Post by CandyKANE on Feb 6, 2003 20:02:40 GMT -5
Chris Kanyon's career -- and his very life, in fact -- were almost taken from him in 2002. Now 100 percent healed, it makes his recent return to the road with WWE all the more gratifying.
"It helps ... to have people (backstage) with high morale," Kanyon said. "I've had so much time away, my morale is nothing but up. If nothing else (positive) came out of the injuries, that did. It reinvigorated me (and) made me appreciate all that I have."
For the entire six years that Kanyon competed in WCW, he never missed a show due to sickness or injury. But he spent most of the first half of 2002 rehabilitating a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee. Soon after recovering, he was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville, Ky., so he could work off the ring rust before returning to the WWE roster.
Unfortunately, he separated his shoulder and wound up in the hospital when it became seriously infected. It was so bad, in fact, that his lungs suddenly began to fill with fluid, and he spent six hours in critical condition -- closer to death than he ever imagined, and certainly closer to death than anyone with a separated shoulder should be.
In his weeklong stay in the hospital, he dropped from 240 pounds to 208.
It took him a few months to regain his strength and size, and by early fall he was back at OVW. After three and a half months there, he rejoined the WWE roster. Kanyon said he had such a great time at OVW that he told officials he would continue to work there to complete unfinished business, and he expects to go back and forth between OVW and WWE for at least the next month. It's unknown when he will return to WWE television.
His first day back was a non-televised SmackDown!-brand event (which doesn't necessarily mean he'll end up on SmackDown!) on Jan. 25 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He stepped off a plane and into minus-22-degree weather. "Literally, the coldest I've ever been," he said. But even that could not chill his enthusiasm.
"It's great," he said. "You forget how much you miss it ... (and) how much better it is than a real job."
On the way back to the U.S., there was a long layover at an airport, giving Kanyon the opportunity to relax and catch up with his fellow Superstars, which he said was also a thrill.
These days, the large gash on his left shoulder from the infection is starting to cover over. "When I'm tan it looks good," he said of the scar.
Kanyon said he makes it a point not to think before his matches about his recent streak of bad luck -- knowing that if he thinks about it too much, if he tries to hard not to get injured, that's exactly how he'll get injured again. He also wants to make sure he doesn't land differently or take fewer risks than he previously did.
"If anything, I want to do more," he said, "just to overcompensate for people expecting me to do less."
Last Monday in White Plains, N.Y., Kanyon battled Jamie Noble, and the two Superstars had arguably the best match of the night. On several occasions, Kanyon took to the air and executed some of the innovative offensive maneuvers for which he's come to be known. Although he lost the match (after quite a bit of interference by Nidia), the fans showed their appreciation.
"I'm getting a pretty decent response from the crowd," he said. "I think a lot of them know what I've been through. They're happy to see me back. It's a good feeling."
"It helps ... to have people (backstage) with high morale," Kanyon said. "I've had so much time away, my morale is nothing but up. If nothing else (positive) came out of the injuries, that did. It reinvigorated me (and) made me appreciate all that I have."
For the entire six years that Kanyon competed in WCW, he never missed a show due to sickness or injury. But he spent most of the first half of 2002 rehabilitating a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee. Soon after recovering, he was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville, Ky., so he could work off the ring rust before returning to the WWE roster.
Unfortunately, he separated his shoulder and wound up in the hospital when it became seriously infected. It was so bad, in fact, that his lungs suddenly began to fill with fluid, and he spent six hours in critical condition -- closer to death than he ever imagined, and certainly closer to death than anyone with a separated shoulder should be.
In his weeklong stay in the hospital, he dropped from 240 pounds to 208.
It took him a few months to regain his strength and size, and by early fall he was back at OVW. After three and a half months there, he rejoined the WWE roster. Kanyon said he had such a great time at OVW that he told officials he would continue to work there to complete unfinished business, and he expects to go back and forth between OVW and WWE for at least the next month. It's unknown when he will return to WWE television.
His first day back was a non-televised SmackDown!-brand event (which doesn't necessarily mean he'll end up on SmackDown!) on Jan. 25 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He stepped off a plane and into minus-22-degree weather. "Literally, the coldest I've ever been," he said. But even that could not chill his enthusiasm.
"It's great," he said. "You forget how much you miss it ... (and) how much better it is than a real job."
On the way back to the U.S., there was a long layover at an airport, giving Kanyon the opportunity to relax and catch up with his fellow Superstars, which he said was also a thrill.
These days, the large gash on his left shoulder from the infection is starting to cover over. "When I'm tan it looks good," he said of the scar.
Kanyon said he makes it a point not to think before his matches about his recent streak of bad luck -- knowing that if he thinks about it too much, if he tries to hard not to get injured, that's exactly how he'll get injured again. He also wants to make sure he doesn't land differently or take fewer risks than he previously did.
"If anything, I want to do more," he said, "just to overcompensate for people expecting me to do less."
Last Monday in White Plains, N.Y., Kanyon battled Jamie Noble, and the two Superstars had arguably the best match of the night. On several occasions, Kanyon took to the air and executed some of the innovative offensive maneuvers for which he's come to be known. Although he lost the match (after quite a bit of interference by Nidia), the fans showed their appreciation.
"I'm getting a pretty decent response from the crowd," he said. "I think a lot of them know what I've been through. They're happy to see me back. It's a good feeling."