WWE Injuries: Taker and Lashley

[PeterHilton]

WWE Injury Notes. -Current WWE World Champion The Undertaker has suffered a torn bicep tendon and is scheduled to see Dr. James Andrews today. People that have seen the injury say that you can easily see where the muscle tore and that his bicep has rolled up his arm towards his shoulder. -Bobby Lashley is scheduled to be at the ECW/Smackdown tapings this evening. His appointment with Dr. James Andrews was said to be an appointment to check on some nagging shoulder issues, not from any injury suffered at Backlash. Credit: PWInsider.com [url]http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/53806/WWE-News:-Undertaker-Injured,-Update-on-Lashley.htm[/url] ***************************** WWE.com acknowledged Lashley's injury a few day back and apparenlty he's just been working through the pain. But Taker's injury sound major. I know SD uses him as a 'special attraction' so he doesn't have to wrestle on TV for a few weeks, but Judgment Day is a 'Smackdown' PPV and you figure he has to go. Torn biceps sometimes only require physical therapy. But if surgery is required, recovery time can up to 6 months. Ouch.

[Undertaker666]

Nooooooooooooo!!!!! I was hoping for Undertaker to have a long title reign but this injury could put a spanner in the works. :(

[sebsplex]

Well I think Taker's saving grace could be the fact that the single brand PPV's now seem a thing of the past, so the omission of the title from the card won't be quite so glaring. Storylinewise, the end to the LMS match at Backlash gives them a little to work with, but given Taker's age and probable reduced healing ability, the E might have to take some sort of action if this does indeed prove to be a long term injury. If Lashley has managed this long, I'm sure he can be given a lighter match schedule for the upcoming weeks to see him through.

[keefmoon]

Vince can be quite comfortably contained with the originals for a while to allow Lashley a lighter schedule, and the bump at Backlash means Taker can be off TV for a while, and as he's spent most of the last few years disappearing and returning, I'm sure neither will harm them too much. Will be interesting to see how they handle this though, as they haven't handled too many things well in the last year (or two... or seven...)

[Undertaker666]

Undertaker's injury could actually work out well for a storyline if he's going to be out for a while. Strip him of the belt and have a tournament for the championship which could include Batista, Mark Henry (I don't like him but there's a lack of choice on Smackdown), Finlay, Kennedy, Kane and MVP. Even if Kennedy lost before the final he could cash in his money in the bank contract and still go on to win it. Then when 'Taker comes back he can destroy the lot of 'em and reclaim what's rightfully his. :D

[PeterHilton]

Taker being gone for a while wouldn't be a big deal at all except he has the belt and SD builds its shows around a limited number of performers. I was also hoping for an extended run for Taker this time - with possible feuds against King Booker and maybe even Kane after his program with Batista is done - so I'd be disappointed if the injury creates a situation where he has to drop the belt. I'd be even more disappointed if it creates a situation where they use the real injury to as a reason to have Mark Henry return and take the title while "putting Taker on the shelf" just to further that gimmick.

[TheEdgeOfReason]

What I fear is if he needs surgery and is on the shelf for a while he wont come back

[HughBatey4]

I agree with EdgeOfReason. Taker's age and decreased healing abilities put him in a bad situation, if he has to take a few months off, he will probably come back for Survivor Series, do a storyline, and then have a match at WrestleMania to send him off. He could always do the Hogan thing and just wrestle once a year afterwards to keep the streak alive. Taker was planned to have an extended reign from what I've read, but this seems to throw a major wrench, because if you can easily see where the muscle tore, I'm pretty sure it's not something you can work through with therapy.

[PeterHilton]

[QUOTE=TheEdgeOfReason;230026]What I fear is if he needs surgery and is on the shelf for a while he wont come back[/QUOTE] you just gave Undertaker666 an aneurism.

[shamelessposer]

There are worse things than having Undertaker retire. Having him continue to be on television, for example.

[HughBatey4]

His ring work has suffered a bit in the past few years and his character really can't be used to put over up-and-coming stars, but he will be kept for the same reason Hogan was, star value. EDIT: According to WrestleZone, it is a complete tear and WILL require Taker losing the belt soon in some fashion.

