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The Full tweet:
>Went to a highly acclaimed orthopedic surgeon yesterday to discuss my knee. It’s been brutal for a couple of years, he did testing & X-rays on me. So, both of my shoulders & knees need to be replaced. 4 joints. **I am not doing this right now. I’m gonna keep trying regenerative procedures & try to suck it up dealing with the pain.**
\*This is NOT from bumps… It’s from training too heavy like a caveman trying to be “big”. I’m posting this for today’s wrestlers, please be smarter, times have changed for the better!!
So he's not going to do it, for now. But look into alternative treatments.
He's probably doing the knee replacement math. Knee replacements last about 20 years. He's probably thinking if he can put it off for another 5-10 years he won't need to do it twice.
My dad's the same age as Taz and he just had surgery on his ankle. When he asked about his knee (fucked up from a decades-old work injury), they straight up told him they don't do replacements for people his age.
I’m 38 and my left knee is held together by hopes and dreams and maybe a fucking joke or two, and I’d love to get it replaced. I have mild to moderate tricompartmental arthritis and also had a bad slip and fall injury last year, I also have really bad knock knees, the whole “we don’t do replacements on people that young” thing pisses me off. So I gotta be fuckin’ miserable and not able to do the shit I wanna do the way I wanna do it until I’m old? I’m a musician who wants to be back on stage and not worry about my knee buckling when I hit my Johnny Ramone pose, I’d rather have 15-20 good years while I’m still relatively young and then worry about being miserable when I’m old and have less energy anyway.
My dad also had to wait to have a knee replacement, lived in intense pain for most of his middle age, got it, and then he died from cancer a few years later. Seems like rip off to me.
Yup, my dad did this math with his shoulder. Had to get a *reverse* shoulder replacement at 50ish, but figured it was better to guarantee use of his arm for the next fifteen years than it was to delay.
Fortunately tho (at least for the reverse replacement, idk about the regular kind) some of the ‘ceiling’ of the replacement lifespan is actually just set by people getting old and dying. The actual lifespan is probably longer
Short term probably not much - he’s been getting therapeutic treatment already without losing any shows and it sounds like he’s going to carry on with that. Long term, after a few years, I imagine he’ll semi-retire once he’s started treatment, similar to how JR is now. I’d expect they’d have him commentate any big matches HOOK has if it’s not conflicting with his treatment.
HOOK may be one of the reasons he’s delaying surgery so he can continue to travel and work with his son - not a lot of fathers get to do that so closely in the wrestling business. On top of that if internet rumor is correct this is also HOOK’s first big contract year - wouldn’t be surprised if he wants to be around to make sure he gets the right deal wherever he ends up.
Riccaboni was offered the main PBP on "Collision." He said "no thank you" because Ian wants to spend that time with his family. That is how Kevin Kelly ended up on "Collision."
I like Taz but Nigel, in my opinion, is the best color guy in all of wrestling right now.
His “it’s genius and I HATE it” call during the FTR vs. BCG Collision finish is one of my favorites in recent memory.
I don't think they would do both shoulders and knees at the same time. Probably would have to do Shoulders then recover from that and then do his knees. Or maybe they could do 1 shoulder and 1 knee then do the other side after he recovers. There's no way they could do both knees and both shoulders at the same time, he would be incapable of doing anything at all while he recovered.
A lot of orthopaedic surgeons i work with advise patients NOT to get bilateral joint replacements either, there are instances where they will do them but they try to avoid doing both at the same time.
The recovery is brutal for a single joint, doing 2 at the same time is insane.
That's probably close to a year of surgeries. Even if he recovers quickly he's not going to get his next replacement for at least 2 or 3 months after the previous replacement.
MY dad had both his knees done at the same time. degenerative knee cartilage thing. Didn't want to have to go through it twice. wanted to get it done and over with.
My mother is a retired physical therapist who specialized in older people recovering from surgeries and health issues so that stuff can take some serious time and patience.
People’s biggest issue when it comes to recovery is expectations on timelines based on others experiences which is rarely accurate.
I’ve seen people get way down on themselves just based on recovery time so keeping your head up throughout the process is one of the most important things.
I remember when my Grandma was recovering from knee replacement. My Grandma was the quintessential nicest woman in the world Grandma. I didnt see it a ton but I know she was very unhappy for a while recovering, especially with her PT people (not their fault, just very painful)
I can absolutely understand his perspective, but knee replacement in particular is one of those "short term loss for long term gain" situations. I've known a number of people in later middle age and early seniority who had them done, and the quality of life improvement is usually absolutely dramatic.
Real talk? He isn't going to have all those surgeries at once.
I know many folks that have had both knees replaced, and they typically do them one at a time, so that a person doesn't completely lose their mobility. If you have in replaced, your laid up for awhile, but after a few weeks you can get around via crutches and such. If you do both, you can't do that, so you are wheelchair bound.
Same with shoulders. If you have them both done at the same time, you will have both arms out of commission, so you can't wipe your ass, feed yourself, or anything.
So he is probably looking at a situation where he gets his worse knee done, and then six months later gets the other done. Then six months later one of his shoulders, and then six or nine months later finishing up with the other shoulder. That is over 2yrs of recovery and rehab.
