Early in my WWE career, I suffered an injury within the first few seconds of a match. In this video, I share what went wrong and how my opponent and I worked through it.
I think it's the safest thing he could have done, if I'm being honest here. It gives the ref time to stop christian and alert him something is wrong. The out of ring bit is probably the only reason he didn't really fuck his body up. If he'd have continued in the ring, he wouldn't be able to stop christian and tell him what's going on because they would be going at it pretty heavily. IIRC Christian was a hard ass in the ring and didn't let up much. Subverting christians expectations and throwing him out of the ring is a huge sign something is wrong. Keep in mind, Maven is still very new to the scene and throwing someone over the ropes isn't normally something the rookies do, that's saved for the bigger named people and hardcore competitors. Maven has said quite a number of times the best way you can protect yourself is to trust your opponent to take care of you. Christian may not have been everyone's favorite, but he is definitely an incredibly good wrestler.
Crazy that he's still feeling it. I have three injuries.. One I don't feel at all, and two I still feel. First one I dropped a scooter right on my nail of my big toe. My whole toe turned blue/black which was just the blood needing to be drained which I did and it went back to normal color. Toenail then rotted off, and you can smell it when it's coming off.. yuck.. To this day 8 years later I cannot squeeze that toe without it hurting. Second was playing football I dislocated my left ring finger going up to catch a pass. Our QB was a former college QB so he throws pretty hard. It was a bit high and it dislocated my finger. I didn't notice until I tried to pick the ball up and none of my fingers would work. I wouldn't pick the ball up. I pull off my glove and my left ring finger was sideways lol.. It didn't hurt at all though. I pulled up on the finger and it just felt like I was cracking my knuckles and it went right back in and I continued to play. The next day it was swollen a bit, and I had a little pain for about a week, but I didn't miss any games, and it was my left hand so it was no big. Third was a dislocated thumb. THAT ONE HURT, and I still feel this one today when I bend my thumb. It's gotten better after I started doing thumb stretches so it's not so bad anymore. I got it trying to push a 100lbs box across a metal shelf and it hit the middle lip and immediately stopped in its place, but I was still pushing it. Thumb bent all the way back and then went right back into socket. This one though I tore ligaments, and the next day my hand was swollen and bruised. After it healed I was still pretty stiff and it still hurt a year later so a Dr. started me on stretches and some fidget toys that would use the thumb. Today it hurts only when I bend it wrong to bend it too fast, but the pain is down significantly since I started stretches and playing with fidget toys.
This shows how good you guys really are. You break your leg and yet are able to communicate and finish the match and the audience has no idea. Well done.
@@TheSophisticatedSavage yeah the moment you sit down and start to rest it, that's when it feels like your nervous system kicks in and you start feeling the severe pain of it. I dislocated my shoulder as well as broke multiple fingers playing American Football in a single game back in high school and managed to finish the game as an offensive lineman and actually maintain my blocks. I got the mvp for that game and when I finally sat down to take my pads off in the locker room, it all kicked in and my right arm could no longer move. The human body is amazingly fragile and resiliant.
@@TheSophisticatedSavage Thats very impressive most of the highest level soccer players would just be flopping on the ground immediately after a injury.
@EBC-ENT "Owen and Austin ending was stupid and exposed wrestling being fake as hell." ... yeah it's so odd, before that moment when they exposed it, everyone thought wrestling was real... 🙄
Man, this has been one of the most binge-able RU-vid channels I’ve seen in a long time. I was a huge WWE fan during your career when I was only 11 years old and remember you very well. Keep doing what you’re doing Maven, I hope life treats you well.
The fact that you knew to throw Christian out to alert the ref and finish up shows how good you were even months in. Christian helped obviously, but you had crazy composure considering the training you had.
Al always told us, if (when) your hurt in ring, build separation and take stock of how bad it is. Can you finish? Should you stop? Just try not to rush. He prepared us well, but in the end Christian got me through
I know adrenaline is the answer, but I'm still amazed he was able to still pull off a leap over the top rope, climbing to the turnbuckle twice and bracing to lift Christian all with a broken leg... that's insane.