[MrCanada]

Kennedy should just shock everyone and said he lied then lay out Taker with a transport truck.

[PeterHilton]

[QUOTE=HughBatey4;230083]His ring work has suffered a bit in the past few years and his character really can't be used to put over up-and-coming stars, but he will be kept for the same reason Hogan was, star value. [/QUOTE] Your reasoning is sound, but I disagee with the idea his work has suffered recently. Even going back to WM21 his feud with Orton produced a series of strong matches, his match with Angle at No Way Out 06 was one of his best ever, his feud with Kennedy was strong and both matches with Batista have been entertaining as hell. I'd say that, other than his feud with Khali (and really, how can you blame Taker for those matches), his recent ringwork is among the best matches of his entire career.

[HughBatey4]

I can blame Taker for his matches with Khali and smile. Somebody of Taker's level should be able to carry even the greenest of rookies. Also, three of the four feuds you have mentioned are with people of above-average wrestling ability. Orton at that time wasn't as lazy as he is now, Angle was at his prime in WWE, and Kennedy is working 110% because he hasn't been given the belt yet. That leaves Batista, Taker obviously carried Batista in those matches. Let's talk about some other feuds that you conveintly forgot to mention: - Booker T / King Booker (pathetic matches, wasted time) - Mark Henry (no comment, anything with Henry is destined to fail) - The Dudleyz - John "Bradshaw" Layfield - Heidenreich (not entirely Taker's fault) Explain those...

[PeterHilton]

Explain what? It's not like The Undertaker is some stellar worker who became famous for his consistent quality matches. You said his ringwork has dropped off. I pointed out that over the last few years he's put in some great performances. Even with your examples, UT has basically delivered a good match half the time he went out to the ring. Look back over his career: that's The Undertaker. Some good. Some bad. So there's been no drop off. He's an average worker who can deliver when he has the right opponent. He's ALWAYS been an average worker who could deliver with the right opponent. So to say his work has suffered would mean that he's stinking up the joint when he wrestles. And he's not. As you said, based on his character, its hard for him to put younger wrestlers over, but he's also more an "event" than a wrestler. He's fun to watch, he draws, and he moves merchandise. Throw in how he's performing in the ring and Undertaker is almost exactly the same worker he was 10 years ago.

[djthefunkchris]

Jeesh, Taker is only a couple years older then me (if that), and younger then my wife... I'm glad she doesn't read this. The way you guys are talking is as if he's in his 70's or something, and has a "Hard Time" healing? Why would he have a hard time healing.. Wouldn't be any harder for him then for Kennedy to heal..... Maybe a 12 year old would heal faster, or anyone that hasn't stopped growing yet... I'm really starting to think these boards REALLY believe that the TEW stats are "real".... People do not start getting weaker at age 30.... Taker is as strong now as he was 10 years ago, trust me, and he will heal just as fast. If anything, he will heal faster... He's stronger, just as agile, etc...

[HughBatey4]

You forget the profession he's in, Chris. Wrestling is a high impact, high risk business. Not being walk without pain is an everyday thing for wrestler's. When you push your body beyond it's limitations, then yes, when you finally break down, it's hard to repair that damage.

[PeterHilton]

chris, what are you talking about? I know you're the "postive guy" but c'mon...anyone who knows anything about any kind of professional athlete knows that they slow down, they get weaker, and it takes them longer to recover as they age due to the sheer amount of wear and tear on their body. A basketball player will sprain an ankle and come back the next game in their 20s..the same injury puts them out for two weeks 10 years later. NFL players routinely retire in their thirties due to an injury that they've previously reocvered and rehabilitated from. And baseball players are statistically proven to slow down (unless they 'mysteriously' have heads the size of blimps) after the age of 30. There's a reason its called "your athletic prime." Taker's a tough guy, but he's also human. And if this puts him on the shelf for an extended period its going to be harder for him to come back from. Its only natural.

