Al Snow Issues Statement After OVW Referee Dallas Edwards Medical Emergency

Posted by admin on March 15th, 2026

Al Snow has issued a public statement following the medical emergency involving referee Dallas Edwards during an OVW television taping earlier this week.

Edwards was rushed to hospital on Thursday night after suffering a serious medical issue during a match segment in which he took a Phenomenal Forearm to the head. Moments after the move, Edwards collapsed and began experiencing a seizure, visibly convulsing in the ring while the match continued around him. At one point during the sequence, one of the wrestlers moved Edwards with his foot so the action could proceed.

Later updates indicated Edwards was conscious and responsive once he arrived at the hospital. His girlfriend shared a statement through Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, confirming that Edwards had suffered a brain injury and remained under medical supervision.

Edwards himself later addressed the situation on Friday, revealing he sustained both a concussion and a subdural hematoma, which is a form of bleeding on the brain. He noted that he was scheduled to undergo a CT scan on Saturday and emphasized that he holds no resentment toward anyone involved in the incident.

The situation sparked widespread criticism from figures within the wrestling community, particularly regarding how the match continued despite Edwards clearly being in distress.

OVW co owner Al Snow responded to the backlash by releasing a statement addressing the incident and the promotion’s response.

“Hello everyone, this is Al Snow. I want to speak directly to our fans and the wrestling community regarding the incident involving Referee Dallas Edwards at last week’s event.

Professional wrestling has always carried an inherent risk of injury for everyone who steps into the ring. On March 12th, during a live OVW television event, Dallas was involved in a planned moment of physical contact with a wrestler that resulted in him suffering a head injury.

Traditionally, when an in ring injury occurs, the referee is the central point of communication, assessment, and decision making. In this unprecedented situation, the person who would normally make that assessment was the one who needed assistance. That unforeseen breakdown in communication contributed to a delay in stopping the match and concluding the show.

We are relieved to hear that Dallas is recovering and receiving the medical care he needs. Our thoughts are with him, and we’re hoping for his continued improvement.

At OVW, the health and safety of our performers and officials has always been our top priority. We are proud of the standards we’ve maintained over the years, but we also recognize that there is always room to strengthen and improve. With that in mind, we are reviewing our existing procedures and updating several of our in ring and ringside protocols to ensure we continue to meet the highest expectations for performer safety.

These updates include enhanced communication systems, additional referee training, and expanded ringside response measures to help ensure that a situation like this is identified and addressed as quickly as possible.

We appreciate the concern and passion from our fans, and we understand the importance of transparency during moments like this. We will continue to share updates when appropriate, and we ask everyone to keep Dallas in your thoughts as he continues his recovery.

Thank you.”