Eric Bischoff Accuses AEW Culture of Encouraging High-Risk Moves After Jeff Hardy Injury

Injuries have become more commonplace in the world of professional wrestling and that includes AEW. Jeff Hardy suffered an injury during last week’s AEW Rampage taping and in light of this, Eric Bischoff accused AEW’s culture of encouraging high-risk moves for the injury.

As mentioned earlier, Sammy Guevara competed against Jeff Hardy in a singles match during this week’s AEW Rampage tapings. Regrettably, the match sparked concerns about Hardy potentially sustaining a concussion, as Guevara’s knee made contact with Hardy’s face during the bout.

While speaking on the latest episode of 83 Weeks, the former WCW president discussed a particular incident involving Jeff Hardy on AEW. Bischoff addressed concerns about repeated botches and suggested that AEW’s culture, which encourages high-risk moves, is a contributing factor.

“Very concerned for Jeff. He took that knee right to the side of the face. I don’t know where it actually hit him, but it looked to me like it planted right on his cheekbone, his temple. That’s a lot of power coming down off, that’s a lot of weight coming down off that top turnbuckle and there’s nowhere for Jeff’s head to go. So, fearful clearly, I didn’t really ask myself why.”

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”But I think your observation’s probably mostly correct. Part of it is too because of the nature of what AEW finds appealing is so much of the high risk, justified ‘this is awesome’ chants, which usually are a result of something really, really high-risk and stupid. That’s what they’re going for. I think the talent probably feels like they’ve got to go to an extreme to get over.”

Expressing worry for Jeff Hardy, Bischoff highlighted the significant impact of Guevara’s knee landing on Hardy’s face during the match. He acknowledged the inherent risks associated with AEW’s emphasis on “this is awesome” moments, often achieved through high-risk maneuvers.

Bischoff also noted that the pressure to connect with the audience, especially in smaller settings, may lead talents to push their limits, attempting riskier moves to garner a positive reaction from the crowd.

”Particularly cos you’re wrestling in front of 2000 people on a television show. The audience isn’t into your shit at all from the opening match on. It’s like wrestling in front of a high school cafeteria crowd. That makes it harder for talent and they push even further and they do things that are even riskier to try to overcome that issue.”

Jeff Hardy ultimately suffered a broken nose due to the move. Only time will tell if AEW will take extra measures to prevent such injuries from taking place again in the future.

Do you feel Eric Bishoff is correct in this regard? What measures should AEW take to prevent such incidents in the future? Let us know in the comments section below!