“Everybody F***** Up”: Eric Bischoff Rips Into OVW Over Referee’s Seizure And Hospitalization
Ohio Valley Wrestling has come under fire from Eric Bischoff following the mishandling of referee Dallas Edwards at a live show.
During the March 12 taping of OVW Rise, Edwards was involved in a bump that saw him experience a seizure while the wrestlers continued to perform before being ordered to stop.
The young referee’s partner later issued a statement asking wrestling fans to keep Dallas in their thoughts. Reports later claimed that he suffered a concussion and a subdural hematoma, a type of brain bleed.
After regaining consciousness, Dallas provided an update, revealing that he was taking time away to address his health. He also called for wrestlers to be educated in what to do under such circumstances.
Eric Bischoff Slams OVW For Not Calling Off The Match Immediately
While speaking about Dalls Edwards on his 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff ripped into OVW’s higher-ups, claiming that they should have stopped the show immediately after the incident.
Everybody f***** up. There’s only one thing that should have happened, and that would be to shut the show down and make sure this young man was not in a situation worse than he was.
Where everybody f***** up — it’s usually the referee who talks to the truck when a talent gets hurt, but it was the opposite here. You’ve got wrestlers who probably have not considered, what if the referee has a heart attack or a brain bleed? That process probably never occurred to anyone in OVW.
Eric Bischoff also called out the wrestlers’ inexperience in terms of offering medical care while again blaming the director of the show.
You’ve got such inexperienced — in most cases somewhat trained, in some cases well trained, and in some cases horribly trained — wrestlers out there in the indies in situations they’ve never encountered before, so they’re not going to react properly. The real issue is the director, whoever is in control, should have shut that down.
Bischoff added that Edwards was not clearly “selling” when he experienced seizure in the ring.
What that referee Dallas was doing had nothing that resembled selling. That was pretty obviously a seizure, and that’s not 20/20 hindsight. Someone should have had the authority to shut that show down… 15 seconds after seeing what was happening.
Eric Bischoff explained that such incidents ultimately lead to lawsuits, which are inevitable if promotions do not show signs of improvement.
They have to figure out ways to make some of these choices and decisions to at least make an effort and demonstrate that you’ve got safety in mind when you have a pro wrestling event — at least for no other reason than because you will get sued.
As an independent promoter, it’s just a matter of time. You’re going to have some lawyer knocking on your door. If you at least made an attempt, that could work in your favor down the road. Once a couple of people get sued and make headlines, they’ll start a process.
H/T: Ringside News