AEW superstar Malakai Black was the latest guest on the Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast to discuss some medical issues he had when he was in NXT, including sharing a story of when he collapsed backstage after shattering a testicle. Highlights are below.
Says he found out about some medical problems when he first started in NXT:
“When I first started in NXT, I started losing a lot of weight. They found out internally that there were a few things wrong with my processes. Luckily, the medical staff, who were very capable, directed me in the right way, but it took a year and a half to figure out what was wrong with me. They started putting me on some medications. They finally figured it out so my body can function off them. At the time, 14 years at the time of doing this, planes in, planes out, cars, beating your body up, going to the gym, not getting enough sleep, that wreaks havoc on your system. I neglected a lot of it, so it was time for some needed therapy, changing some of the medication here and there, and really optimizing myself so I could go back training, and feeling like I was a professional.”
Says he collapsed at an NXT event backstage after shattering his testicle:
“Me and Tomasso were in this feud. This is the reason why I wasn’t on TV for 3 months. We were supposed to get into an angle with me, Johnny, and Tommaso that was going to be a TakeOver match. It was already announced. A week later, we went on the road. Tommaso had just won the belt from me. We were on the road. We were in Las Vegas. We had this thing where I jump on the top rope, he comes running and crutches me. He came in with so much force that as I’m going down, his head collides with my nether region. Because of that flinch, I couldn’t catch myself from falling on the post. So I hit the post full speed, and it shattered my testicle into 7 pieces. I fell in the ring. I remember telling the referee, ‘Can you give me a second. I just got hit in the nuts.’ I wrestled the full 22 minutes. I cut a promo after the match. I came backstage and I just knew something was wrong. I collapsed. I was crawling on the floor. I was in agony. My down there was swollen and protruding through my trunks. I had to grab a towel. I said, ‘I think I need to go to the hospital.’ They picked me up and took me to my locker room. I collapsed again. Everybody started laughing because they thought I was joking. Chris Hero said, ‘You’re not ok, are you?’ I said, ‘No. I think something happened.’ I explained what happened and he said, ‘We have to take you to the hospital.’ He put me in the ambulance with Christian, the NXT doctor. They drove me to the Las Vegas hospital. I had to wait quite a while to actually get surgery. I had to wait like 6 or 7 hours before I got the surgery.”
(H/T and transcribed by WrestlingNews.Co)
