Donovan Dijak relives epic Cody Rhodes chair moment at Burning Heart Wrestling

EXCLUSIVE: Donovan Dijak was launched into the crowd at Burning Heart Wrestling, sending beer and chairs flying everywhere.

The popular performer is no stranger to this sort of brutality, with Cody Rhodes once utilising a chair to smash him across the ring.

Donovan Dijak launches opponent through chairs

On Sunday night, in front of a packed crowd at the Manchester Academy, Donovak Dijak went toe-to-toe with Ethan Allen in a truly enthralling match-up. With both men having progressed to the semi-final of the tournament to crown the inaugural Burning Heart Wrestling world champion, the pair were keen to produce something special for the fans.

The former WWE superstar looked nothing short of terrifying as he bullied his rival around the ring, causing havoc as he physically removed fans from the seating area, before sending his opponent through the air and into a heap on the floor, surrounded by the chairs, in which the spectators had once sat. However, showcasing steely determination, Allen battled back, doing the exact same thing to his rival—this time, however—the crowd knew what to expect, with the wrestling enthusiasts diving out of the way as the 6ft6 monster sored across the venue and into the chairs. Following an entertaining clash, it was the Brit, who secured a monumental upset win, to make it to the final.

In an exclusive interview with Sporf, when asked about what he did to his adversary during the match, Donovan Dijak chuckled: “In his defense, he launched me much further, when I got thrown into the chairs myself. It was a blast; I really enjoy any match where I can easily emotionally invest in what’s happening. The people were bringing me all sorts of emotion; he was bringing me all sorts of emotion, so it was easy to match that. The crowd was amazing, the promotion is amazing, this weekend has been amazing. This is one of the best weekends in Europe I’ve ever had.”

Donovan Dijak reveals truth behind Cody Rhodes hitting him with a chair

While getting thrown into chairs sounds like a brutal experience, it’s nothing new for the American, who once had to deal with Cody Rhodes hitting him across the ring with one.

The 37-year-old reminisced: “Nobody brought this up for a decade, and then all of a sudden, somebody shared a clip. It went viral, and I retweeted it. It’s from Ring of Honor in 2017. We were close friends at the time, we were on the road together. I remember, we drove to that show together, and we knew we were wrestling. There was this weird transition at the end of that match, because it was a singles match between Cody and me.

“We had wrestled a bunch of times before, but that was the first time in Ring of Honour. That was cool. So, what needed to happen, he was part of the Bullet Club, at that point, and the match after us was a ten-man tag, and he was either out there with them or in the match. So, we needed some sort of transition to get me to the back and get the Bullet Club out.

“The solution I came up with, was to put me in a chair, and baseball bat my head off. I think he asked, ‘How do you want me to hit you’? I said, ‘Swing away like Barry Bonds’, and he did. The video everybody sees is from a fan, and he has this massive reaction that puts it over, which makes it sound way worse. The angle makes it look like I get decked in the face, and that’s the end of it.

“If you watch the real video from Ring of Honor, what actually happens is Cody swings, and at the last second, I put my hand up. I remember it killed my wrist. It wasn’t broken. But it didn’t touch my head at all. I blocked it, my wrist was very bruised, but it was very safe. He did exactly what I asked him to. At the time, Hulk Hogan tweeted about it. It was very popular ten years ago, and I guess it’s resurfacing because who doesn’t enjoy a good chair shot to the face?”

Donovan Dijak coaches seminars with Burning Heart Wrestling

In his esteemed career, Donovan Dijak has performed across the world, amassing an army of supporters, who love the energy he brings to the ring. Now, the fan favourite has turned his attention to guiding the next generation, hosting seminars during his weekend with Burning Heart Wrestling.

He enthused: “It was amazing, the future is so bright. I was able to wrestle Ethan Allen, who has tons of potential. I love watching and working with up-and-coming people, who are hitting their stride, and figuring it out, and being able to bring them to that next emotional and physical level. Those are the experiences that I got when I was at that point of my career. So, I want to be able to do that for other people. At the seminars, people were just working their tails off and giving it 100%. We had two full seminars today (Sunday), very busy day, but I like being busy, especially when it’s with young, hungry, talented, enthusiastic professional wrestlers, who are putting in 100% effort, and that’s what I got today.”

Featured Image Credit: Tony Knox/Burning Heart Wrestling LTD