@@MavenKHuffmanOne of the many things I respect about you, sir. You’re so quick to deflect praise on to others, and on the other hand are slow to talk trash or point fingers. That kind of spirit is contagious, bro, and one of the many reasons I’ve loved your content so far. God bless..
@@damndippindots560exactly, if Maven f'ed up he'll tell you he f'ed up, so many others would try pin the blame on someone else even if it was on them. I have no problem with making mistakes, we're all human and everyone makes mistakes, it's how you react to said mistakes that determine whether you have my respect or not and Maven certainly has my respect.
Not only did you finish the match Maven, I can't believe you did a plancha to Christian to the outside, and continued to climb the rope during the match. I can understand why your respect grew backstage, I hope everyone who sees this video understands the balls it took to do what you did that night. Thanks for the upload!
I have broken my ankle just last week during my job…. The fact that you continue to work after you did that makes me respect you much much more than I already do. Anybody who never broke their ankle it hurts like a mother….much respect
Christian has always been ridiculously good. People are finally really seeing it now all these years later in AEW… Sorry you had such an injury so early man. Very good job working through and covering it up. 🤟🔥
I love the respect shown in this business, Maven is putting Christian over as a pro while right now hes arguably doing the best character work of his career in aew. It may be a bit of a coincidence, but its still showing respect and for Teddy Long. And then Maven also points out he got some respect for finishing too, which is good to hear. I suspect its a future video topic, but i can't imagine all the talent was happy with Maven's fastlane to wwe via tough enough and thought he had more dues to pay. Well he sure did here. Great content Maven, you are a breath of fresh air.
Christian is truly one of the best ever. He's doing fantastic in AEW. Probably the best thing in the whole company. Hope he gets his flowers and we see him conducting business as the AEW World Champion soon!
I feel really proud of you Maven, even with the leg broken you still delivered high risk moves and you finished the match as well. Love seeing you explain the side of WWE people don't see. Keep it up with these amazing videos!
I find the subject of adrenaline fascinating. I remember Jim Duggan describing some crazy injuries he had, and how he felt no pain, not because he's tough (although he is tough, obivously) but simply because of the amount of adrenaline going through his body. It's insane what the body can do. - Great video, Maven, you big bald tough bastard!
I love this channel because young Maven is like a default character among what’s otherwise the best era and class of wrestling. Something tells me that wrestling is gonna get better in the long run with more channels like this
I was there, May 28 2002 at the Saddledome in Calgary! My grandpa was at the hospital in Calgary that night as well. Grandma walked around a hospital hallway corner and saw 6 foot 4 400lbs of Mark Henry standing in front of her, scared herself half to death. Lol said she's never seen a human that big before 😂
The greatest night of torries life or your's Maven? 😂 You were a part of my childhood, first watched you in 2001 and it's so great to see you back connecting with the fans. Wish you all the best Maven
Oh man, the slow down truly shows how brutal - and how quick - that was. And you went right into the hiptoss, and over the rope? Man….you guys did an amazing job here working this situation out.
Wow that was terrible luck but thankfully you were able to finish. A broken leg is bad but thank God it wasn't as bad as the infamous Sid Vicious broken leg. That still gives me nightmares to this day. Thank goodness you were able to do the match and you deserve a lot of credit for that. We all have a cravin for Maven!
I remember seeing this! It looked brutal, and I'm sorry it went wrong. But thank you for continuing to post these insightful videos! You really show all the nooks and crannies of what goes on behind the scenes, and I really hope you can get into possibly doing commentary! You've certainly got the voice and charisma for it!
I remember watching you as a kid, really interesting to see you explain the stuff a lot of us never realized or noticed back then. Extremely well put together content!
Best wrestling content on youtube right now. Love ya. You wrestlers are mad. Watching you wrestle with a broken leg was legit heartbreaking. Maven you rock.
