AEW’s well-known commentator, Jim Ross, has opened up about his discomfort with the infamous chair shot received by Jack Perry in the Blood & Guts event. The incident involved Perry getting hit on his head with a chair, which is not a common sight in recent times due to the understanding of its long-term implications.
During a recent episode of his podcast “Grilling JR”, Ross gave his perspective on the chair shot. Ross stated,
“It could have been directed to the back of the head, upper back, or the shoulder blade area, but instead, it hit right on the man’s head. I must admit, I was uncomfortable witnessing it, though I get why it was executed given the atmosphere of that show.”
Speaking further, he said,
“From my couch at home, the speed and damaging intent left me mildly stunned. I am grateful they opted for this extreme measure only once, if my memory serves me right. It is indeed challenging to determine what is excessive and what is inadequate. However, I firmly believe there are alternative ways to generate similar levels of aggression without causing potential damage to a person’s brain”.
Contrary to the blow, Perry did not choose to back out and the match was only ended when Darby Allin threatened to set him afire leading Matt Jackson to forfeit for The Elite.
Joining Ross in his critique of the chair shot is WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff who opined that any steps AEW took to lessen the blow were ultimately fruitless.
The embedded video illustrates Jim Ross’s commentary on the prudent approach towards using a chair shot in wrestling.