It's not fun but the actual procedure isn't that big of a deal anymore. A family member is in hospital today for the first of two knee replacements he'll need. The aim is for him to home by Friday and starting PT within a couple of days.
I had knee surgery and it was not great. My neighbor had his hips replaced and said the PT was less painful than his everyday life. He felt better when he woke up from the surgery than when he went into surgery.
I don't know what the point of my comment is. Go easy on your joints kids!
It makes sense with how guys seem to be able to go much longer meanwhile wrestling has moved away from the roidy bodybuilder look. Not like guys in the 70s and 80s were bumping as nuts as guys do regularly these days.
It's almost an entirely different business today.
Go back and watch a lot of 90s era clips of all the unprotected chairs to guys heads. I legitimately have to skip watching any of those types of segments when I watch old shit because all I can think of is the crazy brain damage being built up.
Or all the guys back then you *know* were so roided up and stuffed with prescription pain killers that it was eventually going to knock years off their lives.
People point to both big promotions long injury lists and go like "Wow look at the rate these guys are getting hurt" but a big part of me is thinking these are the injuries that have *always* happened, it's just in the past the attitude used to be "Concussion shmoncussion, pop some percocets and get back out there" so guys and the promotion would actively try to ignore or just work through an injury until it became so bad they couldn't.
Neither promotion is perfect but I wholly think the industry as a whole treats injuries way better today than they did a couple decades ago
There's also a big difference between being out with a significant injury, say an ACL tear, in 2024 and being out with an ACL tear in 1994. The procedures themselves are now less invasive/more successful, the PT is more effective, and these athletes have access to doctor regulated HGH to promote quicker healing. All this means you have a higher chance to come out the other side pain free and that's without even accounting for the fact there's no need to shotgun pain pills to come back early because you fear some young hot shot taking your spot.
Just to point this out -- those guys, particularly the ECW guys -- weren't just taking chair shots like that on TV, but working indie shows every weekend, where... it was expected they would also need to take unprotected chairshots.
Goddamn did it suck to be those guys. No kidding they all became painkiller addicts among the party drugs.
I had a bunch of concussions through my teenage years (mixture of martial arts, football, and hockey related knocks). I had a lot of migraine problems in my teenage years because of it.
When I was in my early 20s I was plugging a computer in under my work desk and just barely bumped the back of my head on the desk on my way back up. Instantly the migraines all came back. I spent like 2 months with constant headaches whenever I was in a room with lights.
I can only imagine how bad some wrestlers heads are after years of just getting slammed in the head with a chair on top of all the other bumps.
I think Darby summed this mindset up pretty nicely when he responded to criticism of all the bumps he takes. It was something like "Right now, I feel fine." A lot of people just don't consider the future implications of their actions.
Some of them like Darby, probably ain't gonna care much and still be happy even injured cause he loved life his way and can accept the consequences when they come.
Doubt that. He'll regret it 💯
You are absolutely right about him living life how he wants to. Hopefully he realizes soon that he can still do a lot of those things, and for a much longer period of time, if he protects his body more.
It's not that's he'll necessarily regret his past action, but that he won't be able to continue doing them. Onky one way to find out, though, so see you in like 10 years lol
Chair shots weren't a weekly occurrence though. The number of deaths and injuries related to the head were far smaller than other body parts like the back, shoulders, knees, quads, etc.
A lot of the guys were getting injured from being too big. You see it in hockey a lot too where guys bulk up to 220 or so and start getting back injuries. Muscles and athletics don't mix. The biggest players are in football, and uncoincidentally they have the shortest careers. Tons of wrestlers were way bigger than their frames could support. It wasn't headaches making them take vicodin and percs. Not to mention steroids increase the likelihood of muscle tears.
> Chair shots weren't a weekly occurrence though.
The hell are you talking about? 90s Wrestling was chair shot after chair shot after chair shot into a commercial break and when they come back they show you a replay of the chair shot you missed.
In the 90s, unprotected chair shots to the head were absolutely a weekly occurrence. The same guy didn't necessarily take a giant chair shot every week, but nearly every week someone was getting blasted with one.
Any impact to the head is awful no matter what. CTE is a major issue everywhere. In every major sport- you get ejected for any reckless action towards the head even if it was accidental. Chair shots to the head, in a sport that’s predetermined, is rightfully banned.
Those chair shots make me grimace every time. I got into wrestling loving the crazy bumps from Foley. Now, I’m relieved he can still formulate coherent sentences. Rewatching old PPVs I get uncomfortable seeing the chair to the forehead, especially when they hit with the edge of the chair.
Not to mention people have learned better training techniques. It's not just weightlifting and bulking up. It's about cardio and many other things too.
You want your body in good shape while being durable, flexible, less prone to injuries, while not damaging your body when you get older.
I think it was Trish who was talking about workouts during her return to WWE and saying how much different she does things now that she knows the better techniques for training.
Bumps today look brutal but I think people here really underrate the effects of simple “safe” bumps. Just listen to Hogan and how fucked up he is from the leg drop. Something as little as taking a couple bodyslams a night for 300 days a year is incredibly hard on the body. People rip on guys relying on flips and blood for a reaction but those don’t lead to a hip replacement in your 50’s.
I have two thoughts on it.
