[VIDEO] Wrestler Hannibal Stabs Referee After Wrestling Match; Victim Hospitalized After Horrifying Event
Wrestler Hannibal showed an unscripted scene during his recent fight at a World Class Pro Wrestling event.
On Saturday, Hannibal - whose real name is Devon Nicholson - faced his contender Carly Colon (Carlito) at a World Class Pro Wrestling event in Irving, Texas. Hannibal eventually pinned his opponent down and won the match.
However, he stayed in the ring for a few more minutes before starting a fight with a referee. In a now-viral video, it can be seen that the wrestler took out a spike and rammed it into the poor referee's forehead multiple times.
When the referee's blood started to flow, another wrestler finally pulled him off the referee before an announcer asked for a doctor in the crowd to help the staff.
The referee - Lando Deltoro - was taken to the hospital and underwent sutures to treat and close his wounds. His social media pages also revealed he is already recovering at home.
"Recovering at home," Deltoro said on Twitter. "Still a bit fuzzy and pain, yes lots of pain. But I'll live. Thanks you all for the outpouring of love and support."
Meanwhile, the referee who saw the event added more details on a Reddit post. He revealed that he gave a statement to the police since he thought it was an assault. However, wrestler Kevin Sullivan reportedly told him to "kayfabe the cops" to protect the business. Sullivan added that everything that happens inside the ring is work.
Experts, Fans Slam Hannibal's Behavior
Following the incident, the public called for the permanent removal of Hannibal from the industry due to his repeated alarming behavior.
One said, "I'm not about 'Cancel Culture', but promotions need to STOP booking "Hannibal," AKA "Blood Hunter." There's been numerous accusations of sexual harassment & several incidents of him legit injuring people. He's a reckless liability that's all about himself & getting YouTube views."
"I may not ever be a superstar in this business, one of the things Im most proud of is the people that this business has brought into my life and I will stand up for each and every one of them when I have to. Lando is one of those people. Please donate," Ryan Justice wrote.
The public has since created a GoFundMe page for the victim. So far, it collected $4,038 donations from 101 donors.
"In the video which I will not link in here for privacy purposes, Lando was bleeding out in the ring as it was happening. He had surgery to repair the torn artery which will be very speedy. Lando is recovering and is currently doing okay," the fundraiser creator Kelsie Gibson wrote.