In professional wrestling, injuries are a common occurrence, and most wrestlers know the risks associated with their job.
But sometimes, an injury can be so severe that it changes the course of a wrestler’s life forever. That was the case for Tyson Kidd, who suffered a career-ending injury during a match in 2015.
The star had been in the WWE for years at that point, but had reinvented himself as one of the best wrestlers in NXT.He had since been called up to the main roster, and begun a successful tag team with Cesaro.
However, a dark match with Samoa Joe on the 1st June, 2015 ended his career for good, as he broke his neck off a Muscle Buster (which was subsequently banned on the main roster), and suffering from a spinal concussion.
He was paralysed briefly, and was forced to wear a neck brace. His career was over immediately, and he never wrestled again. This was Tyson Kidd’s last match in the WWE.
When he was asked by Chris Van Vliet about training to return to the ring, Tyson Kidd revealed that he always says “never say never”, but is happy with his current role as a backstage producer in the WWE.
“When I get asked this, I always say, ‘Never say ever,’ but I’m happy with my job right now.
I enjoy it, I actually love it. It took a little bit and sometimes those early morning meetings to try to get my workout in and I’m racing around.
We have this thing called hard time that efficiently run on, where we’re late, but you got to try to get there on time, especially before the boss. Besides that, I don’t know man, it’s hard to say because I do feel fulfilment out of what I’m doing right now, so it’s hard.
After being temporarily paralyzed, it puts a lot of things in perspective, so I don’t know.
I keep saying never say never because who knows down the road, but at the moment, I’m more than content doing what I’m doing.”
Tyson Kidd was then asked about his injury, after denying trying to return to the ring following being paralysed.
He claims to remember “very vividly” about what happens, including feeling trapped in his body, and being at the mercy of “a higher power” during this time.
“I remember everything very vividly, yeah. Yeah, I lost feeling for about five seconds. Every head-to-toe scary time, stand still. Dude, you just sit there like in no control whatsoever. It’s not it wasn’t in my control, I was at a higher power, I was at somebody’s mercy just sitting there.
You can’t move anything, also your body feels like it weighs like two million pounds. But in there was some weird voice telling me, ‘This isn’t permanent.’ Now in that five-second span, you’re doing a lot of thinking like this little voice is telling me that. Doesn’t mean this voice is right, though. But luckily, thankfully, it was.”
Tyson Kidd’s last match was in 2015, and he has not attempted to return to wrestling after suffering a broken neck.
He now works as a producer for the WWE, and has appeared numerous times on Total Divas, alongside his wife Natalya.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Chris Van Vliet with a H/T to Atletifo for the transcription.