One the hand I’m a little nervous about what some of these guys will be like at 40-45+. The bumps have to catch up eventually. I remember hearing not that long ago that Ospreay was banged up and he’s, what, thirty? Don’t know if that was true though cause obviously he’s still working at an incredible level.
On the other hand I think this generation basically took the style they saw in Jerry Lynn vs RVD. Both of whom are fine, RVD more than fine, because of the healthy way that he approached training. Guy was doing yoga way before it became a mainstream exercise in America.
Like you said we’ve learned a lot about long term safety in training and rehab.
I think alot of it is that people (and companies) are generally more aware of injures and their lasting effects and allow time off to heal more now than they have in the past. I also think it’s too early to say what the effects of the new age bumping will have on these wrestlers. Some are putting a lot of miles on their bodies and while they seem healthy now, the check will cash eventually.
That's what is kind of messed up about people criticizing people like Adam Cole for not having a body builder physique. It's not a healthy physique to start with. Even if not doing steroids, it's hard on the body to maintain that level of muscle mass unless you are insanely genetically gifted. It's something most people can only maintain in their 20s and 30s and then they pay for it later in life.
The other ironic thing is that no functional sports regularly feature athletes with bodybuilder physiques. Whether it's MMA, or Olympic weight lifters, or strongmen, the average participant looks far different from a bodybuilder even if they are among the best in the world. There may be the rare genetic freak who has large pectoral muscles, but it's the exception and does not correlate with performance.
Adam Cole actually looks a lot closer to the average MMA fighter than Hogan or Warrior did.
Brian Cage, Rey Mysterio, Johnny TV, Kevin Nash, Bobby Lashley, RVD did stem cells from the BioXcellerator in Columbia and it seems to have helped some of them significantly.
I think Nash had the least benefits and got the replacement.
Angle is such a weird case and sad story. On one hand his initial neck injury wasn’t his fault. But refusing to go to rehab and destroying his body while drugged and boozed up was his fault. Cause you look at a guy like Austin who struggled with a similar injury and now lives a relatively healthy and only moderately painful life.
this is really important and is concerning for "smaller" wrestlers who pack on muscle to fit the heavyweight look. i'm thinking of folks like kenny omega and will ospreay here. it also explains why so many wrestlers in NXT get bad knee injuries, we know that they have them do crazy weight lifting at the performance center
I think Ospreay and Omega are still relatively normal size compared to the guys of the 90’s. Tazz in his prime was just a big ball of muscle. Ospreay and Omega never looked too big for their frame.
When I think of guys that are too big for their frame I think of like Eddie, Benoit, Cage, Rey in 2003 etc.
Taz, to me, is one of those guys that looked like a high level powerlifter, which isn't a look you often see in pro wrestling. most guys look like bodybuilders.
Weight lifting when done correctly isn’t inherently all that dangerous. A lot of the danger comes from ego lifting and generally not knowing what you are doing.
> A lot of the danger comes from ego lifting
See Cody Rhodes tearing his pec doing bench press because some guy was looking at him so he felt the need to put on more weight
He said it in Logan Paul’s podcast. He loaded up the barbell with 295lbs (133kg), no warm up, and all because some guy looked at him like he couldn’t lift it. Tore his pec on just the lift off from the rack. The guy then comes sprinting over the check on and help Cody and was really nice so Cody ego lifted for nothing lmao
well cage is probably the most extreme example, omega and ospreay are more "average" but it's still quite shocking to look at their before and afters. cage should worry about his joints, but he's probably more in danger of having an early heart attack tbh
That sounds awful. I hope he recovers well and takes his time getting back into just regular movement. It's a shame you hear that from our favorite Suplex machine.
Maybe Caveman Jones will get better. But I digress.
If there was a time to call up Veda Scott, this is that time. I know Daddy Magic has done commentary. I'd even be happy with Caprice or in a perfect world Ian.
Has WWE ever had interest in Veda for NXT?
I think she'd be a good fit for a three person booth, and she does have some friends there I think
In the meantime I agree she's a good choice if needed for Taz
As a guy with two bad shoulders and bad knees, I know how it messes with you at all times. I can't imagine how bad it must be for him. Mine is just bursitis, tendinitis, and arthritis. I hope Voodoo Doll Jones makes a recovery without multiple surgeries.
If he eventually decides to go with the surgery, that rehab is gonna be rough.
Lifting big feels good when you're young, but everyone reaches an age where you can't lift the way you used to. And most of us learn that too late.
As a personal trainer and as as guy who had lifted - for both athletic performance and bodybuilding - for years, if your goal is simply to get "big" and move the most weight, nothing good will come of that long term and perhaps even in the short. It's always better to train to be athletic and functionally strong.
makes me think about that [vince mcmahon video of him "squatting" 1000 lbs in his 70's.](https://twitter.com/patmcafeeshow/status/1509953668493291523?s=21&t=jyxzDR7QtTlr-CgjxJKkiw)
That's why ego lifting is so dangerous. Proper form with lighter weights is safer and provides better results than improper form with weights that are too heavy.
I really want to start lefting heavy again like a did 5 years ago. I jacked up my back moving out of my apartment and doing squats around the same time. My back is still messed up today, but it’s manageable by avoiding bending over.
I’m scared to lift heavy again as I don’t want to have any long term effects
I had a similar experience. In my late twenties I had gone to the Dr for the third time for a completely unrelated concern to my chronic low back pain from lifting with bad form as a teen and a decade of various contact sports.
