51-year-old former WWE Superstar reveals he almost died earlier this year

A 51-year-old former WWE Superstar has shared how he almost died earlier this year and his road to recovery.

Stevie Richards spent nine years with WWE before being released in 2008. The veteran was a part of the Blue World Order faction and was the leader of Right to Censor, a group that condemned WWE's risque content. After his departure from the company, his career continued on the independent scene, but a recent health scare almost took his life.

Stevie Richards discussed his spine infection with Chris Van Vliet on the Insight podcast. He noted that the Mayo Clinic was scared that he would be dead soon with how fast the infection was spreading:

"It had already eaten like half of my L4 and L5, and the entire disc was gone, and it was already working into L2 and L3. So, Mayo Clinic was really scared that at this pace, within a week this happened. Number one, even if we don't know what is wrong with this guy after a painful spine biopsy, we're going to start him on broad-spectrum antibiotics right away because we've got to stop this infection. Because if it gets to his brain, it doesn't take a super intelligent person to figure out if an infection gets to your brain, it is over," he said. [From 02:12 - 02:48]

Thankfully, the infection was dealt with fast enough that Stevie Richards was able to recover. You can check out the full clip from the Insight podcast in the video below.

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WWE veteran Stevie Richards says he is essentially retired

Stevie Richards admitted that his in-ring career has likely ended following his health scare.

During his conversation with Chris Van Vliet on the Insight podcast, Stevie Richards stated that he is close to feeling 100% but is still very early in the recovery process. He added that his time in the ring is likely over due to how long it will take for him to fully recover:

“I really don’t know about that. I mean, but the spine infection and the fact that two discs and four levels of my vertebrae are eaten away, and I need them to naturally fuse over 12-18 months, essentially right now I’m done," he said. [H/T: Wrestling News]

Despite the health scare, the veteran remains in good spirits on his road to recovery. We at Sportskeeda wish the former WWE star good health and quick recovery process.

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