[djthefunkchris]

.......... Jeesh... Sorry... in fact, I'm not posting that.. I just cut out a huge part of this post.. All it said was what injuries I've had (and not all of them), but somehow it was alot more then I even figured on... Anyways, My whole point was, there are lots of people that suffer injuries just as bad, if not worse then alot of wrestler's do, just doing everyday things.. on the job, playing ball, whatever. That's there job.. or what they want to do for a living... Any job that is physical can be just as demanding, and for someone that has never done it, they would be shocked... Cena thought that Basic training with the Marine's was bad/tough/hard.. I can think of alot of things he would think was bad in that case. His body being punished in the ring, isn't as much of a factor to me as say... Kurt Angle's problems, lol. Undertaker seems to have taken time off to heal up (smartly) plenty of times. He's bassicaly only a main player about 1/4th the time, or so it seems.

[djthefunkchris]

[QUOTE=PeterHilton;230425]chris, what are you talking about? I know you're the "postive guy" but c'mon...anyone who knows anything about any kind of professional athlete knows that they slow down, they get weaker, and it takes them longer to recover as they age due to the sheer amount of wear and tear on their body. A basketball player will sprain an ankle and come back the next game in their 20s..the same injury puts them out for two weeks 10 years later. NFL players routinely retire in their thirties due to an injury that they've previously reocvered and rehabilitated from. And baseball players are statistically proven to slow down (unless they 'mysteriously' have heads the size of blimps) after the age of 30. There's a reason its called "your athletic prime." Taker's a tough guy, but he's also human. And if this puts him on the shelf for an extended period its going to be harder for him to come back from. Its only natural.[/QUOTE] We are talking about Taker though... He's not a hugely active part of the roster (I mean recently yes, but ussually, NO). He will only be out as long as anyone else would be in my eyes... Unless he's suffered alot of stuff I'm unaware of in the past? Yes, but I can name you just as many older guys that have recovered just as fast as younger guys... all you have to do is a quick search on it. My point is, unless it's something really critical (which it could very well be)... It's not in the works... And the injury sounds like a weight lifting injury to me... Like he was doing some curls he shouldn't have been doing or something.

[Jasx12]

chris, Taker will be slower healing. I'm guaranteeing that if I suffered the same injury at my age (19), I would heal faster. It's the same reason that if a 23 year old blows an ACL playing football (Willis McGahee) he can come back. If a 33 year old does the same thing, his career is over.

[djthefunkchris]

[QUOTE=Jasx12;230434]chris, Taker will be slower healing. I'm guaranteeing that if I suffered the same injury at my age (19), I would heal faster. It's the same reason that if a 23 year old blows an ACL playing football (Willis McGahee) he can come back. If a 33 year old does the same thing, his career is over.[/QUOTE] I think there is a complete difference in using real sports compared to Wrestling.... Most sports have a fitness program they MUST utilize... whereas Wrestling is more of a "You should do it", most sports are "Oh, Your doing this too". Like a pitcher throwing their arm out at 23, compared to one at 33... the guy at 23 might end up pitching again at 25, but at 35... The guy will probably just retire, pluss him getting the same "treatment" as before won't happen... He would have to proove himself all over again, and a younger guy is going to be more willing to go through it then an older guy (just mentally). I'm not saying age shouldn't factor... but I am saying that he is not "OLD". It's going to factor, but it's not going to be an incredible amount of time (for example, a couple days to a couple months is not accurate). If it takes you at 19 a month to recover it, how much longer do you think it will take a 40 year old man to recover from the same injury? I'm just not going to "believe" you in this, your really going to have to proove it to me... There is alot more factor's an older guy takes into consideration over injuries, then a younger guy will (Marriage, kids, etc.). Now, over time, injuries DO CATCH UP TO YOU, but you have to have the injuries in the first place... And, just for the record... If you have an injury at age 19, and I have the same exact injury at 39, we are going to have the same problems over the same amount of time.... Like say a slipped disc (that is untreated, because you can still perform)...You can ride that out for 10 or 15 years without it really messing with you, but at age 34 it's going to become bothersome to you... If I suffer the same fate at 39, then it's going to start effecting me around 54. So all I'm saying is if this is Taker's first go-round with this injury, he shouldn't be out any longer then Kenny D would have been... bassically.

