The main event of Tuesday’s “Dynamite” came to an abrupt end when former AEW world champ “Hangman” Adam Page took a nasty fall after taking a lariat from Jon Moxley.
Video of the injury posted on social media showed Page landing at an awkward angle on his forehead as he fell to the mat.
Prayers up for Hangman.
He’s got a wife and young son at home that need him healthy. #aew #adampage pic.twitter.com/orsc5luwQ3
— The Joker (@TheManWhoSmiles) October 19, 2022
Referee Paul Turner immediately signaled for the ringside doctor, Michael Sampson, to check on Page, and after a quick medical review, Sampson advised Turner that Page couldn’t continue, and the referee stopped the match and declared Moxley the winner.
The show still had 10 minutes to go, so the early end to the main event sent the TV production and broadcast crews scrambling to cover, as the decision was made to not air the response by medics to strap Page to a board and get him out of the ring for further medical evaluation and treatment.
Page was ultimately taken to a local Cincinnati trauma center, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and released, according to a statement from AEW.
“AEW and Hangman Page are grateful for the exemplary response and care of staff and local medical personnel, and are appreciative of the love and support of fans everywhere,” the company said in the statement.
The response from the AEW and arena medical staff drew praise from Christopher Nowinski, a former WWE wrestler who is the CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
“Sending positive thoughts to Hangman,” Nowinski tweeted. “This was not a high-risk move. Something went wrong. Ref Paul Turner is trained to recognize a concussion or a possible neck injury and stopped the match. Doc Sampson was ringside and there in seconds. Gives us the best chance for a good outcome.”