10 Worst Moments In AEW History

6. Matt Hardy’s Brush With Death

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AEW

At All Out 2020, in a spot that should never have been approved, Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara shimmied up a cherry picker and, with minimal space through which to manoeuvre, took an ill-advised, terrifying bump onto a table dressed up as a souvenir stand. 

Everything about this was stupid. It was 2020, so nobody could buy merch for starters. 

While the stunt had been rehearsed, the scope for error was vast - and an error was made. Hardy’s torso clipped the table; his head smashed against the concrete and, for a few horrifying moments, he was thought to be dead as his body turned purple. 

The match continued, somehow. Hardy was “able” to move, somehow, but should not have been allowed. He won, because the Broken Rules (Last Man Standing) stipulation demanded it. Otherwise, he’d have to leave AEW. 

Was…was this the priority?! 

Reckless, stupid, mishandled: this was almost exactly what a black comedy satirising pro wrestling would look like. 

Hardy actually claims that he didn’t in fact suffer a concussion, but something was obviously, badly wrong: he was hospitalised, and missed the next two months of action. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!