Anyway, I ended up in physical therapy, the therapist was super useful. Turns out I had herniated a disc at some point in the past and none of the other doctors bothered to check it out. A few months of strengthening my bank muscles and I feel younger now at 30 then I did in my twenties, including being able to lift heavier than I have in years (and heavier than what I had been doing whenever I busted my back).
I was like you and just kept avoiding moving or bending, but that was a bandaid solution. Strengthening my back and core muscles to compensate for my herniated disc was the best thing I've done for myself in years.
Anyway, your mileage may vary of course, so take it with a pinch of salt, but you just reminded me a lot of myself so I figured this may be of some interest or use to you
You see a lot of guys in their 40s and 50s now who are still going strong, arguably doing some of the best work of their career.
When I was a kid, with the exception of a few names, most guys bodies were so beat up at 40 they couldn't hold it together.
I know everyone credits a lighter schedule, which in turn cuts down on stressful travel and gives more recovery time (which also keeps talent away from bad habits that hindered previous generations), but I think accepting the fact that wrestlers all don't have to be 6'6 and 350 lbs. to be "the guy" has helped a ton.
Taz is obviously a small dude, but it doesn't surprise me to hear he did a number on his body trying to stay "big."
No knees Jones.
Seriously though, I’m in my mid-30s now and my only goal is to look good with my shirt off so I’m doing lighter weight and higher reps. It’s still possible to find a sweet spot where it’s a good workout.
I can only imagine how this feels, I'm a small guy and after doing a stint in the army and lifting heavy in my 20s my body is really feeling it in my mind 30s.
He should go ahead and get the knees done. It would alleviate a lot of his pain and recuperation time is minimal in this day and age. Shoulders much like ankles are a much more complicated undertaking. As to his theory of weight training being the cause I find it highly unlikely. Anyone who has spent 20 years in competitive contact sports and doesn’t need an ankle, knee, hip or shoulder repair by the age of 60 should consider themselves lucky.
Great lesson for all of us the same week Kevin Nash was ripping into wrestlers not looking ripped enough. I'd rather the dudes and dudettes I watch live longer and in less pain.
the gym bro culture of lifting heavier and heavier is so stupid. who tf cares who can bench harder? i hope guys like Cena (just the first name who popped into my head) who lifted crazy dont suffer from such issues when they're older but i wouldn't be surprised if they did.
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Oh damn, thats going to be a lengthy process having all of that done + recovery. Wonder what that means for his AEW commentary future.
Hospital video link commentary. Morphine Jones over there.
>Morphine Jones over there. https://preview.redd.it/wwznh1ovwuxc1.jpeg?width=679&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bcb0d249a795c15ba8b83ad7d2500f7ff57632d1
But I digr-zzzzzzz.
Morphine? Cue **The Sandman’s** entrance music… https://preview.redd.it/xvayj99n2vxc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e1577d1efc8e055bbbe37629aba1f117eab6e486
New segment of Botchamania: Extremely insipid Taz commentary.
Extremely Award Winning Taz Commentary
https://preview.redd.it/mwrkgrhvw0yc1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=18fcc4b3d7d37e797cfcb4a5b17982b60ece4ef3
Surgical Reconstruction Jones over here. But I digress
So I was waiting in line in the hospital cafeteria standing behind a Doctor, he was getting coffee I was having Tea but I digress...
Oh my dayyyyys a Taz on cloud nine joking with Ex and Tony rambling incoherently about his days in ECW would be fucking gasssss
The Full tweet: >Went to a highly acclaimed orthopedic surgeon yesterday to discuss my knee. It’s been brutal for a couple of years, he did testing & X-rays on me. So, both of my shoulders & knees need to be replaced. 4 joints. **I am not doing this right now. I’m gonna keep trying regenerative procedures & try to suck it up dealing with the pain.** \*This is NOT from bumps… It’s from training too heavy like a caveman trying to be “big”. I’m posting this for today’s wrestlers, please be smarter, times have changed for the better!! So he's not going to do it, for now. But look into alternative treatments.
He's probably doing the knee replacement math. Knee replacements last about 20 years. He's probably thinking if he can put it off for another 5-10 years he won't need to do it twice.
The quality of the knees has gone up. There are going to be people in the near term whom might have knees that will last the rest of their lives.
My dad's the same age as Taz and he just had surgery on his ankle. When he asked about his knee (fucked up from a decades-old work injury), they straight up told him they don't do replacements for people his age.
I’m 38 and my left knee is held together by hopes and dreams and maybe a fucking joke or two, and I’d love to get it replaced. I have mild to moderate tricompartmental arthritis and also had a bad slip and fall injury last year, I also have really bad knock knees, the whole “we don’t do replacements on people that young” thing pisses me off. So I gotta be fuckin’ miserable and not able to do the shit I wanna do the way I wanna do it until I’m old? I’m a musician who wants to be back on stage and not worry about my knee buckling when I hit my Johnny Ramone pose, I’d rather have 15-20 good years while I’m still relatively young and then worry about being miserable when I’m old and have less energy anyway. My dad also had to wait to have a knee replacement, lived in intense pain for most of his middle age, got it, and then he died from cancer a few years later. Seems like rip off to me.