Meh I guess you could say he was under utilized but I think he had a much better career then a lot of people want to look back on. He was entrenched in the middle before he left to go to TNA but he was doing some solid work. He showed he could be an upper level dude there and when he came back to the WWE he was in world title (yeah I get it was the ECW belt) programs for a good chunk of the time when he returned. He was the longest holder of that ECW title while it was with the WWE. He got to win the WHC a couple times. Had a solid IC reign too. And before he was forced to retire the first time he was involved in title programs still. I get that he talent to be more in the title picture then he was for a long time like an Edge let’s say but I think people look down on what he did achieve and discount a ton of accomplishments, especially returning at a higher position after he bet on himself to leave for TNA for a few years, because they think he needed to have been even higher up than he was. Comes across almost like what otherwise would be looked upon as a really strong career overall as being underused because we saw what happened with edge and that since he wasn’t elevated quite that high that it was a failure and I disagree with that take. Sometimes just because a dude wasn’t a forever world champ doesn’t mean he was used badly but rather that he filled an integral role for so long in the middle tiers where he got people to care about more than just the main event on the show compared to a lot of other people in that same position who couldn’t do that and simply filled a role that a lot of people really didn’t care much about either way like we’ve had with the IC and US belts for so much of the recent years with some outlier exceptions happening here and there.
Damn Stevie Richards is right. Referees should protect the wrestlers from themselves, otherwise THEY WILL continue. However, mad respect for you Maven!!
What good are these grown men if they get injured and to be taken off tv after requiring surgery and losing their spots? Sometimes it just is not worth the risk.
@@camerondalton1495 a ref cannot judge the severity of an injury to call off a match on live tv...it's up to the wrestler to say he can't continue..u know Vince would chew the ref's ass and probably fire him..Vince has fired refs before for trivial things. Even after Owen hart's death the show must go on with Owen's blood on the mat...tells u everything about Vince
@@anon2414being a professional and being a danger to ones self is different. Maven in this case, broke his leg, and in turn almost broke his neck. I think the ref could call an audible every now and then. Mox got hurt fairly bad and it should have been stopped.
@@anon2414 right.. i'm glad the few ppl are coming to realize the lvl of DOUCHEBAGGERY vinny mcNUMBNUTS really is... with that being said i'm glad Mavin finished the match and if I could stand like he did I would have finished too... by doing this everybody in the business will know that you're a 'worker' and your position anywhere would be secure for a long time... until you f it up ofc
Thank you always for the content 🙏. I did not know / follow wrestling closely ever but love hearing about behind the scenes truth about the business. Please keep up the content. Every topic that you choose is interesting & I'm not even a fan. Did not know you were a wrestler b4 finding your current channel.
This man has so much charisma and is so well spoken. He should have been the intercontinental champion at the very least. I’m always going to love him from tough enough and he had some great moments and matches.
Maven, given the grueling schedule and physical demands of professional wrestling, it's understandable that athletes like yourself might face challenges such as nighttime leg cramps. Can you shed some light on the strategies or remedies employed by pro wrestlers to alleviate these discomforts? Considering the constant physical strain on your muscles, how did you and your fellow wrestlers cope with and prevent these cramps, ensuring a good night's rest and optimal performance in the ring?
DDP Yoga A lot of retired wrestlers, and some that are still active, are using it and it has been said to be very much a lifesaver for some of them, like Jake Roberts Oh yes, and obviously painkillers
The fact that you didn't through the 'X' alone was inhuman! Let alone completing all the spots and finish the match perfectly! Tons of Respect for you Man!
A baseball slide looks easy but I've seen it go wrong. A kid that my son's team was playing against slid into third base and broke a bone. That happened during the first game of the season. Definitely a terrible way to start the spring.
I burned by gym trousers with one. We were playing that game where one person turns people into nonmoving zombies and you're supposed to go back and forth the hall and survive as long as possible. I was one of the last ones and tried to baseball slide under a zombie's grip. It kinda failed and I noticed why, my polyester trousers couldn't take the friction of the floor and had melted while my skin caught the floor...
I remember watching smack down tv show when I was a child...pretty cool to finally know all the tricks and the dialogues the wrestlers had, thanks for the video
Huge respect Maven, remember watching you beginning on Smackdown in 2002 and also your feud with Shelton Benjamin in 2005! Getting heat from the crowd at new years revolution hahaha
I really appreciate your content, those insights you provide are very interesting, giving answers to questions all wrestling fans might have had at least once during watching a show. For me it's even more interesting because I grew up with the 2003-2005 era of WWE, so it's cool to get first hand impressions on how the business worked back then, how the wrestlers interacted with each other, and so on. Keep it up Maven, I wish you the very best.
