WWE star reveals he returned to the ring in just six months after surviving death
A former WWE champion recently revealed a harrowing motorcycle accident that led doctors to fear he might die, yet he remarkably returned to wrestling within six months of the near-fatal wreck. This star defied medical expectations by stepping back into the ring in such a short period after the horrific incident.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet on the INSIGHT podcast, Erik recalled a near-fatal motorcycle accident from 2014, when doctors believed he could have died due to the physics of the crash. The medical team informed the former WWE World Tag Team Champion that his severely shattered arm would likely prevent him from wrestling again, suggesting he'd be fortunate to lift weights.
"There was a reason that I survived that and a reason that I was there. So then the doctors were like, 'Yeah, dude, you should be dead. You should have died in the physics of this accident; usually, this is a fatal accident. There's no way you're going to wrestle again; your arm is completely shattered. It's destroyed. Everything from the elbow to [the] shoulder is just destroyed; you're going to be lucky to lift weights!'" Erik said. [H/T: CVV]
Despite the grim prognosis and a complex surgery involving plates, pins, and screws, The War Raiders member remarkably returned to wrestling within six months of recovery. The WWE RAW Superstar added:
"Six months later I was wrestling again. I had two plates, 18 pins, and screws, and, I don't know, [a] six- or seven-hour surgery putting my arm back together." [H/T: CVV]
WWE star Erik shares graphic details of the motorcycle accident
In the same interview, Erik detailed how his motorcycle accident happened 11 years ago. He stated that when he was on his way home from the gym, a girl driving a car while using a phone suddenly came in front of him.
Unable to react quickly, he crashed his bike into the back of the girl's vehicle. This incident resulted in severe injuries for the WWE Superstar, including a broken nose and skull, as well as apparent nerve damage in his arms, before paramedics were called to the scene.
"So because I had torqued the handlebars like this, I broke my left thumb. I shattered everything above [sic] my left arm to my elbow to my shoulder. Then I went up over my handlebars. I punched out her rear window with my face, lacerated above my eye, broke my nose, but I didn't break the cartilage. I broke the bone, the skull, hit my knee, and then I stood up, and my arm was, like, wiggling," he said.
At WrestleMania 41, Erik and Ivar lost their WWE World Tag Team Championship to The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.
It will be interesting to see if The War Raiders reclaim the title from The New Day in the coming weeks.