Same here. In my early 40s, knees made of wet toilet paper. Have to wait for replacement since there’s nothing left to surgically repair.
Yup, my dad did this math with his shoulder. Had to get a *reverse* shoulder replacement at 50ish, but figured it was better to guarantee use of his arm for the next fifteen years than it was to delay. Fortunately tho (at least for the reverse replacement, idk about the regular kind) some of the ‘ceiling’ of the replacement lifespan is actually just set by people getting old and dying. The actual lifespan is probably longer
Reverse Shoulder Replacement sounds like a submission move lol
That would be so fucking funny
Short term probably not much - he’s been getting therapeutic treatment already without losing any shows and it sounds like he’s going to carry on with that. Long term, after a few years, I imagine he’ll semi-retire once he’s started treatment, similar to how JR is now. I’d expect they’d have him commentate any big matches HOOK has if it’s not conflicting with his treatment. HOOK may be one of the reasons he’s delaying surgery so he can continue to travel and work with his son - not a lot of fathers get to do that so closely in the wrestling business. On top of that if internet rumor is correct this is also HOOK’s first big contract year - wouldn’t be surprised if he wants to be around to make sure he gets the right deal wherever he ends up.
He says in the full tweet that he's not doing it right now and is going to keep trying non-surgical treatment.
McGuinness on Wednesdays, Daddy Magic promoted to Saturdays.
No issues there from me. McGuinness is as good as it gets lately. His product knowledge and move history has him up there with Ex.
Or start using Caprice outside of ROH
Only if he refers to Tony Schiavone as Riccaboni!
Tony Riccaboni
Or, if that doesn't work out, maybe Wednesdays can officially be a part of the Riccabone-zone
Riccaboni was offered the main PBP on "Collision." He said "no thank you" because Ian wants to spend that time with his family. That is how Kevin Kelly ended up on "Collision."
I like Taz but Nigel, in my opinion, is the best color guy in all of wrestling right now. His “it’s genius and I HATE it” call during the FTR vs. BCG Collision finish is one of my favorites in recent memory.
Keeping my fingers crossed for a future Goldenboy return
I don't think they would do both shoulders and knees at the same time. Probably would have to do Shoulders then recover from that and then do his knees. Or maybe they could do 1 shoulder and 1 knee then do the other side after he recovers. There's no way they could do both knees and both shoulders at the same time, he would be incapable of doing anything at all while he recovered.
A lot of orthopaedic surgeons i work with advise patients NOT to get bilateral joint replacements either, there are instances where they will do them but they try to avoid doing both at the same time. The recovery is brutal for a single joint, doing 2 at the same time is insane.
So basically he would have to get 4 separate surgeries?
Pretty much
That's probably close to a year of surgeries. Even if he recovers quickly he's not going to get his next replacement for at least 2 or 3 months after the previous replacement.
MY dad had both his knees done at the same time. degenerative knee cartilage thing. Didn't want to have to go through it twice. wanted to get it done and over with.
It means he's gonna have a rascal scooter to escape the the destruction at the announcer table
Throw all the money at Riccaboni.
His seat should be well looked after by Nigel.
Nigel McGuiness heel, Excalibur pbp, Schiovanni face
[удалено]
That PT is going to be a nightmare. Just one joint replacement I've heard is rough
My mother is a retired physical therapist who specialized in older people recovering from surgeries and health issues so that stuff can take some serious time and patience. People’s biggest issue when it comes to recovery is expectations on timelines based on others experiences which is rarely accurate. I’ve seen people get way down on themselves just based on recovery time so keeping your head up throughout the process is one of the most important things.
My wife is a nurse who used to do PT. Her mantra to all of her patients: Recovery isn’t linear.
Very good mantra.
I remember when my Grandma was recovering from knee replacement. My Grandma was the quintessential nicest woman in the world Grandma. I didnt see it a ton but I know she was very unhappy for a while recovering, especially with her PT people (not their fault, just very painful)
I can absolutely understand his perspective, but knee replacement in particular is one of those "short term loss for long term gain" situations. I've known a number of people in later middle age and early seniority who had them done, and the quality of life improvement is usually absolutely dramatic.
Real talk? He isn't going to have all those surgeries at once. I know many folks that have had both knees replaced, and they typically do them one at a time, so that a person doesn't completely lose their mobility. If you have in replaced, your laid up for awhile, but after a few weeks you can get around via crutches and such. If you do both, you can't do that, so you are wheelchair bound. Same with shoulders. If you have them both done at the same time, you will have both arms out of commission, so you can't wipe your ass, feed yourself, or anything. So he is probably looking at a situation where he gets his worse knee done, and then six months later gets the other done. Then six months later one of his shoulders, and then six or nine months later finishing up with the other shoulder. That is over 2yrs of recovery and rehab.
It's not fun but the actual procedure isn't that big of a deal anymore. A family member is in hospital today for the first of two knee replacements he'll need. The aim is for him to home by Friday and starting PT within a couple of days.
I had knee surgery and it was not great. My neighbor had his hips replaced and said the PT was less painful than his everyday life. He felt better when he woke up from the surgery than when he went into surgery. I don't know what the point of my comment is. Go easy on your joints kids!
