AEW Star Working Through Injuries

AEW

An AEW star has confirmed that they are working through a number of injuries while addressing the authenticity of wrestling.

Currently a member of The Opps, Anthony Bowens has been a regular fixture on AEW programming since signing with the company in November 2020.

That frequency has come with physical implications, however, with the star revealing a number of injuries during a recent interview with Charles Hallman of MSR.

With the interview touching on the authenticity of professional wrestling, Bowens would respond:

“Yes, it’s entertainment … but at the same time, it’s very hard to do this at a very high level and not be an athlete. You have to be in intense cardiovascular shape. You have to be able to have coordination.

“The physicality is very real. I don’t have an MCL. The right side of my meniscus is torn. I had to clean up my other meniscus. I’ve had multiple diagnosed concussions. Bruised nerves in my lower back. I have chronic neck pain.

“After a match, I feel like I’m an older gentleman who’s been through it all, and I can’t get out of bed.”

Bowens was last in action along HOOK and Katsuyori Shibata with a victory for The Opps over GKW, LSG & Max St. Giovanni on the Beantown Beatdown special of ROH on July 21 of this year.

Working Injured/Working Hurt

When it comes to professional wrestling, there’s a different between working while injured and working while hurt.

While there will no doubt be arguments to be had about either condition, sometimes stars will push through an injury to continue performing, even if all the indications are there that they should recover.

‘Working hurt’ is likely to be the preferable of the two situations, being a result of day-to-day activity, be it a match or a workout. A bruise, a cut, a black eye, feeling a bit sore, the medical professions are likely to be the one who provide an insight into what is needed to keep going and, for many stars, they’re likely to have an awareness of what they can do and how they can do it without making the hurt worse.

When it comes to ‘working injured’, whether it be any of the list that Bowens provides, or any of the other injuries that would see many of us take time off work, it becomes apparent why these stars would continue to work. A storyline could be derailed, a push abandoned, a championship vacated, and there’s no guarantee, in the most serious cases, that a return will happen.

Medical professionals, again, are the ones who will no doubt counsel the star on what’s next, with the star no doubt hoping for a return as quickly as possible. Even after that, there’s the likelihood that they may have to work with the aftermath of a particularly serious injury.

For some stars, that comeback may be years later, as was seen with Paige, who was cleared for a return to the ring while signed to AEW as Saraya, having suffered a ‘career-ending’ injury in WWE.

Medical science continues to evolve, and what may have been the end of a career a few years ago can have a different result in modern times.

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• AEW
• Injury
• Anthony Bowens

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