[Jasx12]

Oh, I agree with the slipped disc bit. Returning from a muscle tear is different though. Plus, wrestling is still a contact sport, bodies deteriorate. I'm not saying there will be a huge difference, but younger bodies are just able to bounce back much quicker on the whole. If we are talking about Taker and pro athletes though, it would only be a few weeks difference, because most of the guys that can actually go (not like the Mark Henry/Visceras of the world) are in peak athletic condition and it wouldn't make a huge difference. For the average person though, age is a big factor.

[Remianen]

chris, I have a question for you. How many hours of sleep do you NEED now? I mean, how much sleep must you have just so you can function properly? Now, how much sleep did you NEED when you were 18-19? Are those numbers equal? What everyone's trying to tell you is that as the human body ages, it takes longer to recover from everything. While yes, you can train the body to recover faster, it's not going to completely retard the aging process. Do you honestly think bone density issues ONLY crop up when you're in your 70s? No, it's a gradual process that comes about as a result of the aging process. While you're right that Taker has often taken little hiatuses in recent years, this isn't the same thing. This time, he was being asked to be "The Man" and now, as a result of this injury, he's going to be out 6 (minimum) to 9 months. That's a human gestation period. Isn't this an injury similar to the one that put Batista on the shelf (tricep tear in Dave's case, bicep for 'Taker). He and Taker are around the same age, aren't they? Now, given the common suspicion that Batista's on the juice and/or HGH (or was), which reputedly speeds up recovery time, how long was Dave out of action? As far as an older "player" not getting the same level of treatment as a younger guy, how'd you come to that conclusion? History shows that most innovative medical procedures for sports injuries are developed for people who are OLDER players. How old was Tommy John when he had the surgery that now bears his name? Was the cadaver ligament/graft surgical procedure for major knee injuries (most recently used on Carson Palmer) developed for a 22 year old....or for someone pushing 40? Seriously, medical science is highly skewed toward older people for a very good reason. If you partially tear your ACL at 19, you can rehab it without surgery. Do it at 29 and surgery is ALWAYS recommended. Wonder why that is....

[Undertaker666]

[QUOTE=PeterHilton;230069]you just gave Undertaker666 an aneurism.[/QUOTE] B...b...crrckk...arrcckkkk....ghhhh..... [quote=HughBatey]I can blame Taker for his matches with Khali and smile. Somebody of Taker's level should be able to carry even the greenest of rookies. Let's talk about some other feuds that you conveintly forgot to mention: - Booker T / King Booker (pathetic matches, wasted time) - Mark Henry (no comment, anything with Henry is destined to fail) - The Dudleyz - John "Bradshaw" Layfield - Heidenreich (not entirely Taker's fault) Explain those...[/quote] I doubt anyone could have a good match with Khali, not even Benoit, Angle, Bret Hart or Lance Storm. He's just absolutely useless. Booker T - matches weren't bad but nothing special. Mark Henry - He made Henry look quite good and that's not easy to do. Plus he did the Tombstone on Henry, that's quite a feat in itself. The Dudleyz - Good matches and an interesting idea, not sure what you're on about with bringing up The Dudleyz? JBL - He had some awesome matches with JBL! I very rarely liked the ending because he was always screwed over but that's another matter entirely. Heidenreich - Good feud, but average matches due to Heidenreich. Question: How can you say their matches weren't entirely 'Takers fault and yet you can say it's 'Takers fault for bad matches against Khali? [quote=djthefunkchris]He's stronger, just as agile, etc...[/quote] I'd agree that he's stronger but he's not as agile as he once was. As much of a 'Taker fan that I am, I cringe everytime he ducks under a clothesline and delivers his jumping clothesline. He hasn't done that move correctly in about 8 years! :p [quote]djthefunkchris]I think there is a complete difference in using real sports compared to Wrestling[/quote] WRESTLING'S STILL REAL TO ME!!! ;)