Tony Khan stepped into the ring at Daily’s Place during the October 8 AEW Collision taping to address the crowd directly after Kota Ibushi was stretchered out following a scary fall. The footage from the moment shows the AEW President pausing the show to recognize the seriousness of the situation and the respect shown by fans in attendance.
Ibushi’s match against Josh Alexander was cut short when he took a hard fall outside the ring. EMTs rushed to ringside, and after a long delay, Ibushi was stretchered out and later taken to a nearby hospital. The injury left a somber tone in the venue, and Khan personally acknowledged it before resuming the show.
“Most challenging sport of all. When it comes to injuries, the hardest hitting sport of all is professional wrestling. Thank you for being so respectful. And let’s give it up for Kota Ibushi. Thank you.”
The show eventually continued, with Kenny Omega attacking Alexander after the bell and throwing a trash can at the returning Mark Davis. But despite the chaos, the crowd remained focused on Ibushi’s condition—and Khan’s appearance served as a rare moment of transparency from the AEW frontman.
While AEW has yet to release an official medical update, the fact that Ibushi was transported directly to the hospital rather than evaluated backstage has raised concern about the severity of his injury. Ringside News will continue to provide updates on this developing story.
What are your thoughts on Tony Khan speaking to the crowd during a real medical emergency? Do you think AEW should provide more regular updates in situations like this? Let us know in the comments—we want to hear from you.
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