Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for the latest drama to unfold in the wrestling world. AEW’s Blood & Guts match, known for its intense and violent nature, is making headlines again. This time, it’s not just the high-octane action that’s catching everyone’s attention, but a particularly brutal chair shot delivered to TNT Champion Jack Perry.
During Wednesday’s “AEW Dynamite” main event, fans witnessed a devastating moment when Perry, handcuffed to the cage, received an unprotected chair shot to the head. Unable to protect himself, Perry became the center of a heated debate over wrestling safety. While AEW executives have assured fans that Perry is fine, they’re keeping tight-lipped about the specifics.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, AEW EVP Nick Jackson said, “All I know is Jack is fine, and that’s all that matters. We know the risk we’re taking in the ring and it wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t prepared for it.” Reports confirm that the chair was “gimmicked,” meaning it was altered to minimize injury risk.
AEW CEO Tony Khan, during a media call for ROH’s upcoming Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view, emphasized the importance of maintaining some mystery in wrestling. “I do like to leave some of the art of this and some of the kayfabe of this in the wrestling, and I think that’s the best way to do it,” Khan said.
Despite these assurances, criticism from within the wrestling industry has been fierce. WWE commentator Corey Graves, who retired due to concussion issues, expressed his concerns in a now-deleted social media post. Wrestling historian Dave Meltzer also condemned the spot in The Wrestling Observer, stating, “I hate all-out chair shots to the head like the one Mark Briscoe hit Jack Perry with… you can replace a knee or a shoulder, but you can’t replace a brain.”
The debate over unprotected chair shots is not new to AEW. A similar controversy arose at Fyter Fest 2019 when Cody Rhodes took an unprotected chair shot from Shawn Spears, leading to significant backlash. Despite the supposed ban on such dangerous spots, incidents continue to occur, drawing criticism from wrestling veterans like Jim Ross and The Blue Meanie.
As the wrestling community grapples with these issues, one thing is clear: safety in the ring remains a hotly contested topic, and the fallout from Blood & Guts is far from over.