As a kid I thought wrestlers were Gods. Now that I watch these behind the scene videos about what it was really like... they are EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE to me!!! Great channel!
I trained tkd, kickboxing and shotokan karate, and at one point I messed up my knee due to failed jump-landing. So I know how it hurts like hell. Mad respect for you Maven for having your leg broken but choosing to finish the match.
I broke an ankle and a hand in a shoot fight and still got through (and won). Adrenaline is a hell of a drug. I wish I could have been a wrestler. Good show my man. Loving hearing about all this stuff.
What is really insane is this channel has fewer than 20 videos. Less than 15 full length videos and it already has 135k subscribers. And Im willing to bet he'll be well over 200k by Christmas of 2023. It usually takes most decent sized RU-vid channels 100+videos and a few years to reach these kinds of numbers. This is amazing original content that really tells a unique behind the scenes persprective that gives fans a tremendous amount of insight in the wrestling business. Good on ya Maven for finding a creative outlet that truly is entertaining.
Much respect for how you finished the match with that injury! Keep up with the awesome content! It brings me back to the days when I was a huge WWF/E fan, and it’s refreshing to get your perspective on all your experiences in the company.
I stopped watching wrestling in 1999 or so, and in my late teenage years, I was a huge fan, being from Montreal I went to every shows (from the shitty house shows to the infamous survivor series where the « Montreal screwjob » happenned) I watched both Wwf and Wcw every week before that; I remember stopping just a few weeks after the finger poke of doom for some reason I had lost all interest by then) but even though I don’t really know Maven I really like his channel and the way he tells his stories. Thanks for the content man ! It makes me think that I should have stuck around for a few more years :)
I love to hear stories like this from behind the scenes! I always loved seeing you wrestle. You and I both have bad ankles. Mine stays a bit swollen. Love the way you powered through! Hope you are doing well and enjoying these videos! Love ya Maven!!
Considering you were only less than a year into your career. You handled the injury a way a wrestling veteran would. Good to see things are doing well for you. I'm still a fan of yours since 2001.
Mark my words. WWE will hire him back. He is becoming a huge name again with this channel. He is amazing on the mic. As good as anyone else in WWE right now. Sign him!
He would be better off with AEW. He’d have far more creative control. I’d love to see him thrive with some independence. We all know WWE allows it’s talent zero creative liberty.
I’m on my 3rd month of workers comp right now because I had a very similar break at work. They had to lift me onto a wheelchair. You were jumping over the top rope. I can’t freaking imagine. You boys don’t get enough credit. Much love from Alberta Canada
People from that generation just operates differently. Given taker and hhh working through matches with serious injury he probably wants to know who’s worthy of being pushed to the main event and who isn’t.
@@tanyanankiatsuranon9187 I wouldn’t class someone as a worthy main eventer just because they finished a match with a broken leg, or any other injury for that matter. I also don’t think someone isn’t worthy of a main event spot for not continuing a match with a broken leg. Vince is just a crazy fella all round 😂
I know exactly what you mean about the effects beyond the actual break to the bone Maven - I broke my ankle in 2010 (to be more clear it was broken by somebody else when playing football), and had to get screws in the ankle (still there today). The bones healed fully within 9 months, but the longer term effects have been knock-on issues with my knee due to compensating with the way I've moved on it, and resulted in further surgeries in both 2019 and earlier this year. So more than a decade on the effects of that ankle break remain, but not with the bones. If you've been having similar long-term issues with soft tissue I feel for you man, as most people don't understand this having not gone through it themselves.
love your content Maven keep up the great content ♥️ It's cool to hear your insight on Wrestling and stuff. This is my favorite RU-vidr in the Wrestling Community!
I remember when the same spot happened to Jericho and Neville, not sure how bad was Neville’s injury though but you, Christian and Teddy definitely did better. Christian showing the characteristics of a great father even way back in WWE.
I think it would be fun to see you and Christian go at it some more. These days he is a father figure helping out those who have no fathers over in AEW and setting them on the right path. Maybe someone from his past could set him a bit straight. Maybe if more people from his past comes to confront him, maybe, just maybe, he could have a change of heart or you all can beat him a lesson into him
Man I swear I really hope someone from Fox becomes aware of your channel and see's just how proffesional and everything you are now. And gives you an opportunity to be a part of the product again as either a presenter or announcer. You would fit so well and would be a great way to finish things up properly.
