OVW reviewing safety protocols after referee suffers seizure during Louisville wrestling match

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Officials with Ohio Valley Wrestling are speaking out after a referee suffered a seizure during a match last week at Davis Arena, alarming fans and prompting the organization to review its safety protocols.

Referee Dallas Edwards began having a seizure Thursday night after a wrestler landed on the 22-year-old during a match at the wrestling venue in Louisville.

Fans in attendance said it quickly became clear something was wrong.

"It looked to me like he realized it was too late and yeah, maybe the guy really was hurt," said Thomas Kemme, who was among dozens of fans inside Davis Arena.

Professional wrestling often involves choreographed performances meant to simulate injury, but officials said this incident was real.

"We’re performing and trying to create the illusion of physical jeopardy, of physical injury," OVW official Al Snow said.

But when Edwards began shaking on the mat, the situation changed quickly.

OVW officials said referees normally serve as the point of contact when a real injury occurs in the ring. In this case, however, the referee was the one who needed help.

"Unfortunately that referee got hurt," Snow said. "We couldn’t talk to him and we didn’t have a moment to know whether his radio went out, which does happen, or if he was genuinely unconscious."

Snow said staff called 911 within 30 seconds after realizing Edwards was injured. Emergency medical crews arrived about eight minutes later.

During the response, Snow said someone who knew Edwards came over the barrier and helped notify his family and girlfriend.

"A family friend came over the barrier and was telling Dallas as we were tending to him that he had reached and contacted his mother and she was aware," Snow said.

Some fans initially believed the situation was part of the show, but others quickly realized it was serious.

"Somebody in the audience said, ‘Oh, it’s part of the act,’ and I said, ‘Shut up, it’s not an act — he is literally having a seizure,’" one fan said.

In the days since the incident, OVW officials said they have been speaking with medical experts about head injuries and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE, to develop additional protocols aimed at improving response times if someone is hurt.

Fans said they hope the incident leads to stronger safety measures.

"This business has nothing but my trust and my loyalty as a fan," fan Matt Proffitt said. "But yes, it has changed my views as far as the people inheriting the risks."

Snow said the incident was highly unusual.

"In the entire time that I’ve been in professional wrestling — now coming up on 44 years — in every company around the world there has never been one time where an incident occurred and the referee was part of that injury," he said.

OVW officials said the incident will now become part of the training curriculum at the organization’s wrestling academy.

"There is nothing fake physically about what we do in the ring," Snow said. "With it comes a risk, and with that comes a price."

Edwards has since been released from the hospital and said he plans to take about three months off to recover. He also thanked supporters for their messages and well wishes.