Q - When does blood time end and clean-up begin?

A -  This is being applied differently by some officials and we have to be uniform. It has been a few years since we have addressed this on the rules video, but nothing has changed. Time out for blood has two components, blood time and cleanup. Simply said, when blood time ends - cleanup begins. Blood time ends when blood is stopped and contained. There is no additional time allowed between blood time and cleanup. For example: if the blood is stopped and the trainer or coach is wrapping and/or taping a cut or a bleeding nose, blood time should continue. Once all plugging and wrapping/taping is completed and the headgear is in place (not necessarily snapped) blood time ends. You now record the time, and cleanup begins. (If blood is on the head area, to effectively clean it the head gear does not have to be in place). Clean-up is to be handled quickly and efficiently. We have two goals when we stop a match for blood; to stop and contain the blood and to get the wrestlers back wrestling ASAP. Doing this any other way will not only needlessly extend the match, but also gives a "gassed" wrestler an opportunity to rest and gain an advantage.