TNA star and former X-Division Champion Chris Bey provided a candid and detailed update on the severe neck injury he suffered last year, revealing that he underwent emergency surgery and was given a dire initial prognosis. Speaking to Wrestling Observer Live, Bey confirmed that his recovery is now progressing well, but he is in "no rush" to return to the ring, choosing instead to focus on regaining his health and starting a new coaching role. The injury, which occurred during a tag team move he had performed many times before, put an immediate halt to his in-ring duties.
Bey suffered a severe neck injury last year during a tag team match that went wrong at TNA tapings in Detroit. After a lengthy period of recovery, Bey confirmed that he has overcome an initial prognosis that gave him only a "small 10-25% chance of walking," emphasizing the gravity of the injury. He detailed the emergency surgery that was required immediately following the incident.
"This happened in Detroit and I was 5-10 minutes away from the hospital. They put me right in the ambulance and drove me right over. I had emergency surgery. I had a double fusion where they fused my C6 to my C7 in the front. I had 19 staples across the front and they went in the back and fused my C6 to my T1."
Despite the successful surgery, Bey is committed to a cautious approach to his in-ring return. He is prioritizing his long-term health and wants his body to fully communicate when the time is right to wrestle again, rather than rushing back for a pop or a storyline. Bey spoke about his current mentality and return strategy:
"I'm in no rush. I know when my body's ready for it, I'll be able to do it. I started coaching again at Future Stars of Wrestling. So, I do public classes again but I'm just coaching. I'm not rolling around or doing anything physical, when the time comes, my body will tell me if I can or if I should. I just wanna wake up and feel good."
He elaborated on his new mentality following the brush with a potentially career-ending injury:
"That's been my real focus. I wanna wake up one day and go, 'OK, I feel good today,' and not just I'm alive because that's my mentality now."
Bey's return to coaching at Future Stars of Wrestling allows him to remain involved in the business and share his knowledge with aspiring wrestlers while protecting his healing neck. We wish him a speedy recovery.