Following her WWE release, Steph De Lander started performing around the independent circuit to make a name for herself. After gaining some momentum, she became a big name in TNA Wrestling in the early phase of 2023 and that stint was further extended until the end of the year but then the road was further marred by injuries.
At the TNA Victory Road 2024 special event in San Antonio, Texas, the anticipated tag team match between Rhino & PCO and Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander was scrapped due to the same reason. In an emotional turn of events, the latter took to the microphone and shared with the audience that she would be undergoing neck surgery to fix a long-standing issue.
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Following the announcement of neck surgery, Steph De Lander has now shared details about the procedure of the surgery and potential recovery plans from this. In the conversation via her YouTube podcast, she revealed how important this surgery is going to be for her wrestling career. She also mentioned the serious risks of injuries and even paralysis if she kept on wrestling without fixing the problem.
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Steph De Lander wants to secure a lengthy wrestling career
Speaking with her fiancée Mance Warner, Steph De Lander revealed that it will be a fusion of C5-C6, discectomy in terms of her surgery. She has already taken advice from wrestlers who had undergone his process and gained benefits in the long term. Ultimately, she also wants to secure a healthy and fulfilling wrestling career which was disclosed to be the ultimate reason behind this surgery.
“So, if I have the option to do this surgery, which would be a fusion of C5-C6, discectomy, and recover and come back, which is a surgery that lots of wrestlers have had previously,” Steph De Lander noted. “I’ve spoken to multiple wrestlers that have had the exact same surgery and have returned to wrestling, and they’ve all said that they feel [like] a million bucks, that it’s the best thing they ever did.”
It was also asserted by Steph De Lander that many might feel this to be reckless at this stage of her career but she has long-term goals in mind. Per her feelings, it’ll be worth it to have this surgery and be away from the wrestling scene in what she feels to be a six-month-long hiatus following the surgical procedure,
“It feels very, very reckless when I want to have a long career to risk a really serious neck injury. So that’s kind of where I’m at. That’s the answer for everyone. It’s going to be a fusion of a C5-C6. Is it career-ending? Absolutely not. How long am I going to be out? Probably six-plus months, maybe a little bit longer, and that’s just the way it is.” (quotes courtesy Ringside News)
