It’s a conversation that’s always going on in some corner of the pro wrestling world. But over the past couple weeks discussions about wrestler safety and the modern in-ring style have been more prominent, with several wrestling legends offering their thoughts on them publicly.
One instance occurred after AEW Worlds End, when former AEW talent & coach and current WWE executive & coach William Regal posted his occasional warning about the dangers of landing on your head. As he usually does, Regal attached
x-rays of his own seriously damaged spine to illustrate his point.
That drew a lot of responses, many of them not in good faith. The one Jeff Jarrett offered on his My World podcast this week was, or seemed to be at least:
“The industry is not going in reverse. It goes without saying. The Will Ospreays of today, and he’s told me this story, ‘I watched the X-Division as a kid and I watched the Unbreakable main event, and I said that I wanted to be that guy.’ That’s the nature. There are kids today watching Will and Ricochet, fill in anybody in WWE, CMLL, New Japan, All Japan, and they are going to emulate. Athletes today, the evolution, they are bigger, stronger period, game set match. The style of wrestling is not going in reverse, in my opinion. The cadence, the speed…
”My generation, it was just different. We worked seven days a week. It’s just how it was. But now house shows are going away, for the most part… The difference in today’s athlete or pro wrestler, versus in an Arn era or Regal era is, we worked a lot more shows. But also in working the shows, I worked more shows without a trainer than I did with one. At AEW, there is no less than seven at a show. That’s just show day. The reality of this is, [Kyle] Fletcher might be a little sore, or whoever the guys are taking the dangerous bumps. For me, this is what I did in TNA, I implored them, I made sure someone [a trainer or doctor] was there… ‘After every match, when they come through the curtain, I want you to lay into them. How are you? Let’s fix it.’
“Our body is our money. You have to have not just reactive, you have to be preventive. I credit my mindset on not just cardio and stretching, but nutrition and preventative maintenance. I just think that’s where it’s at. ”Our bodies are going through incredible things now. I mean, I’m not doing all that stuff, I’m 58. But the guys that are doing it, to me, you’ve got two choices. You are absolutely going to make Regal and Arn 100 percent true, because left untreated, or not figuring out how to do preventative – And I mean, real preventative. Stretching, being prepared for it, and doing all that. Really understanding that you’ve got to get prepared for your body to do that, and it’s in the gym.”
“I think the preventative part of it… you ain’t putting the toothpaste back in the tube. That to me is delusional thinking. There is no chance in hell any of these guys are going to say ‘No, no, no, I’m not going to do that because of long term.’ Nobody. We didn’t do it when we were their age.
“The extreme high spots and moves and the creative stuff, that’s not going backwards.”
Double-J then goes on to vouch for his boss’ approach in more detail, and it’s fitting since this is far from the only time AEW has been at the center of criticism about dangerous or risky bumps and spots:
“Tony Khan does a great job. He treats it like a sports team. Like I said, five to seven trainers at every show. When you come through the curtain, they are there with a little hydration bottle and they are ‘How are you? How do you feel?’”
“That’s the real special sauce, the preventative stuff.”
It’s an attitude on the issue that’s either realistic or pessimistic, depending on your belief in human nature. Myself, I tend to think Jarrett’s is a realistic view; I see no way the wrestling business can train or regulate its way to a truly safe style, nor do I think there’s a very big market for pro wrestling that prioritizes safety. That doesn’t mean some of the toothpaste can’t go back in the tube though. There are creative as well as safety reasons to limit high impact spots to main event matches and high profile feuds, for instance. Fewer instances of high risk moves decreases the odds of serious injury while also making each instance mean more in-story.
But that’s just a blogger’s take. Regal didn’t respond to Jarrett directly, instead choosing to restate his position (along with an advisory that he won’t be having a dialogue about it, or anything, online). He closed with a fundraiser request for Yoshihiro Takayama and Shinjiro Otani, Japanese wrestlers who were paralyzed in the ring, which served as a reminder, a request, and stern response to people using his words for profit… which probably includes bloggers:
My first and maybe only message this year involving Wrestling. FYI, I never read anything unless it’s old wrestling or music and old comedy so save the typing time and your head space by replying. I wish you all contentment , happiness and good health. I won’t be reading anything except my x2 weekly look at old wrestling. Too many people from too many companies send me all the things I do or don’t need! I have been using this platform since 2014 at least to warn and help future talent that I can’t talk to directly
Over 32 years in the US and Japan showing people how to be safer if they wanted to know or listen without ever asking for a thank you. I’ll quote my dear friend of 26 year Samoa Joe and say “ it’s a laundry list” of people. I will ask this though. If you’ve made 1 cent of using my name in 2025, please send that money to the official organizations who care for my friends @otani_shinjiro and @Takayamado. Press the anonymous button as it’s not a tax right off for you or you to try and look like nice people. It’s the right thing to do. To everyone else, best wishes for 2026.
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