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WWE has been strict with its concussion protocols for quite a while now, and many people consider its protocols safer than those of major sports leagues. However, one current world champion admits to being called to the main roster while concussed.
On the latest episode of The Wrestling Outlaws, the primary topic of discussion was Rond Rousey's comments about wrestling being an "intense performance" rather than a sport.
The conversation eventually transitioned into concussions, where former WWE star and current NWA World Champion EC3 praised the company's concussion protocols.
"I will say to WWE's credit, at the apex of the business they are, they take concussions very seriously, and they have the impact tests, and you have to go through tests and check with doctors, and even if you were cleared and you didn't feel right, they'll never rush you back. Except that one time they called me up with a concussion once, but that's a different story." (7:56-8:18)
He did, however, admit to being called up to the Triple H-led promotion's main roster in early 2019 with a concussion:
"Maybe it's just the aspect of competition vs intense performance... If there was anybody who had any issues in WWE, they would hold you out and not make you go out there like the days of the past. They're very conscious of concussions. But there's no scheduled time off. You could be getting knicked countless times and not notice it until the big one happens. We understand that getting into it, though." (8:19-9:31)
You can watch the full video below:
WWE punished EC3 for not getting cheered over Dean Ambrose
EC3's 2019 run was nothing short of unfortunate, considering the circumstances. He was put up with Dean Ambrose in his first mini-feud on RAW, with Ambrose's departure from WWE being announced months in advance.
On The Wrestling Outlaws, EC3 confirmed the speculation that he was punished for not getting cheered over Dean Ambrose.
He explained that while the plan was for him to be the excellent guy while Dean Ambrose was the bad guy, they decided to switch up the dynamic one week when working together to play into the crowd's organic reactions.
EC3 revealed that since Dean Ambrose was already on his way out, he wouldn't get punished, leaving the two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion as the one to get the short end of the stick.
"Finish the match, come to the back… nobody cares," EC3 added. "Cool. We get to TV the next day, and this will be the week after the Alexa Bliss segment. I'm back in the ring with him, and then he's over [defeating] me. Apparently, it got out that we went into business for ourselves. Since he was leaving and they couldn't punish him, I was in theory the one that had to be punished. So, that was the beginning of the end for that really great run I had." [3:27 - 3:59]
It would mark a death sentence to EC3's WWE career, as he had to move on and took a few years to recover from that.
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