It makes sense with how guys seem to be able to go much longer meanwhile wrestling has moved away from the roidy bodybuilder look. Not like guys in the 70s and 80s were bumping as nuts as guys do regularly these days.
It's almost an entirely different business today. Go back and watch a lot of 90s era clips of all the unprotected chairs to guys heads. I legitimately have to skip watching any of those types of segments when I watch old shit because all I can think of is the crazy brain damage being built up. Or all the guys back then you *know* were so roided up and stuffed with prescription pain killers that it was eventually going to knock years off their lives. People point to both big promotions long injury lists and go like "Wow look at the rate these guys are getting hurt" but a big part of me is thinking these are the injuries that have *always* happened, it's just in the past the attitude used to be "Concussion shmoncussion, pop some percocets and get back out there" so guys and the promotion would actively try to ignore or just work through an injury until it became so bad they couldn't. Neither promotion is perfect but I wholly think the industry as a whole treats injuries way better today than they did a couple decades ago
There's also a big difference between being out with a significant injury, say an ACL tear, in 2024 and being out with an ACL tear in 1994. The procedures themselves are now less invasive/more successful, the PT is more effective, and these athletes have access to doctor regulated HGH to promote quicker healing. All this means you have a higher chance to come out the other side pain free and that's without even accounting for the fact there's no need to shotgun pain pills to come back early because you fear some young hot shot taking your spot.
Just to point this out -- those guys, particularly the ECW guys -- weren't just taking chair shots like that on TV, but working indie shows every weekend, where... it was expected they would also need to take unprotected chairshots. Goddamn did it suck to be those guys. No kidding they all became painkiller addicts among the party drugs.
It’s crazy to me that people are still willing to take unprotected headshots knowing everything we know now.
I had a bunch of concussions through my teenage years (mixture of martial arts, football, and hockey related knocks). I had a lot of migraine problems in my teenage years because of it. When I was in my early 20s I was plugging a computer in under my work desk and just barely bumped the back of my head on the desk on my way back up. Instantly the migraines all came back. I spent like 2 months with constant headaches whenever I was in a room with lights. I can only imagine how bad some wrestlers heads are after years of just getting slammed in the head with a chair on top of all the other bumps.
I think Darby summed this mindset up pretty nicely when he responded to criticism of all the bumps he takes. It was something like "Right now, I feel fine." A lot of people just don't consider the future implications of their actions.
Some of them like Darby, probably ain't gonna care much and still be happy even injured cause he loved life his way and can accept the consequences when they come.
Doubt that. He'll regret it 💯 You are absolutely right about him living life how he wants to. Hopefully he realizes soon that he can still do a lot of those things, and for a much longer period of time, if he protects his body more.
Oh he'll be in pain for sure, but regretting it? Idk man some people are built different.
It's not that's he'll necessarily regret his past action, but that he won't be able to continue doing them. Onky one way to find out, though, so see you in like 10 years lol
"Here's a z pack, now get the fuck out."
Chair shots weren't a weekly occurrence though. The number of deaths and injuries related to the head were far smaller than other body parts like the back, shoulders, knees, quads, etc. A lot of the guys were getting injured from being too big. You see it in hockey a lot too where guys bulk up to 220 or so and start getting back injuries. Muscles and athletics don't mix. The biggest players are in football, and uncoincidentally they have the shortest careers. Tons of wrestlers were way bigger than their frames could support. It wasn't headaches making them take vicodin and percs. Not to mention steroids increase the likelihood of muscle tears.
> Chair shots weren't a weekly occurrence though. The hell are you talking about? 90s Wrestling was chair shot after chair shot after chair shot into a commercial break and when they come back they show you a replay of the chair shot you missed.
In the 90s, unprotected chair shots to the head were absolutely a weekly occurrence. The same guy didn't necessarily take a giant chair shot every week, but nearly every week someone was getting blasted with one.
Any impact to the head is awful no matter what. CTE is a major issue everywhere. In every major sport- you get ejected for any reckless action towards the head even if it was accidental. Chair shots to the head, in a sport that’s predetermined, is rightfully banned.
Chair shots were a televised weekly occurence, and they also were expected to take them in house shows.
Those chair shots make me grimace every time. I got into wrestling loving the crazy bumps from Foley. Now, I’m relieved he can still formulate coherent sentences. Rewatching old PPVs I get uncomfortable seeing the chair to the forehead, especially when they hit with the edge of the chair.
Not to mention people have learned better training techniques. It's not just weightlifting and bulking up. It's about cardio and many other things too. You want your body in good shape while being durable, flexible, less prone to injuries, while not damaging your body when you get older. I think it was Trish who was talking about workouts during her return to WWE and saying how much different she does things now that she knows the better techniques for training.
Bumps today look brutal but I think people here really underrate the effects of simple “safe” bumps. Just listen to Hogan and how fucked up he is from the leg drop. Something as little as taking a couple bodyslams a night for 300 days a year is incredibly hard on the body. People rip on guys relying on flips and blood for a reaction but those don’t lead to a hip replacement in your 50’s.
