Wrestlers who undergo neck surgery don’t tend to return for lengthy pro wrestling careers. Comebacks happen, but there’s no guarantee they’ll be lengthy or without incident. We’ve seen examples from Edge to Nikki Bella which remind us of that.
So even without any other history of major injury, everyone knows the odds of former NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa getting another lengthy run in the ring whenever (or if) he’s cleared from last month’s spinal fusion procedure aren’t great. Factor in the 33 year old’s history - including a string of injuries which cost him the second half of 2017 - and they don’t get any better.
So while Ciampa surely meant his tweet from this morning to be self-motivating, and WWE.com is calling it “a special message underlining his relationship with perseverance”, it’s impossible to avoid the reality of the Blackheart’s situation.
The “To be continued...” demonstrates Ciampa’s drive, yes, but his doctors are telling him “if” he returns he’ll be on “borrowed time”:
— CIAMPA (@ProjectCiampa) April 1, 2019
Don’t bet against him. But let’s focus on a long, relatively healthy life outside of the ring, too, sir.