Video: Referee Hospitalized After Wrestler Goes Too Far During Stunt

Devon Nicholson appeared to take a stunt too far and seriously hurt a match referee, cutting his face in the ring.

Editor's note: The video linked in this story is graphic in nature and may be difficult to watch for some viewers.

Professional wrestler Devon Nicholson has been banned from World Class Pro Wrestling after an incident in which he stabbed a referee in the head this past weekend in what was apparently a stunt gone wrong.

World Class Pro Wrestling CEO Jerry Bostic said in a video released through the league's Facebook page on Monday that Nicholson would not have a future with the organization going forward, calling his actions, "one of the most horrifying things I've ever seen."

In the video, which can be viewed here, Nicholson—who's also known by the ring name "Hannibal" and "Bloodhunter"—can be seen stabbing the referee in the forehead with an object and choking him from behind while his face begins to bleed.

“World Class, moving forward, will not be associated with Devon Nicholson... in any way, shape, form or fashion,” Bostic said. "I cannot, will not, condone what happened last night...what happened last night is never OK in wrestling, ever, or in anything, to be exact."

The referee, whose name is Lando Deltoro, was taken to the hospital and treated for a torn artery in his head and had to have staples removed, according to Sarah Valenzuela of the New York Daily News. He said on his Twitter account that he was recovering at home.

Bostic said in his Monday statement that he did not know what Nicholson planned to do during the show, and that he acted completely on his own.

“Someone went into business for themselves and took something too far and someone could have lost their life because of it,” Bostic said. “I did not know what was going to happen in that match, but I’m not a fan of hardcore wrestling and I trusted that to be taken care of through other channels and that is my fault for trusting, number one. And number two, Devon proved that he could not be trusted in that situation.”