This past weekend at AEW Forbidden Door, Will Ospreay was officially written off television as he is set to undergo surgery fortwo herniated discs in his neck, a procedure that is projected to keep him out of action for nearly a year. A major operation like Ospreay's can usually make the rehabilitation processboth physically and mentally challenging a battle that may only be escalated by the "Aerial Assassin's" history of depression. That said, in a recent edition of the "Wrestling Observer Radio," Dave Meltzer shared that Adam Copeland has been instrumental in helping Ospreay with his journey with depression, especially since the "Rated-R Superstar" also has experience enduring a career-altering procedure.
"He suffered a lot of depression issues over the years, sometimes really bad and I know Adam Copeland was very nice to him. You know, Adam Copeland's been through the same thing essentially that he has and just wanted to help him through it," Meltzer said. "I guess Adam Copeland basically told him that there's different stages that he's going to have to go through ... first one is the surgery, the pain from the surgery, the early recovery from the surgery when you just can't do anything and it's just hard. And then comes the second part which is you start to heal and everything but it's that waiting game."
Meltzer continued to explain that many wrestlers who undergo similar surgeries often question if they'll manage to perform at the same level once they return to the ring, especially due to how draining the recovery process can be. Although specific surgeries have also shortened many careers, Meltzer noted that wrestlers such as Copeland and Bryan Danielson are prime examples of talent that were able to excel upon their return despite the severity of their injuries.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
