Mercedes Martinez: I Don't Blame Xia Li For WWE NXT Concussion

Former WWE NXT star Mercedes Martinez holds no ill-will towards Xia Li, after Li concussed Martinez on an episode of NXT.

The two met in tag action on the June 29 show, with Li catching Martinez square with a roundhouse kick, legitimately knocking Martinez out cold. But Martinez doesn’t blame Li for the incident, explaining during a virtual signing with K & S WrestleFest:

“I know it hasn’t been discussed and I’ve shied away from it just because I don’t want anyone to think it was something intentional. Wrestling is a physical sport and sometimes you just can’t protect yourself. Sometimes kicks and punches hit where they are not supposed to hit. She caught me with that roundhouse right in the temple and knocked me out right on impact, then another double whammy right on impact so it was a legit concussion guys. However, I did recover from it within three weeks which is probably the fastest concussion recovery I’ve ever had because I’ve had a lot of concussions. That’s the fastest one that I’ve recovered from but, no one give her any slack please.

“She did feel bad. I’m one of those people that did call her up and say, ‘Hey, things happen.’ Regardless of storylines or whatever, any wrestler would tell you that our safety and our wellbeing is number one on our list so, accidents happen. It ain’t ballet, that’s right. It’s a physical sport. As many concussions [as] I had and the injuries and surgeries I’ve had in wrestling in the last 20 years, but I’m in great shape now. I feel like I’m 20. I don’t know if I’ll feel like I’m 20 tomorrow [her return match], but after the match…”

H/T: POST Wrestling