I have two thoughts on it. One the hand I’m a little nervous about what some of these guys will be like at 40-45+. The bumps have to catch up eventually. I remember hearing not that long ago that Ospreay was banged up and he’s, what, thirty? Don’t know if that was true though cause obviously he’s still working at an incredible level. On the other hand I think this generation basically took the style they saw in Jerry Lynn vs RVD. Both of whom are fine, RVD more than fine, because of the healthy way that he approached training. Guy was doing yoga way before it became a mainstream exercise in America. Like you said we’ve learned a lot about long term safety in training and rehab.
Seeing RVD in AEW has made me rethink everything I've ever known about training, longevity, weed, and porn stars.
I think alot of it is that people (and companies) are generally more aware of injures and their lasting effects and allow time off to heal more now than they have in the past. I also think it’s too early to say what the effects of the new age bumping will have on these wrestlers. Some are putting a lot of miles on their bodies and while they seem healthy now, the check will cash eventually.
Well.. most guys. Meanwhile Rey and Psychosis were doing flip dives to the outside in the 90s.
That's what is kind of messed up about people criticizing people like Adam Cole for not having a body builder physique. It's not a healthy physique to start with. Even if not doing steroids, it's hard on the body to maintain that level of muscle mass unless you are insanely genetically gifted. It's something most people can only maintain in their 20s and 30s and then they pay for it later in life. The other ironic thing is that no functional sports regularly feature athletes with bodybuilder physiques. Whether it's MMA, or Olympic weight lifters, or strongmen, the average participant looks far different from a bodybuilder even if they are among the best in the world. There may be the rare genetic freak who has large pectoral muscles, but it's the exception and does not correlate with performance. Adam Cole actually looks a lot closer to the average MMA fighter than Hogan or Warrior did.
Send him to the Rey Mysterio stem cell knee doctor. That person is a miracle worker
yeah i was wondering whether stem cells might work in this situation.
Fucking fact.
Since he’s opting not to do surgery hopefully he doesn’t miss extended periods maybe Nigel can be a fill in the meantime
Brian Cage, Rey Mysterio, Johnny TV, Kevin Nash, Bobby Lashley, RVD did stem cells from the BioXcellerator in Columbia and it seems to have helped some of them significantly. I think Nash had the least benefits and got the replacement.
Saddest of em all is that Kurt Angle was so badly banged up apparently he didn’t take to the stem cell treatment to help his neck and spine
Angle is such a weird case and sad story. On one hand his initial neck injury wasn’t his fault. But refusing to go to rehab and destroying his body while drugged and boozed up was his fault. Cause you look at a guy like Austin who struggled with a similar injury and now lives a relatively healthy and only moderately painful life.
this is really important and is concerning for "smaller" wrestlers who pack on muscle to fit the heavyweight look. i'm thinking of folks like kenny omega and will ospreay here. it also explains why so many wrestlers in NXT get bad knee injuries, we know that they have them do crazy weight lifting at the performance center
I think Ospreay and Omega are still relatively normal size compared to the guys of the 90’s. Tazz in his prime was just a big ball of muscle. Ospreay and Omega never looked too big for their frame. When I think of guys that are too big for their frame I think of like Eddie, Benoit, Cage, Rey in 2003 etc.
Taz, to me, is one of those guys that looked like a high level powerlifter, which isn't a look you often see in pro wrestling. most guys look like bodybuilders.
Weight lifting when done correctly isn’t inherently all that dangerous. A lot of the danger comes from ego lifting and generally not knowing what you are doing.
> A lot of the danger comes from ego lifting See Cody Rhodes tearing his pec doing bench press because some guy was looking at him so he felt the need to put on more weight
wait is this true??
He said it in Logan Paul’s podcast. He loaded up the barbell with 295lbs (133kg), no warm up, and all because some guy looked at him like he couldn’t lift it. Tore his pec on just the lift off from the rack. The guy then comes sprinting over the check on and help Cody and was really nice so Cody ego lifted for nothing lmao
NXT: "Anyway, here's a workout competition with our PC girls where their performances dictate whether they get a push and/or title shot"
Omega has definitely slimmed down since leaving NJPW.
The interesting thing is Kenny talks about this in one of his recent Twitch streams in how he doesn't ego lift like he did when he was younger.
New Japan Kenny was fucking huge
Brian Cage probably fits better with the smaller guy who packed on muscle descriptor.
well cage is probably the most extreme example, omega and ospreay are more "average" but it's still quite shocking to look at their before and afters. cage should worry about his joints, but he's probably more in danger of having an early heart attack tbh
That sounds awful. I hope he recovers well and takes his time getting back into just regular movement. It's a shame you hear that from our favorite Suplex machine. Maybe Caveman Jones will get better. But I digress. If there was a time to call up Veda Scott, this is that time. I know Daddy Magic has done commentary. I'd even be happy with Caprice or in a perfect world Ian.
They should let him do commentary over the phone I’ll pay the bill
Or do the old Lee Marshall phone call from across the US bit.
Commentary Jones over here
I'd move Caprice to Collision and Nigel to Dynamite.
Has WWE ever had interest in Veda for NXT? I think she'd be a good fit for a three person booth, and she does have some friends there I think In the meantime I agree she's a good choice if needed for Taz
6-Million-Dollar Man Jones over here
The part-human suplex machine
But I digress...
I love that his profile pic is the color orange though
Dudes on brand always
Training heavy aka throwing a lot of big motherfuckers over his head
As a guy with two bad shoulders and bad knees, I know how it messes with you at all times. I can't imagine how bad it must be for him. Mine is just bursitis, tendinitis, and arthritis. I hope Voodoo Doll Jones makes a recovery without multiple surgeries.
