During OVW’s weekly show “Rise” in a “Four Corners of Chaos” Match at the Hotpoint Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 13, 2026, a terrible accident occurred when Ohio Valley Wrestling referee Dallas Edwards was hit by a Flying Cross Body delivered by a performer of the ring name Brendan Balling. Most knew this was probably a planned ref bump spot; however, it seems like Edwards’ head whiplashed when he hit the ring, leading to a seizure in the middle of the ring.
Balling would immediately check on Edwards prior to the seizure, but the match would go on for a bit more until Edwards started shaking uncontrollably in the ring. A OVW veteran by the name of Tony Evans would get a lot of criticism for how he acted when he would essentially sweep Edwards out of the middle of the ring mid-seizure as he tried to continue the match.
From research, Brendan Balling, who’s the current OVW Rush Champion, is a relative newcomer to the professional wrestling industry, and that might explain why he didn’t know how to react in the moment. On the flipside, people are pointing out that Tony Evans should’ve been more aware, considering he is nearly a 10-year veteran, but the situation was very sudden, and no one should be blamed for this freak accident.
OVW officials finally noticed that something was wrong, as a sea of people, including the wrestlers involved in this match, would tend to Dallas Edwards. The commentary team would seemingly cut the broadcast short, saying that they’ll catch the fans for another show this Sunday night.
Since this incident, there have been a few updates, which you can read below, coming from Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) themselves, as well as a statement via Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful of Dallas Edwards’ girlfriend, as well as an update on his current condition, which apparently has resulted in a brain injury.
From all of us at Last Word on Pro Wrestling, we wish a speedy recovery for OVW referee Dallas Edwards.
— OVW Wrestling (@ovwrestling) March 13, 2026
Referee Dallas Edwards’ girlfriend issued the following comment after his scary spot on OVW this week:
“Please keep Dallas in your thoughts as your day begins. I am not going to provide much more information at this time except to the parties who already know, but last night…
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) March 13, 2026
