Top 10 Horrific AEW Injuries of All Time

2. Adam Cole’s concussion – AEW Dynamite 2025.

Few AEW careers have felt as snakebitten as Adam Cole’s. Since arriving with a bang in 2021, Cole’s time in All Elite Wrestling has been plagued more by injuries than in-ring action. And each one has chipped away at the dream run fans once hoped for. There have been two major incidents that marked this unfortunate pattern:

In September 2023 at AEW Grand Slam, Cole broke his foot while rushing down the ramp to help his friend MJF in a match against Samoa Joe. The injury sidelined him for months, yet Cole remained a weekly presence, showing up in a wheelchair or on crutches just to keep the storyline alive.

But even before that, at Forbidden Door 2022, Cole suffered his first serious concussion during a fatal four-way match. A stiff dropkick from Kazuchika Okada left him visibly dazed, forcing a rushed finish and a long absence from TV.

And then came the latest blow, maybe the hardest yet. On an episode of AEW Dynamite in July 2025, during a match with Kyle Felfletcher, Cole took a powerbomb onto the apron, but Fletcher missed by a mile. Cole’s head violently bounced off the edge, and while he initiallywalked it off, things got worse. He was scheduled to defend the TNT Championship against Fletcher at AEW All In Texas. But on the day of the show, doctors refused to clear him, and Cole himself admitted he didn’t feel right.

Instead of disappearing, Adam Cole walked out in front of the crowd, visibly shaken, holding back tears. He explained the situation to the fans, who responded with love, fear, and respect. The atmosphere was emotional. Was this the end? Nobody knew, including Cole. This moment didn’t feature glass, fire, or blood, but it cut deeper than most. AEW fans and Cole himself can only hope this isn’t the last chapter.

1. Matt Hardy’s Concussion, a Fall Too Real – AEW All Out 2020

This wasn’t just a scary wrestling moment. This was a moment that crossed a line. The feud between Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara in 2020 was already intense, filled with dangerous spots and escalating violence, but no one expected it to reach a level where real-life safety would come into question. It all started on an episode of AEW Dynamite, when Sammy Guevara brutally attacked Matt Hardy and threw a steel chair straight at his head. The impact busted Hardy open instantly, leaving him covered in blood and adding genuine heat to their rivalry.

Fast forward to AEW All Out 2020, a match where the stipulation was clear: If Matt Hardy loses, he must leave AEW. The stakes were high, but the moment that stole headlines was one no one wanted to see. During the match, Guevara pushed Hardy off a scissor lift platform, sending him crashing through a table far below. The problem? Hardy missed most of the table, and his head violently bounced off the concrete floor. He lay there, motionless for several seconds. Hardy’s head hits the concrete.

At that point, it was clear. Matt Hardy was concussed. Everyone watching knew it. Referee Aubrey Edwards threw up the X sign, and for a moment, the match seemed to be called off. But then, shockingly, the match restarted. Hardy, clearly not in any condition to continue, somehow climbed scaffolding and finished the match as planned. The visual might have satisfied storyline logic, but the real-life risk left fans stunned.

Criticism rained down on AEW. Many questioned why the match wasn’t stopped permanently, and whether Matt Hardy’s health was sacrificed for entertainment. Tony Khan later stated Hardy had passed concussion protocols during the brief pause, but fans weren’t convinced. This was the kind of moment that goes beyond storylines, a reminder that even in a scripted sport, the danger is always real.

That wraps up our list of the most horrific injuries in AEW history. These moments remind us how dangerous professional wrestling can truly be. Which of these injuries shocked you the most? Let us know down in the comments, and if we missed any, we’d love to hear what you think should have made the list. If you found this video insightful, give it a like, hit that subscribe button, and turn on notifications so you don’t miss any future content. Until next time, stay healthy, stay happy, and keep watching AEW Talkdown.