While many of us remember Chris Benoit and what his career, all of us know what he did before ending his life. His actions opened pandora’s box when it comes to head injuries to athletes that aren’t boxers. There are established concussion protocols and all sorts of testing meant to keep athletes as safe as possible. While there’s always a risk, adopting a head shots galore mindset isn’t the right way.
CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a serious disease, and while the WWE and other promotions should be applauded for implementing methods to prevent it, there is always work to do.
Some of the changes
Some of the changes the WWE has implemented seem subtle until you see them used in another promotion like AEW. One of them is chair shots to the head. There was a time when chair shots would rain down on an opponent, such as the Rock and Mankind’s “I Quit” match for the then WWF Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble in 1999. Basically, the Rock handcuffed Mankind and nailed him numerous times before a recording of Mankind saying, “I quit!” three times from Heat prior to the show were played over the PA system. Mankind was unconscious. The before and after scenes of the match are on the Beyond the Mat dvd if you can find it.
Now, said chair shots are across the flat of the back and on their side with the brunt of the force usually taken by the chair’s top when it hits the ground next to them. This makes sense as anyone who’s seen Tough Enough knows wrestlers are trained to fall on their backs (taking bumps) to absorb the force and shock of the contact. Stunt people use the same methodology. It makes sense and it’s been proven to work.
To be fair, while the WWE had previously stopped allowing head shots with chairs, it took an in-ring altercation between Shawn Spears and Cody Rhodes at Fryer Fest for AEW to put a stop to unprotected chair shots to the head. Now you’ll see them put their arms up, and this makes sense. While AEW continues to appeal to fans due to its 1990s feel, it’s good to see they’ve taken steps to prevent serious head injuries. But is it enough?
Yeah, there’s always a but, but…
There’s a right way and a wrong way to do things
There are wrestling schools and warnings for a reason. They’re meant to keep kids, teenagers, and adults from trying what they see on school without the proper training. Sure, it may look easy, but there’s an art form to how to do things.
Some of the most damaging things are also the fakest. At least, when done properly. Some of those are punches and kicks.
While there are three ways wrestlers are taught to punch, according to the linked video, they also make it clear that they’re trained professionals and I need to iterate their warning, so please don’t try any of this on your own. Go to a school and learn the basics before thinking about strikes and other moves. Just because they don’t look like someone we see on TV doesn’t mean they don’t know what they’re talking about.
With that in mind, the WWE has relaxed some of their rules and it’s changed what we currently see. Most likely, they were relaxed or changed to add more excitement to balance out the lack of chair shots and make it look more realistic. This is just an assumption, but one that given the evidence makes sense.
So, we’ve seen a HUGE uptick in superkicks, punches, and knee strikes. The smacks as they connect are easily heard, so there is an impact when they strike the cheek area.
Yes, they do it as gently as they can by pulling their punches and kicks while aiming for the shoulder, neck, or cheek area. While these may be no more than “slaps,” they’re still an impact, and given the amount of times they’re used, odds are there are a few slip ups. The fact is, those mistakes are probably few and far between, but it only takes one. Someone always hits harder than another, and when that happens, how soon before the favor is returned? Before we say “They’re professionals and that wouldn’t happen” remember they police each other in the ring like other sports do on the athletic field. The question then becomes who will be the teacher and who will be the pupil.
At some point, we may need to get back to the old style of mat wrestling to preserve wrestlers’ health both physically and mentally. It may be exciting to see moves we’ve grown accustomed to from movies and video games, but that’s a difficult bar to expect real people to reach but they try.
In the end, it’s good that companies like WWE have made some after the match videos available so we can better understand the dangers they face when taking head shots galore:
Join me in my next article concerning head shots galore. I promise it won’t be as long. Maybe.