Man Christian is amazing, you guys handled this really scary situation very well, now adays probably best to stop the match, but credit to you for continuing this match must’ve been painful
It sucks that Maven was seriously injured and he felt obligated to risk even worse injury by continuing the match because the megalomaniac running the company cares more about kayfabe than the health of his "independent contractors."
100% this. I can even understand that Triple H was always finishing his matches when he was injured ( because usually he was in Main Event). But on taped Smackdown? C'mon man
These guys are pros so theyll finish the match if they can,, he could finish so he did simple. Vince gets a lot of shyte but he was running a wrestling company not a hospital ffs.
Bummer, someone who just doesnt "get it". I have never been a wrestler, but I have 100% finished games hurt, and hurt bad. And no "megalomaniac" had anything to do eith it. Its called "bein a man". Largely forgotten in this day n age of course but, not completely!
Maven, I just wanted to say I have watched you since day one on tough enough and I NEVER realized how personable, genuine and all around likable you truly are! I’m so glad you made this channel and I’m truly proud to call myself a life long fan of yours. Thank you for being so transparent with us and for sharing these stories. Us fans since Y2K will always love and support you!!
Hey Mav, alot of respect for you and Christian for pulling thru and coordinating under pressure. I can't imagine the pain of jumping off a broken leg or even constantly banging against the mat. Respect for the pull thru and respect for Christian for knowing what to do. I also have a question for future videos. Does commentary also know how the match is suppose to play out, as far as moves, or do they just react unknowingly to what's happening in the ring?
I’m not Maven but yes the commentary team used to know the results and the time allotted for each and every match until Vince decided to change it, as he wanted the commentary team to give genuine reactions
Christian has told the story about how years later in a match with Sheamus he (Christian) did a baseball slide and thought he broke his leg. Turned out to be a high ankle sprain, but he referenced his match with you as the Baseball slide being a move that’s more dangerous than people would think.
Notes that I get from this vid: 1. Guy catapulted off the ropes with a broken freakin leg 2. Imagine what kind of momentum Maven coulda got if he didn't break his leg here. Making out with Torrie Wilson, entering a feud with Tajiri, fans got the maven signs. This injury here might have destroyed the whole push. 3. There are people that don't even make 50k today, so I'm thinking the 50k in the early 2000s didn't suck that bad.
It's a short carrer, as most are offloaded within 3-5 years. Thus, losing a long period of the high earnings really hurts your post-WWE financial prospects
Christian is truly one of the best ever. Glad he's doing fantastic in AEW. Probably the best thing in the whole company. Hope he gets his flowers and we see him conducting business as the AEW World Champion soon!
I broke my ankle / leg in in the exact same direction a couple of years ago. I was skateboarding a sloped quarter pipe and lost my footing. My foot twisted to the outside and went under me as I leaned back. I put all my weight in it and shattered my fibula and bottom of my tibia. All of the tendons and ligaments basically exploded. I CAN VOUCH FOR THE PAIN YOU MUST HAVE BEEN IN AND KUDOS TO YOU FOR CONTINUING THE MATCH THE WAY YOU DID!! THAT IS DAMN NEAR SUPER HUMAN! It took me 3 months to heal and get back to work but I can still feel the damage after 2 years. The pins and needles feeling took almost a full year to go away. Cheers to you Mave!! Always loved watching you work back in the day and love binge watching your channel now. Love your insights and all the behind the curtain stuff you talk about! Keep up the great work and have yourself a very Merry Christmas!! Much love!!
Maven I don’t remember you during that era! I started watching a bit more ahead just when you left wwe but I wished I watched you during your time because you were so much fun and motivated as I see watching your channel :( but ey I feel like I’m watching wwe all over again but this time with you in it boss !!!!!! Keep it up brodie awesome phenomenal channel that’s why I subscribed
A good employer makes money for his business so his employees make more money as well. Thats how you care for your employees. Wrestlers nowadays can afford trainers, massages and other shit because vince made them money
Everytime you walk out onto the stage , I get excited, almost like I can feel the excitement of the crowd through you. I'm blessed you was part of the show.
