Pro-wrestling is a dangerous profession. Being thrown against a hard surface on a nightly or even weekly basis can have serious effects on the human body, both short term and long term.
But sometimes the most serious wrestling-related health concerns are self-inflicted, which is what happened to AEW’s Colt Cabana earlier this month when he wrestled Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship.
Colt Cabana Jokes About Near Death Experience In AEW
On his Art of Wrestling Podcast, Colt Cabana went into detail about that AEW Dynamite match with Jericho and what was going through his mind. The first half of the story detailed Cabana’s pre-match prep and what he wore for the match. Included in his wrestling gear are compression socks, kneepads, and wrestling boots.
Then as he wrestled Jericho, he started experiencing a bevy of emotions, including a bit of anxiety.
These emotions, combined with the heat in the building and the tightness around his lower body, caused Colt Cabana to essentially tourniquet himself.
“My blood flow is perfect, so essentially what I did was restrict everything. I remember vividly thinking, ‘I can’t feel my legs. I guess it’s just the nerves. It was nerves and anxiety, but it was also compression socks. By the time I did the moonsault to the outside and had to run into the ring to give Jericho a flying asshole, I had nothing left in my body.
I attributed it to the night of wrestling, but no, it was because I cut off the supply of blood to my own legs, causing high blood pressure and low oxygen. I knew I was on live TV and it was big moment for me, I figured a way to do it to
Jericho knowing the match would come to an end very quickly, it did, I could not move as I made my way back to the trainer’s room asking for electrolytes and the trainer being like, ‘We’re not sure what’s going on.’ I ripped my singlet off, I couldn’t breathe, I had a headache, I felt lightheaded.”
After the match, Colt Cabana spent two hours immobile and covered in ice to return his body to normal. He has not been on AEW programming since then while Chris Jericho’s reign as ROH World Champion continues on.
h/t WrestlingInc for the transcription