Donovan Dijak is asking wrestling fans to stop mocking performers who suffer real injuries. In a lengthy statement posted after AEW All Out, he said reactions to injury footage have shown a growing lack of empathy for the people involved.
Dijak acknowledged that wrestling stories often encourage fans to cheer when a villain gets hurt, then sometimes reveal that an apparent injury was part of the act. He argued that the uncertainty is a reason to pause before making a joke about someone who may be learning the extent of a legitimate injury in public.
“Do we sign up for this? Yes. Do we understand the risks? Yes.”
He added that some wrestlers are well paid for taking those risks, but most are not. He extended the point to performers who lose their jobs and said criticism should address a person’s actual conduct instead of treating injury or unemployment as deserved punishment.
In a follow-up, Dijak said he was not referring to one specific All Out incident. He said he had seen three viral examples of wrestlers dealing with injury or distress that night, each followed by judgmental public discussion, and described the broader pattern as something he has noticed increasingly over the past six months.
Sources: Dijak’s original statement and his follow-up clarification.
Dijak’s statement on fan reactions to legitimate wrestling injuries.
— DONOVAN DIJAK (@DijakFYE) September 27, 2026
