A scary moment at an Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) taping is getting major backlash after a referee appeared to suffer a seizure in the ring — while the action continued around him.
The incident happened during OVW Rise on March 12, 2026, at Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky. Reports say wrestler Brendan Balling went for a flying forearm, but the spot went wrong and referee Dallas Edwards took the full hit.
Video of the moment spread quickly online. Edwards drops to the mat and begins convulsing. But the match doesn’t stop right away, and Edwards is moved out of the way as the bout continues.
Fans, wrestlers, and media figures slammed what they saw as a dangerous lack of urgency — especially since it took time for the situation to be treated like a real medical emergency.
Soon after, Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp shared a statement attributed to Edwards’ girlfriend, saying he suffered a brain injury and was being monitored by doctors.
More updates followed. Multiple outlets reported Edwards sustained a concussion and a subdural hematoma.
OVW later addressed the incident. Co-owner Al Snow said there was a breakdown in communication because the referee is usually the person who signals when a match needs to stop. He also pledged changes to safety and ringside response protocols going forward.
Meanwhile, one of the wrestlers involved, Tony Evans, publicly said he was “distraught” about moving Edwards during the match — a moment that’s become one of the biggest flashpoints in the criticism.
Edwards has also shared that he’s focused on recovery and urged the industry to take emergency training more seriously after what happened.
 taping is getting major backlash after a referee appeared to suffer a seizure in the ring — while the action continued around him. The incident happened during OVW Rise on March 12, 2026, at Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky. Reports say wrestler Brendan Balling went for…){kind=link}