Earlier this week, something interesting happened, and now there’s insight into bold AEW safety decision.
What bold AEW safety decision, you might ask?
Well, per reports, there has been a new memo released by AEW leadership dictating that certain moves cannot be performed, and certain behaviors are now forbidden.
At first blush, considering this is 2023…a lot of this seems kind of…late?
Without trying to overly compare the two companies, some of these spots now banned in AEW have been off the table in WWE for years.
Those highlighted moves? To me, the big one is no more unprotected chair shots to the head.
Considering what we all know now about concussions and their long term impacts, that these weren’t banned from the first AEW match is stunning.
Insight Into Bold AEW Safety Decision
Some other items worth calling out, which may or may not be based on some recent notable events…
No more can AEW talents sell moves by pretending to have a seizure or concussion.
To me, considering how serious either condition is and can be, this too is a no brainer. No one should ever fake either of them, considering that there’s a non-zero chance they sustain one in their line of work.
Certain activities in the crowd are off limits too (no bleeding in the crowd, no weapons in the crowd). Moxley might have issues there…
And, MJF is not going to be happy, but no interacting with or touching fans. Something tells me some of his recent escapades may have had some blow back.
All is not banned, of course. Per the details of the document, a number of high-risk moves and activities are permitted, but must be discussed and approved prior to the match.
To me, this seems like it should have already been happening on some level.
Based on what was documented, things like serious dives, blading, use of weapons, apron spots and the like need to be talked over with the coach (producer in WWE) overseeing the match.
Again, I see this insight into bold AEW safety decision more as something that should have been done already.