Injuries will happen in pro wrestling because it is physical entertainment, no matter the style or how careful someone is in the ring.
AEW is known for putting on some of the best matches in the world, with wrestlers putting their bodies through a lot of damage. Chuck Taylor knows this very well. On Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite, there was a match between Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta.
This was after the Parking Lot Street Fight in Jacksonville the week before, where Beretta caused Taylor to suffer a ‘career-ending injury.’ It announced that Taylor would never wrestle again. This week, on commentary during Dynamite, AEW ringside physician Dr. Sampson told Excalibur that Taylor suffered a fractured ankle and would need surgery.
He said that due to the fracture and presence of necrosis of the bone underneath the cartridge, it’s likely career-ending. Cassidy went over in the bout, only for Beretta to attack him after it.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that what was said on television regarding Taylor’s career being in jeopardy is accurate.
Meltzer wrote, “In storyline they say it’s over but have also given wiggle room. From what we are told, what was said on television was accurate and the belief right now is that Taylor won’t be able to wrestle again.”
It should be noted that Billy Graham’s career ended due to the same issue of presence of necrosis of the bone. However, the likes of Sting, Bryan Danielson, Katsuyori Shibata, Adam Copeland, and Christian Cage have returned injuries that were once believed to be career-ending. In their case, it was spinal stenosis or concussions.
