There are many words one could use to describe the world of professional wrestling and the WWE. “Scripted” is one. “Predetermined” is another. Those are entirely valid and accurate words. “Fake” is not a word you should use, especially around Stephen Amell. He damn near just broke his jaw training for his match.
Both comic book fans and wrestling fans (and those of us who are both) are all excited for Stephen Amell’s upcoming match at WWE Summerslam. There, he will team up with high flyer Neville to take on the team of Stardust and Wade Barrett. In preparation for that along with staying in shape for his day job on Arrow, Amell was lifting weights the other day and apparently lifted a barbell so quickly that he hit himself in the chin. He posted a video to Facebook shortly after. To get the right effect, try reading the following out loud without moving your tongue.
Super fired up this morning... I was training, I was doing a snatch-pull-curl... I don't know, with a bar. I snatched it so hard that it literally cracked me in the jaw, right here [shows off lower jaw]. And both my molars, indented into my tongue. I'm okay. I'm just waiting for some ice at the moment. Ice it down, take the swelling of the tongue away. Hopefully get back to speaking in a more normal voice. I'm very excited to loop my lines on Arrow today, because I don't think I necessarily sound like me. Nothing like ringing your bell first thing in the morning.
We’re pretty sure we got the quote right--he’s a little hard to understand. We’re assuming he was able to postpone his dialogue looping. If there’s an episode in the upcoming season where Oliver Queen has an offscreen root canal, now you know why.
Injuries are a real thing in the world of sports entertainment. While everybody works hard in the ring together to make sure everyone is safe, a bad landing can break a bone and the wrong move can tear a muscle. We’re fairly certain this injury is a shoot, that’s wrestling lingo for “real,” and we hope it will be the only real injury between now and the end of the upcoming match. Reality often informs the fantasy of the WWE however, so don’t be surprised if the following video shows up on WWE RAW on Monday night.
Ouch my tongue.Nothing like ringing your bell first thing in the morning.Posted by Stephen Amell on Wednesday, August 12, 2015
It takes a lot of work and a lot of practice to be able to execute wrestling moves without hurting the other person. Fans will be happy to know that Amell certainly appears to be putting all the work in to get it right. So much so that his jaw wasn’t the only thing that he’s recently injured. It appears he’s also having trouble walking and he’s in such pain he has conjured an image that everybody should be able to relate to.
Everybody will be able to see the results of Amell’s hard work when WWE Summerslam airs on the WWE Network on August 23.
