The Rock Heard Around the World

While everyone remembers that Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, not everyone recalls what happened right after the manual insult. Yes, Chris clearly was surprised, and was wincing from the whack, but Will too suffered an injury. Upon returning to his seat he realized that he was unable to open his whacking hand. Indeed, he tried to wave to the crowd and it was clear that his hand was impaired. When he tried to grab his drink, he was unable to spread his fingers; his fingers were motionless. Chris, on the other hand, continued to speak and tell jokes. (Remember the one about a Rock and a hard place?) Also, Chris was also able to salute Will by giving him a finger salute, yet Will was unable to respond. It was later revealed that Chris had prepared for such an onslaught by donning a false faceguard made of steel. When Will slammed  Chris’ face  with force, it was as if he had smashed a solid stone wall. The blow apparently compressed a major nerve responsible for movement of the fingers. Which of the indicated nerves led to Will’s inability to spread his fingers?

Postscript: None of this happened – it is simply a spoiler alert for a future sci-fi movie about the terminator.