AEW News: AEW star suffers concussion at Fight for the Fallen
What's the story?
Pro Wrestling is a contact sport and the chances for injuries are very high. At Fight for the Fallen on Saturday night in Jacksonville, a high-level All Elite Wrestling star was the first person in the company to have suffered a serious injury wrestling for AEW.
Britt Baker confirmed on Twitter that she indeed did get concussed in her match alongside Riho Abe against the duo of Bea Priestley and Shoko Nakajima.
In case you didn't know . . .
Baker competed at All In last September and she won the first women's match in AEW at Double or Nothing. She had previously been a staple on the independent scene and even competed for Ring of Honor's Women of Honor Division.
The heart of the matter
During the women's tag team match last night at Fight For the Fallen, there was a spot in the match where Priestley kicked Baker. It appeared to be a truly hard strike as Baker would look for a tag in the wrong corner shortly after the kick.
She also missed a move on the ropes during the match and also continually held the back of her head ringside after she tagged Riho into the match.
While she was able to finish the match, albeit, on the losing side, Baker confirmed hours after the bout concluded that she did get concussed during her match. She was able to also partake in a post-match fight angle with Priestley, presumably setting up a future match between the two ladies.
Baker referenced how referee Aubrey Edwards went out of her way in order to help her backstage. The female ref lost an earring while helping the wrestling dentist to the back and according to Britt Baker she checked on Britt at every hour of the night. She offered to buy the referee her next pair of earrings to show her gratitude.
WrestleTalk.com also had confirmation from someone close to Baker, John Thorne of AIW, who owns the promotion where Baker trained for the event.
What's next?
Dealing with injuries both during and right after matches or games is something that every pro sport has to figure out.
Since this is still the learning period for AEW, they'll have to institute protocols for both during matches as well as for what to do after a match has concluded. They probably already have those rules, but dealing with injuries on the fly is part of the game in professional wrestling.