Big Show spoke with ESPN where said he had a long, painful road back to the ring.
It all started when he underwent hip surgery in order to put a titanium cap on his ball joint and a titanium receptacle on the pelvis. Show then developed a surgical infection, a low percentage occurrence.
“But the problem with an infection is that once it gets on the metal, you kind of have to take the metal out and start over. The infection is so smart now that it literally hides from antibiotics,” Show said. “I’ve learned more about infections and antibiotics and physical therapy than I ever, ever wanted to know.”
“I was angry I had to have the surgery done, and I felt like my career was getting pulled away from me. It wasn’t on my terms,” he said, admitting that a full replacement from the start would’ve been the right way to go.
“Everything happens for a reason. It tested me. It tested my faith. It tested my commitment to myself as an athlete and a performer to push myself,” Show said. “[Last] Monday night was the culmination for two years of headaches. Two years of stress. Two years of doubt, and other people having doubt about whether I could be competitive again.”