Former WWE wrestler Matt Hardy was left hospitalized following a match at AEW's All Out pay-per-view event in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily's Place on Saturday.
During his 'Broken Rules' match against 27-year-old Sammy Guevara, Hardy, 45, took a nasty bump that resulted in the match being paused.
The high-risk spot saw Guevara tackle Hardy from the top of an electronic platform and through two tables below. However, their momentum was misjudged and Hardy only skimmed the second table, result in him hitting his head on the concrete hard.
Warning - Some people will find the footage in this tweet distressing:The winner of the match would have been the man that was able to incapacitate their opponent for a referee's 10-count - with Hardy putting his career on the line.
However, despite being scheduled to win the match, Hardy was left knocked out and unable to move by the hard bump, which saw both referee Aubrey Edwards and Guevara stall and improvise in order to give the wrestling legend time to recover.
After a brief halt in the match, the bout was allowed to continue, with Hardy regaining enough wherewithal to go through with the scheduled finish, which saw him declared the winner after knocking Sammy off some rigging and through a platform.
Following the match, Hardy - who is perhaps best known during his long career in WWE where he teamed with brother Jeff - was taken to hospital to undergo tests.
After the pay-per-view event, AEW CEO Tony Khan took part in a media scrum where he explained why the match continued.
Per ewrestlingnews.com, Khan said he personally stopped Hardy's to allow doctors to check on Hardy. He then revealed that Hardy did pass a concussion protocol and the doctor cleared him to continue.
Khan added that it was a scary moment and not something that anyone enjoyed.
One person who certainly didn't enjoy the spot was Matt's wife, Reby Hardy, who took to Twitter to slam the wrestling promotion for allowing the match to continue.
Sharing a screenshot of her texts to Matt, Reby wrote: "Let me be absolutely f**ing clear. There is NOTHING entertaining about a concussion. Shame on everyone in that goddamn building."
However, despite concerns that Hardy had suffered a concussion, over the weekend it was revealed that Hardy did NOT suffer a concussion.
Khan wrote:
"An update on Matt Hardy: it’s great news! Matt’s ok, we sent him to the hospital as a precaution & he’s passed the MRI + CT scans, he doesn’t have a concussion, and he’s being driven home now. Matt will be at Dynamite on Wednesday night to thank you amazing fans for your support!"
Whether you like wrestling or you don't, Hardy's nasty bump is a reminder that although these athletes are trained professionals and the matches are predetermined, wrestling is anything but fake.
