WWE commentator feared star was dead after routine move went disastrously wrong

Michael Cole thought JD McDonagh had died live on air (Picture: WWE/C2A)

WWE legend Michael Cole has seen a lot in wrestling, but he feared the worst after JD McDonagh suffered brutal injures on Raw.

The 34-year-old Irishman was left with ‘broken ribs and a punctured lung’ after he crashed straight into the announce table with a dive to the outside during a recent tag match.

Veteran commentator Cole had a front row seat for the terrifying moment, and he thought the superstar had died.

‘I thought he was dead. I really did. He came off that ring, and he hit the desk so hard, it moved our desk back. I seriously thought he was dead,’ he told WWE star Logan Paul on the Impaulsive podcast.

Thankfully, McDonagh avoided hitting his head on the table, and he even managed to finish the match despite his other injuries.

Cole added: ‘Come to find out later he had, he didn’t even really hit his head, he had broken ribs and a punctured lung. And he went and finished the match. Another 10 minutes.’

Cole thought thinks had taken a fatal turn (Picture: WWE)

He hasn’t wrestled since the accident on the January 27 episode of Raw on Netflix, when he and fellow Judgment Day star Dominik Mysterio challenged the War Raiders’ Erik and Ivar for the World Tag Team Championships.

Partway through the bout, he hit a springboard moonsault to the outside of the ring, and collided nastily as his back struck the announce table.

Although his neck appeared to whiplash against the desk and viewers were concerned about a potential head injury, McDonagh revealed on X the next day: ‘First off, thanks to everyone for the messages and the concern. I’m good.’

McDonagh suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs (Picture: WWE/C2A)

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He added: ‘I’ve got a couple of broken ribs and a punctured lung, so I’m going to be out for a couple months. All things considered, it could have been a lot worse, so I’m grateful for that. See ya in a bit.’

McDonaugh’s fellow WWE stars heaped praise on him after the incident, with his opponent Ivar simply tweeting: ‘….. @jd_mcdonagh …… RESPECT ????’

His Judgment Day teammate Dominik Mysterio shared a hat tip gif along with heart hands and salute emojis, while WWE producer and retired wrestler Shane ‘Hurricane’ Helms added: ‘JD McDonagh is a f’n stud!’

And Raw wrestler Chad Gable said: ‘JD McDonagh is remarkable.’

The wrestler was praised for finishing the match (Picture: WWE/C2A)

He got a great ovation from the live crowd as he carried on with the match, while viewers at home admitted it was ‘so hard to watch’ while they admired his guts.

X user @_blnrd wrote: ‘My takeaway from #WWERaw tn.. @jd_mcdonagh is a warrior. Prayers up.’

‘Man, @jd_mcdonagh showed out tonight. Hope he’s all good. That was an insane hit. #WWERAW,’ added @813carguy, while @wrestlefanmae agreed: ‘I really am hoping and praying that @jd_mcdonagh is alright after tonight! Sending all the love and positivity your way!!!’

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