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Seven in Two
con•cus•sion
Pronunciation: (kun-kush'un),
[key]
—n.
1. Pathol.injury to the brain or spinal cord due to jarring from a blow,
fall, or the like.
2. shock caused by the impact of a collision, blow, etc.
3. the act of violently shaking or jarring.
There are three grades of concussions. Grade 1 is a mild concussion, and occurs when the person does not lose consciousness but may seem dazed. A Grade 2 concussion is a slightly more severe form, and occurs when the person does not lose consciousness but has a period of confusion and does not recall the event. A Grade 3 is considered the "classic" concussion, when the person loses consciousness for a brief period of time and has no memory of the event.
A concussion is serious business. They can ruin a career- ask Steve Young, Troy Aikman, or any NFL quarterback. Better yet, ask Bret Hart. They can cause permanent damage- ask Mick Foley how many times he's forgotten how to get to his own home. They're not to be taken lightly, but it seems that for some wrestlers desperate to "make it" in the business, they are.
One of the best indy wrestlers in the business today, American Dragon, has seven concussions. He's 20 years old, and has only been wrestling for two years.
Seven concussions in two years is a walking, talking bibliography for future medical problems- assuming Dragon doesn't have any problems now. At age 20.
Dragon's gotten bookings all over the country and the world. As a former (three whole months) student of Shawn Michaels, Dragon has worked everywhere and gotten a deserved reputation as a solid mat worker with a variety of submissions. It's a great gimmick, as Dragon is very small and wouldn't look believable beating up someone like the Shane Twins or...well, anyone else.
Somewhere along the way, Dragon got hit hard enough in his head to cause a concussion. Seven times, documented. There may be more that weren't documented or ignored. Can't miss those bookings, you know.
Right now American Dragon is the head "trainer" for a wrestling school and has actually divulged to his students, the ones he's supposed to be training to avoid injury, that he's gotten seven concussions in two years. Any student with any kind of respect for themselves should have dropped out immediately upon hearing that news. It's pretty obvious that Dragon has no respect or concern for himself, so why should they get special treatment?
Fanboys who fawn over Dragon's workrate and great overall personality, and who pass off concussions as part of "paying your dues", like getting bruises or broken bones, don't change that:
- he's supposedly
training people to bump properly and his track record is less than stellar
- he doesn't respect himself enough to take care of his body and mind,
which is pretty obvious considering he's concussed himself so many times
- a concussion is far more severe of an injury, no matter what grade it
is, than a broken finger, bloody lip, sprains, twists, etc...You can heal
and recover properly from a broken bone or a bruise. How do you recover
from a broken or bruised brain?
- he doesn't care about his injuries as he seems to have no problem bringing
them up
- he doesn't care about his image or the school's image as he's pretty
much advertising that you're gonna get a concussion being trained by the
Concussion Kid
- you can't overcome a concussion by piling one on top of the other
And the "promoter" he's working for (and getting worked by) certainly doesn't care about his health. After all, he hired the guy while he still had an instructor in place at the school. Dragon's the flavor of the month, and if he can bring in one last class of suckers, it's all worth it.
Tell that to Bryan Danielson, the American Dragon, in about 10 years- assuming he even remembers any of it.
"Post-concussion syndrome may occur in some people. The syndrome generally consists of a persistent headache, dizziness, irritability, memory changes and vision changes. The person may seem overly emotional or unable to control their emotions. Some people experience unexplained depression. Difficulty with concentration or problems with thinking and planning ahead also are reported. Symptoms may begin weeks or even months after the initial injury. Although the symptoms generally resolve over time, some people need a rehabilitation specialist to oversee a program for recovery."
Welcome to your future, Dragon...and the future is now.
* More information on concussions, like the information practically stolen above, can be found at the University of Missouri Health Care Web site (www.muhealth.org/~neurome...ion.shtml)
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Jim has been watching
wrestling for over 20 years and has followed and reported on indy wrestling
for over 6 years. He's also a fan of the New York Giants, New York Yankees,
St. John's Red Storm basketball, Alabama Crimson Tide football, and the
New Jersey Devils, but please don't hold that against him.
Contact Jim at BilJim2@aol.com
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Watching Tazz is Tough Enough
