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Fireball gone wrong: Video shows moment wrestler Masada set himself on fire during botched stunt in Pomona

The incident reportedly took place during an XPW Wrestling deathmatch event in Pomona, California, last Saturday, April 22

POMONA, CALIFORNIA: A viral video showed the terrifying moment when wrestler Masada, 41, accidentally set himself on fire during a botched fireball stunt. The incident reportedly took place during an XPW Wrestling deathmatch event in Pomona, California, last Saturday, April 22. In the footage, Masada was seen pouring a substance into his mouth before blowing a flaming torch. Shortly after, the wrestler’s lips and face could be seen engulfed in flames.

He could then be seen stumbling backwards while attempting to put out the flames using his hands while the fire burned his neck. Masada was then seen at the opposite end of the stage after successfully stamping out the fire. A man could also be seen chasing the wrestler with a fire extinguisher before spraying it on Masada as the latter is seen lying at the side of the wrestling ring. Many others were also seen pouring bottles of water over him. One man filming the incident could then be heard saying, “Oh my god dude, you can smell the flesh.”

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‘My face is healing up fast’

In the wake of the incident, Masada told TMZ that he was in the burns unit of a nearby medical facility recovering from his injuries. “My face is healing up fast, just the rest is going to take a while,” he said. “I've done that spot a lot when I wrestled in Japan, but it was rushed and I think being outside had something to do with it,” the wrestler added while speaking about the match.

Masada was reportedly diagnosed with first and second-degree burns all over his body. During the XPW Wrestling deathmatch event, a no-holds barred contest where contestants are allowed to use weapons, the wrestler was reportedly trying to blow a fireball at his opponent using a flaming torch. However, the fluid he was spitting out during the stunt caught fire around his lips and eventually burnt his face and upper body, the Daily Mail reported. According to a Twitter user who shared footage of the fire incident, Masada continued the wrestling match despite his injuries.

‘That guy is a beast’

Social media users were quick to react to Masada’s fire incident. “Last I heard he’s in the burn unit. That guy is a beast for finishing that match. The smell in the arena was something I’ve never experienced before,” wrote a Twitter user who shared the incident footage. “This aint wrestling. These wrestlers need to stop putting thire life at risk for our amusement. Hope he gets better and prolly learns something from this experience,” another user argued.

“Good grief. Tbh since this is a XPW show this definitely sounds like something a XPW talent would do,” a third user commented. “they should never play with fire. I understand it brings eyeball and they get more popular but it could have been way worse,” another stated. One wrote, “Stupid stunt, he could have set the building or the ring on fire” while another added, “Set the ring on fire too. Could have murdered everyone in that building..”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.