Chris Bey appeared on the latest episode of Insight With Chris Van Vliet to discuss a range of topics, including his severe injury that left him temporarily paralyzed.
During the October 27th Impact tapings, Bey suffered a serious neck injury while teaming with Austin against The Hardys. He was stretchered out of the arena and taken to the hospital for emergency surgery. In January, Rob Van Dam revealed that Bey had broken his neck but was no longer paralyzed. Last month, Bey shared a video of himself walking and provided additional details, explaining that he underwent a C6-C7 neck fusion and a C6-C11 spinal cord fusion. Initially, doctors gave him only a 10%-25% chance of regaining mobility.
During the interview, Bey was asked if he believes he will ever wrestle again. He responded:
“Never say never, right? The day after surgery, I was very content and understanding that my career was over. I didn’t see a world where I came back to wrestling. I was lying there, couldn’t move anything from the neck down. It felt like I had passed away, because there was all this love for me online—they say you get your flowers when you’re gone. There was so much support, people I never imagined reaching out, video packages being made about me. It felt like I was spectating my life, and now it was over. Wrestling was my life. It still consumes me. But in that moment, I accepted that it was done.”
Bey revealed that his priorities shifted after the injury, focusing on his long-term health and future.
“I want to one day have a family, to stand, run, and play with my kids. That was something I never thought about in my early 20s, but now, at 29, it’s so important to me. The thought of never being able to achieve that broke me. That drove me. I had a great eight years in wrestling, but I wanted to be able to function again. And now, a few weeks ago, I’m walking again, I’m back in the gym. I told my girl, ‘What if I do wrestle again one day? I’m still young. What if I take four or five years off and return in my mid-30s?’ It’s possible. It’s been done before. Nothing is impossible. That’s where the greatest story ever told is born.”
