“I felt like I was being hoisted off a skyscraper,” the journalist said after the shocking on-air moment
Credit: Fox Nation/YouTube; Abby Hornacek/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Fox News reporter Abby Hornacek got body slammed by professional wrestler Kennedy Blades on live television
- The moment took place during a segment on Fox & Friends on Saturday, March 28, ahead of the Real American Freestyle wrestling event in Florida
- “I know that looked worse than it was, but that was a lot of fun,” Hornacek said after she was body slammed
Fox News reporter Abby Hornacek got body slammed by a professional wrestler on live television.
The journalist was joined by Olympic medalist Kennedy Blades for a segment on Fox & Friends on Saturday, March 28, ahead of the Real American Freestyle wrestling event in Tampa, Fla.
Blades, known for her signature suplex — a throwing move in which a wrestler lifts their opponent and throws them backward — agreed to do a demonstration of the move on Hornacek, 31, which left the reporter "so nervous" beforehand.
“Kennedy here has been nice enough to offer — we might have forced her into this — she’s going to show me her signature move,” Hornacek said as the pair got into position.
As Blades, 22, swiftly flipped Hornacek over and onto the ground, onlookers gasped. The reporter appeared to land awkwardly on her neck instead of her back.
However, Hornacek quickly recovered and rolled over. “Amazing! I don’t think I can be a wrestler," she quipped.
“The mic pack did not survive, but I did luckily,” she then teased, making her way back to her feet.
Added Hornacek: “I know that looked worse than it was, but that was a lot of fun.”
Along with winning a silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Blades earned a bronze medal for wrestling at the 2025 World Championships, and she is the current RAF women’s middleweight champion.
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Credit: Abby Hornacek/Instagram
Though Hornacek insisted that she was okay after the demonstration, she admitted the following day that it felt like she was “pulverized.”
“It was wild, you guys,” she said on Fox & Friends. “I felt like I was being hoisted off a skyscraper.”
Still, the journalist made it clear that Blades was nothing less than a “true professional." She added that the exhilarating experience was one she truly welcomed.
Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty
“I want to set the record straight because I get a lot of comments like, ‘Oh, you know, Kennedy put you in danger.’ She really didn’t,” Hornacek explained. “I said, ‘Please, Kennedy … Can I please do this?’ And she was so sweet, just the kindest soul I’ve ever met.”
As for how Hornacek prepared to be body slammed by a professional wrestler? The reporter said that, although she “watched a bunch of videos about suplexes” ahead of the demonstration, nothing prepared her for what would really happen.
“I didn’t really know exactly how it worked even when you watch it in slow-mo it doesn’t make any sense,” she said. “And Kennedy blade is my height so she told me yesterday she’s not used to suplexing people who are 5'11." "
“I think to get that extra leverage — it was very interesting — I think that’s why I was a little close to hitting my head,” she added. “But again, she’s a true pro.”
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