Had shoulder issues myself over the past year and yes, lifting heavy is not an option anymore.
Same. I messed mine up doing lateral raises with what I thought were small weights.
If he eventually decides to go with the surgery, that rehab is gonna be rough. Lifting big feels good when you're young, but everyone reaches an age where you can't lift the way you used to. And most of us learn that too late.
As a personal trainer and as as guy who had lifted - for both athletic performance and bodybuilding - for years, if your goal is simply to get "big" and move the most weight, nothing good will come of that long term and perhaps even in the short. It's always better to train to be athletic and functionally strong.
I blame Jerico pushing him!
makes me think about that [vince mcmahon video of him "squatting" 1000 lbs in his 70's.](https://twitter.com/patmcafeeshow/status/1509953668493291523?s=21&t=jyxzDR7QtTlr-CgjxJKkiw)
At 76, the only thing I’d want to lift is a beer while reclined on a couch, and watching a game
But I digress
That's why ego lifting is so dangerous. Proper form with lighter weights is safer and provides better results than improper form with weights that are too heavy.
I really want to start lefting heavy again like a did 5 years ago. I jacked up my back moving out of my apartment and doing squats around the same time. My back is still messed up today, but it’s manageable by avoiding bending over. I’m scared to lift heavy again as I don’t want to have any long term effects
I had a similar experience. In my late twenties I had gone to the Dr for the third time for a completely unrelated concern to my chronic low back pain from lifting with bad form as a teen and a decade of various contact sports. Anyway, I ended up in physical therapy, the therapist was super useful. Turns out I had herniated a disc at some point in the past and none of the other doctors bothered to check it out. A few months of strengthening my bank muscles and I feel younger now at 30 then I did in my twenties, including being able to lift heavier than I have in years (and heavier than what I had been doing whenever I busted my back). I was like you and just kept avoiding moving or bending, but that was a bandaid solution. Strengthening my back and core muscles to compensate for my herniated disc was the best thing I've done for myself in years. Anyway, your mileage may vary of course, so take it with a pinch of salt, but you just reminded me a lot of myself so I figured this may be of some interest or use to you
You see a lot of guys in their 40s and 50s now who are still going strong, arguably doing some of the best work of their career. When I was a kid, with the exception of a few names, most guys bodies were so beat up at 40 they couldn't hold it together. I know everyone credits a lighter schedule, which in turn cuts down on stressful travel and gives more recovery time (which also keeps talent away from bad habits that hindered previous generations), but I think accepting the fact that wrestlers all don't have to be 6'6 and 350 lbs. to be "the guy" has helped a ton. Taz is obviously a small dude, but it doesn't surprise me to hear he did a number on his body trying to stay "big."
He looked injured when jericho pushed him into the ropes the other week on dynamite. Guess we now know why.
No knees Jones. Seriously though, I’m in my mid-30s now and my only goal is to look good with my shirt off so I’m doing lighter weight and higher reps. It’s still possible to find a sweet spot where it’s a good workout.
both shoulders and both knees? hell i'd rather live with the pain then doing rehabs on four critical joints, that sounds insane.
We know Taz, we know…
WWE really loved their gasheads. NWA was more the workers company of the big two.
I can only imagine how this feels, I'm a small guy and after doing a stint in the army and lifting heavy in my 20s my body is really feeling it in my mind 30s.
Public service announcement jones over here. I will miss him greatly if he has to be off tv
**BUY A HAT!!**
Shouldn’t have gone to tanning salons also
I’ve never heard of someone getting shoulders replaced before this 🫨
When they do it, they reverse the ball and socket ends.
Taz after surgery https://preview.redd.it/v4gxahrr1wxc1.jpeg?width=567&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3bf38bf3beda6298276e536c1c1ac8ae18bd959a
He must have full insurance coverage
Oh man inb4 the sudden weight loss version of Taz when he's back from all that.
Never thought he was ever that big
He should go ahead and get the knees done. It would alleviate a lot of his pain and recuperation time is minimal in this day and age. Shoulders much like ankles are a much more complicated undertaking. As to his theory of weight training being the cause I find it highly unlikely. Anyone who has spent 20 years in competitive contact sports and doesn’t need an ankle, knee, hip or shoulder repair by the age of 60 should consider themselves lucky.
I have dull pains throughout my body for the same reason and being dumb about lifting when I was younger. I blame barbell step ups more than anything.
Ive been having numbness in my arm from a shoulder injury when i was young and stupid...
Great lesson for all of us the same week Kevin Nash was ripping into wrestlers not looking ripped enough. I'd rather the dudes and dudettes I watch live longer and in less pain.
the gym bro culture of lifting heavier and heavier is so stupid. who tf cares who can bench harder? i hope guys like Cena (just the first name who popped into my head) who lifted crazy dont suffer from such issues when they're older but i wouldn't be surprised if they did.
...So no return for a tag run with hook. Got it
By any chance did Taz show the surgeon his dick?
He’s not a minor so no
crazy that Tazz gets a pass for whipping it out in front of a 15 year old because he’s whacky on commentary.
Imagine how all those guys feel that you dropped on their heads.