JayJay wrote:To the best of my knowledge, the Zokre injury is legit. It appeared to be only a stinger, as he was carried from the ring to the parking lot to shake it off. I really don't know the extent of the injury, though I would say it's a good sign that he was only taken to the parking lot and not to the hospital.
While I'm on the subject, if the injury is legit (and to my knowledge, it was) why on Earth would Dragon or Davey continue to move Zokre after Knox had thrown the "X" signaling the end of the match? Clearly Zokre was hurt - his legs weren't moving and he appeared to not respond to Knox. It's DANGEROUS and a little careless of Davey and Dragon to continue the match in any way.
In any case, solid show (though I think a LOT of fans wanted to see Joe). Let's hope the kinks in the PWG machine can be worked out in time for the next one (let's start with tightening up the ropes and sticking to a set of rules - namely the one that saw Steen DQ'd for the chair but let Joey use it for the finish in plain sight of the referee).
Ummm... first off I wouldn't start saying his injury appeared to be a stinger considering that you have nothing to go on other than a visual observation. It's just a bad idea because misinformation can get out there and confuse other people. People here stinger and they might assume broken neck, temporary(or)/permanent paralysis, etc...
Zokre suffered a concusion. Plain and simple. It doesn't take much to cause such an injury. It doesn't necessarilly have to be a hig impact move to cause it.
As to why Petey & Dragon continued with the match, and why he wasn't immediately taken to the hospital... Keep in mind that pretty much everyone in the locker room has been knocked out at one point or another. A concussion can at first seem very much like a simple KO. Usually they come to in a moment or two. Sometimes a few minutes. Davey, Dragon, & Pheonix were acting under the assumption that this was the case. Even still when Zokre was removed from the gym. Everyone was hoping that he'd snap out of it. He was conscious at this point but very much out of it.
I know what a lot of you are thinking. Why not just take him to the hospital? Why not call an ambulence? Well its not secret that you can't make a living off a pro wrestling when you're at this level. All of these guys have other jobs. And a ride in an ambulence costs a shit load of money. A trip to the hospital costs a shit load of money. As bad as it may be for health reasons, a lot of people in this industry don't want to rush their conclusions about these kind of situations because often times it will end up costing them money that didn't need to be spent.
For example. Human Tornado passed out from dehydration and exhaustion at an AWS show this past year. Once they got him backstage he snapped out of it after only a few minutes and was fine. Unfortunately someone who jumped the gun went ahead and called for an ambulence. It ended up costing them a pretty penny.
I know that it seems a little irresponsible to be guessing when someone is in physical distress, but it can come back to bite them hard and a lot of guys don't want to take the financial risk. And no, I am not just speaking of the promoters or the promotions.
As far as kinks in the PWG machine goes...
PWG was not responsible for Joe's absence. The agent that Joe is booked through, never made Joe aware that he was booked at PWG that night. Joe's agent dropped the ball; not PWG.
The ropes... are being tightened consistantly throughout the night now. In some cases however it doesn't do much good because some ropes such as the middle one have been streched out to much and no amount of tightening on the turnbuckles will improve them beyond a certain point. Furthermore the cost of replacing the ropes is an issue for the group that PWG rents the ring from. Typically the group that provides the ring would leave during a PWG show after the ring is set up. The ropes only became a problem several months back and the volunteer crew has recently been tasked with the responsibility of the ropes. In the past they didn't have this responsibility because the ropes are a big issue, and the liability would lie with them should something happen. Now that they are seasoned and do much of the tasking for the show's setup and tear down, the ropes are now something that they are trusted with.
And I don't really understand how a theatrical complaint can be grouped with real life issues. Joey using the chair...
In my opinion it was presented in a way that made its use by Joey unintentional. Yes Joey planned on hitting AJ with it, but he didn't plan on AJ german suplexing him and having the chair swung behind him only to knock AJ out. That's the way it was presented. There have been other matches in all of the industry where unintentional injuries from illegal objects have not been grounds for DQ's. Besides, if there is an actual referees handbook and PWG rulebook (which there isn't) and you can find a contradiction to the chair spot then keep this in mind...
Who cares? If you can actually call it a fuck up, keep in mind there have been real fuck ups before that actual screw with the shows progression. Besides, the finish was unique, inventive and all together a great way for Joey to steal a win.