OVW co-owner Al Snow issued the following statement regarding the medical emergency involving referee Dallas Edwards, which occurred during the promotion’s live show that aired this past Thursday on YouTube.
“Hello everyone, this is Al Snow. I want to speak directly to our fans and the wrestling community regarding the incident involving Referee Dallas Edwards at last week’s event.
Professional wrestling has always carried an inherent risk of injury for everyone who steps into the ring. On March 12th, during a live OVW television event, Dallas was involved in a planned moment of physical contact with a wrestler that resulted in him suffering a head injury.
Traditionally, when an in-ring injury occurs, the referee is the central point of communication, assessment, and decision-making. In this unprecedented situation, the person who would normally make that assessment was the one who needed assistance. That unforeseen breakdown in communication contributed to a delay in stopping the match and concluding the show.
We are relieved to hear that Dallas is recovering and receiving the medical care he needs. Our thoughts are with him, and we’re hoping for his continued improvement.
At OVW, the health and safety of our performers and officials has always been our top priority. We are proud of the standards we’ve maintained over the years, but we also recognize that there is always room to strengthen and improve. With that in mind, we are reviewing our existing procedures and updating several of our in-ring and ringside protocols to ensure we continue to meet the highest expectations for performer safety.
These updates include enhanced communication systems, additional referee training, and expanded ringside response measures to help ensure that a situation like this is identified and addressed as quickly as possible.
We appreciate the concern and passion from our fans, and we understand the importance of transparency during moments like this. We will continue to share updates when appropriate, and we ask everyone to keep Dallas in your thoughts as he continues his recovery.
Thank you.”
The episode, which since has been removed from YouTube, saw OVW Rush Champion Brendan Balling come off the top rope, planning to hit Tony Evans with a flying forearm. However, Evans pulled referee Dallas Edwards in the way and Balling hits Edwards in the head, legitimately knocking him unconscious. Edwards then began to experience a seizure with convulsions, with his arms and legs twitching.
Instead of stopping their match, Balling and Evans continued performing around Edwards, with Evans grabbing Edwards by his pants and rolling him out of the way, then pushing him with his foot. Eventually the match was stopped by OVW officials with the cameras not on Edwards. The commentary team then announced the show was going off the air due to a medical emergency with Edwards.
Edwards suffered a concussion as well as a subdural hematoma (brain bleed).