"There is that possibility of being paralyzed" - 28-year-old former AEW star shares heartbreaking details after announcing sudden retirement
A former AEW star, who was once a regular on weekly programming, recently announced his retirement from the ring. The star in question was part of a popular faction with Killswitch (fka Luchasaurus) and Jack Perry (fka Jungle Boy) called Jurassic Express.
Marko Stunt was a fan favorite during AEW's initial days and gained a lot of traction due to his smaller-than-average stature and height. However, that didn't stop him from getting in the ring. Sadly, Stunt was released from Tony Khan's promotion in 2022. He did return to the promotion for one match earlier this year.
The young star announced on November 1 that he was stepping away from the ring due to lower back issues that could've turned catastrophic. Speaking to Pluggo of Love Wrestling, Marko Stunt said that he has been dealing with a lot of lower back issues, and he finally went to a doctor after putting it off for a while.
After running tests, the doctor found that his right hip was rotating inwards, which caused his tailbone to shift to the right side.
"So, it’s something that I’ve been trying to avoid for a while. I’ve been dealing with a lot of lower back issues, and I found out why now. It’s just something that I’ve been trying to put off. I knew it was bound to happen eventually, but I thought I might have had a few more years in me, [and] have one more good run. I went to the doctor, they did a whole bunch of diagnostic tests and looked into a whole bunch of stuff on me. They noticed that might right hip is rotating inwards, and it’s causing my tailbone to be shifted off to the side. It’s just causing a whole bunch of pain."
Marko continued to say that his right leg is now shorter than his left leg due to this issue, and he has lost some of the strength in his leg. Luckily, they identified the problem earlier, so he didn't have to have emergency surgery, but the doctors recommended he step away from the ring or risk being paralyzed.
"If I were to continue doing it, with how my hip already is - I will say, I’m already short, right? I’m a small person! But, my right leg, because of the hip thing, is shorter than my left now. Which, is a normal thing. A lot of people have shorter legs, or one leg shorter than the other, but that’s the reason for mine. It’s going to just continue to do that, so I don’t have all the strength in my right leg anymore. I have a good amount of strength...We caught it early enough to where I don’t have to go have surgery next month or anything... But, their recommendation was, for my long-term health, to step away [from wrestling]. There is that possibility of being paralyzed." [H/T: Fightful]
Marko Stunt wrestled his last wrestling match in AEW earlier this year
Marko Stunt gained a lot of traction and recognition due to his time in AEW. Hence, it was only fitting that, either knowingly or unknowingly, he wrestled his final wrestling match for AEW.
On the July 6, 2024, episode of AEW Collision, Marko Stunt returned to the company to challenge his former stablemate, Jack Perry, for the TNT Championship.
Both men put on an excellent back-and-forth contest. Despite Stunt's resilient nature, Perry won the match and retained his title.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be Marko Stunt's last wrestling match as he announced his retirement from the ring.