WWE has released new footage of the former Raw tag team champion Viking Raiders one week after the duo returned on Monday Night Raw. During the interview Erik and Ivar discuss the vigorous journey back to the ring, which included Ivar recovering from a traumatic neck injury after performing a suicide dive. Highlights are below.
Details the extent of the injury and how it was rough for him mentally:
I ended up breaking my neck when I dove out of the ring. With the neck, and my injury specifically, because it’s such a traumatic blow to my spinal cord it was hard to get any kind of clearance of idea from the doctor as to when would be the time. It was a range, depending on how I heal. Once you have the fusion surgery in your neck, you have to wait for it to fuse and heal. It was rough and mentally it was rough.
How getting back to the Performance Center was instrumental to him getting cleared for return:
As soon as I got the chance to go to the Performance Center and rehab, things got easier mentally. I was able to help with training classes, help the young guys, and in helping them learn, I was learning. Mentally, that helped because I feel like I evolved. I fought really hard to get cleared enough that I could get in the ring early with no physicality, just to work on cardio. That helped accelerate my healing process.
Check out the Viking Raiders full comments below. (H/T and transcribed by Fightful
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