• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

Ten Years Later: Brain Injuries, Helicopter Rides and Shaved Chests

Posted: Mar 14th 2012 By: CMBurnham

In October of 2003, the indy wrestling company I worked for called Tornado Pro Wrestling had been on a 4 month hiatus. Without wrestling going on, it was easy for my dad to talk me into going to a martial arts training camp weekend up in Colorado. Right up until I turned 19 I had been very active in martial arts and had earned my black belt in American Tae Kwon Do. Since starting pro wrestling training in 2001, I had pretty much stopped martial arts altogether.

Of course right after I scheduled the martial arts weekend with dad, Rocco Valentino landed a last minute show for TPW on that same weekend. Instead of canceling on my dad, I explained to Rocco and Sonny C (the owner of TPW) that I wouldn?t make this one. Knowing how much dad was looking forward to this weekend, I didn?t want to let him down. So that Friday I got off work and we immediately started the long drive to Colorado. We had to drive all night to get there in time and I was extremely tired when we finally crossed the Colorado state line.
If you have never been to Colorado, the altitude causes there to be less oxygen. The less oxygen that you carry in your blood, the less competently your body processes and the quicker you get tired. The human body has a built-in method to counteract the effects of low oxygen levels. When the body determines that it is not receiving its usual comfortable level of oxygen, it starts manufacturing more red blood cells. The more red blood cells in your system, the more effectively your body functions. But for your body to start really producing takes a few days. This is why many athletes train in hyperbaric chambers or in high altitudes. Some athletes will even train like this, then have a bunch of their blood taken out and stored. Then they will have the blood put back into their bodies? right before they are due to compete. This is called blood doping.

The second I arrived at the resort where the black belt weekend is being held, they were beginning the fights. I barely had time to set my gear down and I don?t even have a hotel room yet. However, they want me to fight now. This wasn?t the first time I had gone to Colorado. In the past, I always had to be careful when I fought there. The guy that owns Mile High Karate, Stephen Oliver, is an 8th degree black belt and he began his martial arts training in Tulsa when he was just a teenager. His first instructor was my dad. All of his students know this. So they all think I am some kind of ninja master and they all want to take my head off if they can to prove they are better than Master Oliver?s first instructors? son.

Now a black belt weekend like this is supposed to be controlled sparring. As a black belt, you don?t fight with head gear against other black belts because you are supposed to have enough control over your techniques that you don?t hurt each other. I no sooner have my gi (karate uniform) on then they ask me to step into the ring for a fight. So to recap, here are the factors leading up to this fight:
? I haven?t slept in over a day because of the drive.
? My body has not yet adjusted to the lower levels of oxygen and I am gassed out.
? Except for one week of boxing training for a tough man contest, I have done nothing but pro wrestling for the past year.
? There is a target on my head because of who my dad is.

Exhausted, I bow to the referee, bow to my opponent and begin the fight. First person to 3 points wins. As soon as the ref says ?fight?, I charge my opponent and try to land a shot to the side of his head when he moves backwards. This works and I land the first point. He lands the second point. I land the third. He lands the fourth. We are now tied and going to sudden death. Even though it had only been a couple of minutes, I am dripping sweat. My hands are on my hips. I feel like I have nothing left. The ref says ?fight? and I move in close with my hands down around my ribs instead of by my head. That is the last thing I remember.

What happened next I only know because this is what my dad told me. This guy threw a full blast side kick that connected to the side of my head. I was instantly knocked out cold and landed very awkwardly. It only took a second before someone realized I wasn?t breathing. The onsite medical people rushed over. They started doing chest compressions. My dad was starting to freak out a little. He called my mom and told her to start praying, but he was afraid they may have lost me. He even called Rocco and the boys at the TPW show back in Tulsa (which was going on at the same time) and had all of them pray for me.

After a brief period, they got me breathing again. They put me on a board and take me to nearby medical helicopter and rush me to the nearest major hospital, which is thirty minutes away. I woke up briefly in the helicopter. I remember being very confused. They got me to the hospital and I began to come around. I remember the nurse went to shave my chest to put a monitor on and realized my chest was already shaved (for wrestling). She said ?Why do you normally shave your chest?? and I replied ?for the ladies.? I remember this popped my dad and got an eye roll out of the nurse.

The doctors ran a bunch of tests on my head and determined I should probably give up contact sports. I had already suffered too many head injuries in a short amount of time and they were very concerned for my well being. They said if I wanted to wrestle again I need needed to make an appointment with a neurologist. So in 2003, until I could get a doctor to sign off on my head, my wrestling career was on hold.