Tyson Kidd: I Can Do 99% Of a Wrestling Move But I Can't Take the Bump

Tyson Kidd's 99%

During a dark match prior to the June 1, 2015, edition of WWE Raw, Kidd suffered a spinal cord injury when taking Samoa Joe's Muscle Buster finisher. The injury resulted in Kidd having 16 staples, four screws, and a rod inserted in his neck. At the time, Dave Meltzer said that it was unbelievable that Kidd "came through as well as he did" as most people who survive the injury end up quadriplegic, such as Superman actor Christopher Reeve. 

The injury put an end to Kidd's wrestling career, despite the hopes of fans that he could one day step back in the ring. Appearing on the Insight podcast, Kidd made it clear that his time in the ring is finished. 

"I know they say never say never, but I've been saying never for the last eight years. No, the truth is I can do probably, in some things, 99% of the move I just can't do the actual bump. And I'm sure I could maybe take a couple [of bumps] but at what cost? I don't know, I haven't taken one."

While Kidd no longer competes, he has remained a part of WWE as a producer and works closely with the women's division. In the interview, Kidd shared how his work backstage has helped him avoid temptation. 

"I am very fortunate, I enjoy my work as a producer. If I didn't and if I didn't have that outlet, then I could understand why I'd then maybe try taking a bump and see how that felt and kind of go from there. But I'm very blessed and luckily I don't have to go down that avenue so I don't think, no I know I'm not going to."

The Broken Neck Club

Though he doesn't wrestle anymore, Kidd's social media profiles are often full of him training alongside his wife Natalya in their private ring. While these glimpses into his personal life fill fans with hope that Kidd could wrestle again, that isn't the case. 

"I get that. I get those messages a lot, and I get that mindset. I understand where that comes from. I believe Steve Austin has the second-highest, at least in terms of WWE wrestlers, as to how high their fusion is. His was C3 and C4. Most are C5 and C6 or C6 and C7. Mine was C1 and C2. The very top two vertebrae in your body, mine are fused. That's the difference."

Kidd also recalled speaking with the Texas Rattlesnake not long after his surgery and explained just how different their situations are. 

"One of the benefits of joining 'The Broken Neck Club' as I refer to it, is that Steve Austin becomes a friend of yours. He reaches out to you and he texts and you get phone calls all the time. I posted a picture and within 20 minutes, Austin was either calling me or texting me and he was like 'Kid why are they going through the back? Why not the front?' And I explained to him 'Steve, it's the equivalent, where they went is the equivalent of my mouth.' That's where my fusion is. It's adjacent to my mouth."

Last month, Kidd's wife Natalya shared her take on why Kidd can't wrestle anymore. Click here to check out her comments. 

For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops.