Braun Strowman has become one of RAW's top Superstars in recent months but that very nearly never came to pass. In the video below, the Monster Among Men talks about an injury which left his leg paralysed in a way which could have resulted in his wrestling career coming to a premature end.
Strowman doesn't specify when and where this happened but it sounds like WWE was able to help him get it sorted extremely quickly and that's a huge relief not only for him but fans across the world!
"If I could go back and do it all over, just at the beginning, being a little bit smarter with protecting myself and my brand, you know being a big man and not letting people talk me into dumb things that I shouldn’t be doing. Injuries happen, and one injury in particular was really close to ending my career, I ruptured a disc and it cut into my side nerve and it paralyzed my left leg.
"The folks with WWE, they take such great care of us with injuries, and making sure we’re running at peak performance. I went to Pittsburgh with one of the head neurosurgeons in the country, and they got in there and I had to be pushed through the airport to the plane and into the hospital in a wheelchair. My leg was 100% paralyzed, I couldn’t use it. I went in and had surgery, and an hour and a half after I came out of anesthesia I got up and walked to my recovery room.
"The man upstairs has looked out for me throughout these times with stuff like that, and with veterans like Mark [Henry] and Big Show and the big men that have paved the road for where I’m going now. Taking me under their wing and teaching me a lot of the things to do, and the things not to do; I couldn’t have been put in a better position with everything. I’ve just … I feel like I’ve hit the wrestling lottery."
Strowman came straight to the main roster after training at the Performance Center and was definitely a little green when he was part of The Wyatt Family. Thankfully, after working with the likes of Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and Roman Reigns, he appears to be much smoother - and safer - in the ring these days. Be sure to watch the whole interview below as there's some great stuff in there!