media alike are well aware of the possibility of injuries whenever matches take place but the promotion has been on the end of criticism due to their insistence on continuing matches while wrestlers are visibly hurt.
“Yeah, you know, we’ve been recently doing everything we can to work on our protocols and make this as safe as possible work environment," Khan claimed. "I’ve added another independent neurologist to the staff.
"We’ve added an independent doctor at all the shows in addition to our staff medical team and we’re adding extra support. I’ve added a two-way feature where the referees can talk back to us if there are injuries so that the referee, you know, not all communication is going one way, and I’ve encouraged the referees to let us know what’s going on."
Expert Advice Inbound
Christopher Nowinski, a former WWE star who's now the CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, will also be on hand for Full Gear, where he will speak to staff and talent.
“So I’m excited to have Chris come back because I think he’s the world’s leading expert on head trauma," Khan added. "As to other injuries outside of head trauma, I think we oughta do our best there too but I think that’s probably the area we’re the most concerned about, being…make sure we’re doing everything safe.”
Khan also revealed Nowinski hasn't been at an AEW show for over a year.
Source: PWInsider