Post by Deleted on May 27, 2007 10:02:57 GMT -5
willywonka666 said:
hutter said:
Tommy Young's injuries were far more serious than that.Interview with Tommy Young from Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Gateway:
DC: On a much more serious note…Tommy, you had an unfortunate injury in the ring that really ended your career in 1989. Please tell us about that.
Tommy: We were doing TV that evening at Center Stage where we were taping at the time, and it was Tommy Rich versus Mike Rotunda. When it happened, it wasn’t even the finish…it was a high spot.
They were supposed to do a deal where Rich is pounding on Mike in the ropes…I was pulling Tommy back and walking him back to the other side of the ring. At the same time, Rich is looking over my shoulder at Rotunda getting to his feet.
Rich was supposed to just slap me in my back telling me to get out of the way, which would have left me where I was and then he goes charging at Mike. Then Mike would have back dropped him over the top rope for an automatic DQ if I caught it. But since I was off balance from the slap and would be a couple of seconds late, I wouldn’t see it. All I would have seen was Mike standing in the ring.
DC: So this was basically just a spot?
Tommy: Exactly. What happened was that when Rich shoved me he also raised his foot, which was about as big as this table, and he tripped me. I lost my balance, and when I lunged to grab the ropes to protect myself I missed, and went through the ropes. The middle rope hit me right between the eyes and my neck just snapped. Everything jammed together.
I heard this God-awful sound when I fell. Then I heard this humming noise. I knew I was in real trouble…no pain but I couldn’t feel anything from my neck down. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m in big trouble.’
The lights had gone out before this happened. We still had the camera lights but it got noticeably dimmer. Whether that caused me missing the rope, I’ll never know.
In my opinion Tommy Rich was impaired that night. But I could never prove it…so we dropped the lawsuit. But suffice it to say, it was Tommy Rich’s carelessness that cost me my career. It was just one of those things, but Rich clearly caused it.
Rich tried to deny it…said it was my fault! But he was just trying to protect himself then.
DC: What did they do for you medically?
Tommy: I had to have surgery immediately, or risk going quadriplegic. When the feeling did come back, I had no strength in my left side, because fragments were pushing up against my spine.
All they could do was lay me open from the base of my skull and simply remove all that damaged vertebrae. When they can go in from the front you can usually come back, but when they have to lay your spine open like they did me, it’s over.
To look at me now, you wouldn’t know that I have a 25% disability. But, that protective covering of the spine—I don’t have it anymore. So that’s why it’s extremely dangerous for me to ever get back in the ring.
DB: What are your thoughts of Tommy Rich now?
Tommy: I’m not bitter at Rich anymore, because it’s history. But, you know, I don’t ever recall him even apologizing. He never wrote me a letter…nothing. But he was probably advised not to…because that would imply guilt.
Source: www.midatlanticgateway.com/Resource_Center/interviews/young/tommy_young01.htm
Tommy Young is the best ref I have ever seen
You speak the truth my friend. Also, one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. He walked down the aisle before a match and my friend wanted to shake his hand. Tommy stood there for a couple of minutes and chatted with him. Tommy was happy someone wanted to seek him out.