"We're gonna see... somebody being crippled for life." - Arn Anderson sends a somber warning to wrestlers
Recently at AEW All Out, Matt Hardy suffered a horrible looking fall after a botched move and apparently suffered a concussion thanks to it. Since then, Arn Anderson has taken to his ARN podcast (h/t 411 Mania) and talked about how things need to change in the business of wrestling.
Arn Anderson sends message to wrestlers about injuries
Arn Anderson sent a serious message to young wrestlers about how injuries are a part and parcel of wrestlers' lives and how younger stars need to be more careful than they are. Arn Anderson is a true legend of the wrestling business and has seen a lot during his career.
“I am gonna make a statement to all the young talent out there. This business is in your lap, it’s in your hands, it’s in your control. It is up to you to keep each other safe and when you are putting matches together and coming up with ideas, guys, you’re taking it to a level – I’ve seen a lot of near misses a lot of times, situations where guys are almost doing headers into the mat. The business has gotten more and more dangerous and it’s in your hands to fix it. You’ve gotta reel it in, you’ve gotta figure out a way to have a match and have an exciting match without some of these very, very dangerous moves being implemented. You’ve gotta dial it back. Nobody can dial it back but you. And I’m certainly not saying put a cap on the excitement of what we do in this business."
Arn Anderson went on to warn that he was scared to death that unless the younger wrestlers reeled things in, they would go too far. Arn Anderson said that he was afraid that someone might even be crippled for life.
“You’ve gotta reel our product in a little bit and make it safer for everyone involved. I’m just scared to death – this young generation are balls to the wall to number one, please our audience, please each other, and hopefully please our boss. But I don’t think our boss would ever ask you to go through the curtain and put yourself in danger or put yourself in a position where you might be injured or crippled for life. He’s just not that kind of person. It’s up to us collectively to reel this thing in or we’re gonna see, dare I say, worse injuries and possibly down the road, somebody being crippled for life. And nobody wants to see that. I put that burden and responsibility on the talent. They’re the ones that can fix it.”
Arn Anderson is currently on AEW as Cody Rhodes' player-coach.
Readers can also check out this video about how Paige had to retire due to an injury to her spine.