AEW star Colt Cabana recently released a new episode of the Art of Wrestling podcast. AOW is considered the ‘first’ wrestling podcast that really made an impact on the medium, leading to the litany of different shows that are now available to listen to almost daily.
Art of Wrestling was put on hiatus after Cabana spent years releasing episodes; however special ‘seasons’ are now being released sporadically. Colt Cabana revealed on this first new episode that he is concerned about the effects of concussions on professional wrestlers.
Colt Cabana on Concussions
This episode of AOW featured Matt Hardy, who of course recently suffered a horrific head injury at AEW’s All Out PPV. Cabana stated that the podcast episode was recorded before the incident, however it brought up the issue of concussions in pro wrestling once again to the forefront.
“While I was with the NWA? Chris Nowinski came in to talk to us” Colt Cabana began on the podcast. Chris Nowinski is a former WWE Superstar who retired due to concussion related issues. Since his retirement in 2003, Nowinski has been part of research into concussions and their effects on sports stars, even beyond professional wrestling.
“He basically said ‘we’ll never know what’s going on with any of your brains, until you die and we dissect it'” Cabana continued. “I was like ‘wait, you can’t do studies!? How do I know that my brain isn’t the most hurt right now!? I mean, I’m not in the safest job and he’s just like ‘don’t get two concussions in a row. If your head hurts don’t wrestle.'”
“I feel I need more concrete information, and we don’t have that. It’s not like AEW [just] doesn’t have that, or WWE, or IMPACT. Nobody does, and I thought listening to Chris Nowinski’s speech would make me feel safer and happier? It like did the complete opposite and made me so worried in general, for everyone. So of course when this stuff happens with Matt Hardy? That’s all I could think of.”
