Paige Talks About Her Career-Ending Neck Injury

E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness had Paige as the guest and one of the topics discussed was Paige’s in-ring career-ending neck injury.

Paige said that she felt very terrified after suffering the neck injury and the experience was something she would never wish upon others.

When it actually happened and the accident happened in the ring, I lost all feeling in my legs and my arms. It was literally the most terrifying experience in my life and I would never wish that upon anyone. It was so scary. I literally was like “Oh my gosh, I’m done, I’m going to be in a wheelchair now, this is it, I’ve pushed myself too much.” Because I really did, because everytime I was in the match I was like “its okay, I’ll do the comeback, I’ll take the bump, I’ll do this, I’ll do that” because I was just so eager to get back in the ring you know. I feel like I pushed myself too hard to the point of where my body was like “stop.” You know I’ve been doing this since I was thirteen as well and my body was like “you need time to grow woman.”

Paige also said that she struggled accepting that she was seriously injured and her in-ring career being likely over.

I refused to believe I was hurt, I remember doing this. Coming back to Orlando to go get my MRIs and stuff and I felt good, I could get back in the ring again even though I just experienced temporary paralysis. I was like “No I’m good, I can do this, please don’t make me be out.” And I was like begging them, “Please I don’t want to be out anymore, please don’t let me be out.” I was just crying to the doctors and stuff. So then Dr. Maroon was like “I’m sorry you cannot get back in the ring again.” It was horrible, it really breaks your heart….it really does.

While recalling more about the match itself, Paige said that everyone in the ring was a lot more terrified for her well-being than she was after suffering the injury.

I remember being in the match too and experiencing that and like “maybe it’s just my arms right?” So I’m like “no I’m going to keep going.” And I remember trying to grab Sasha’s legs and my arms felt like there was just no bones in them you know. So I’m trying to grab her legs and then like “wait let me try to stand up and then I’ll be good to do the comeback” and Sasha is like “noooo, absolutely not.” Then I tried to stand up and I just look drunk. Like I just start stumbling and falling back. But actually I feel like the girls were more terrified than what I was at the time. Like I was petrified, but the girls were crying at ringside and stuff and then they see the stretcher coming out and I was like “please, please,” and it’s just like horrible. I don’t know how you did it for so many years beforehand because it’s terrifying.