Former AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter was out of action for over a year due to injury. She made her long-awaited return at AEW All In before she had her first match back on the August 28 episode of AEW Dynamite.
Speaking on Close Up with Renee Paquette, Jamie Hayter discussed her injury.
“So I completely herniated two discs in my back. I wasn’t even aware of the injury until it was really bad, until I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t even stand up straight. My body was at an angle, I just couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t laugh, I couldn’t sneeze, I couldn’t cough, I couldn’t sit down, I couldn’t stand in the shower, I couldn’t lay down on my back, I couldn’t do really anything. I thought it was like a sciatica at first. And I kept going to the gym, I kept wrestling, I did a f*cking skydive on my birthday because I felt really good that day.
“I was like, I really want to do it, so I’m gonna do it, and then after that, I was like, ‘Oh god, maybe I shouldn’t have done that.’ Because I wasn’t aware of the significance of the injury until I just couldn’t walk, and I had to call it, like I can’t do this, I’m in too much pain 24/7. It would wake me up in the middle of the night. Awful, wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy honestly.”
Jamie Hayter On Her Recovery
Hayter was then asked about talking to the doctor, and she recalled learning of her diagnosis. She also commented on her recovery and noted that she avoided getting surgery.
“It wasn’t too bad. I was happy because I was not in the know for so long, and I just really wanted to know what it was, and I wanted to get on the road to recovery,” Jamie Hayter said. “It was a bad place to be in. The recovery was hard, but it was really good to know. So now, if it ever happens again, I kinda of know what to look out for, I know the signs and things like that. I’m just glad I didn’t have to have a surgery or anything. Just physical therapy, lots of back injections, and we’re good to go.”
Jamie Hayter On Doubting She Would Return
During the interview, Hayter was also asked whether there was a moment that she doubted that she would come back, and she admitted that there was.
“Absolutely, and sometimes it wasn’t necessarily the injury, it was, I don’t know if I want to. It got to a point where I was like, I don’t know if I even want to do it again. I don’t know why, I think I it was just the pain and everything that had happened, I just really wasn’t sure. It was almost like I had to find myself again, find my purpose and find my passion to do it again.”
Jamie Hayter On Finding Her Passion Again
When asked how she found her passion again, Hayter emphasized getting back in the ring and training again as two key factors.
“I think when the pain from my injury kind of subsided a little bit. That’s when I could see the light a little bit more,” Hayter said. “I was in pain constantly. It was not a fun injury. I was bed-bound for months, I couldn’t do anything. I could watch stuff on my phone and lay in bed and read some books and stuff like that. But when the pain subsided, I could start moving again, and I think for me personally, being physical, that’s my enjoyment. That’s what I do best. So getting back into a gym, the first time I got back into a ring, that was…I felt alive again.
“The first time I hit my body on the mat again, it felt good. Painful, but felt good. It was honestly just being back in the ring again because I couldn’t visualize myself in it. I watched AEW at home, and I just couldn’t imagine myself doing it, I couldn’t imagine myself being in front of however many people. It was a really weird space to be in. But I think when the cogs start turning again and things start falling into place, you just kind of mindset of, no, wait, I can, and I want to.”
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