An underdog of a wrestler I loved watching long ago, Mikey Whipwreck discusses head injuries he sustained during his amazing and extreme career.
I grew up watching the old WWF Superstars on Saturday mornings, and the passion briefly faded.
ECW was a big reason I got pulled back in, and Whipwreck was a huge part of that company.
Fans saw him as a lovable underdog, someone who was more likely to be seen in the stands with us as opposed to in the ring.
But he wrestled, and had an amazing career. He even defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin, before he actually hit WWE and became Stone Cold.
Mikey Whipwreck Discusses Head Injuries
Whipwreck made up for being smaller and less muscular than a typical star, by being more extreme and taking major risks.
Unfortunately, those risks have taken a major toll.
Whipwreck is one of many wrestlers who have suffered or are suffering from injuries suffered in the ring.
Many of them are suffering from CTE. Mikey Whipwreck is choosing to put it out in the open.
Men (and women) like him took insane and unsafe chair shots and other shots to the head.
And, we all loved it and cheered it at the time. Even as we were beginning to understand more about CTE and head injuries, the risks were taken.
Now, we see what the wear and tear and damage does to someone. He won’t be the first, he won’t be the last, who suffers this fate.
Fortunately, most wrestling companies are getting tougher on unsafe and needlessly risky bumps. They’ve seen the results of things and realize it is not worth it.
Whipwreck can only endure the pain and suffering that comes as a result of the extreme in ring style. But his can be a cautionary tale.
With luck, years from now we will have far fewer (perhaps no) such tales.
