CM Punk Inspired Chris Bey To Fight To Walk Again After Tragic In-Ring Accident

Bey was told by doctors initially he had only a 10-25 percent chance of walking again.

CM Punk inspired Chris Bey to push forward in his rehab. / WWE.com

TNA wrestler Chris Bey's life changed dramatically in October of 2024 during a match with the Hardys.

A tag finisher between he and his partner Ace Austin was supposed to be countered by Matt Hardy, but even though the move executed largely as planned, Bey was unable to move. Doctors rushed him into surgery to repair a broken neck and spinal cord injury, and gave him just a 10-to-25 percent chance of walking again.

Bey opened up about the injury and recovery at length on Chris Van Vliet's podcast, and noted he understood he had a long road ahead immediately.

"The day I woke up from surgery, the first thing I thought was that I'm alive. I was grateful to be alive, because if I wasn't supposed to be here anymore, I wouldn't have been," he said. "So once I woke up, one of the first things I kept saying was 'day one.'

"People use that phrase before. It's not a new [thing], I didn't create the phrase 'day one.' For me it just meant this is day one as far as my new life, my new obstacle, my new journey. I break everything up into seasons in life, the season that I chased this, the season that I pursued this, and this was a new season for me."

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Bey admitted the initial prognosis was disheartening, but his attitude changed when he heard from WWE Superstar CM Punk shortly after.

"So what made me not quit was I was alive, and when I got that diagnosis for maybe 24 to 48 hours, I was a little messed up about it. I just couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it, and I was telling myself 'it's better than a zero percent chance,' but I still was doubting a little bit. But then I had a conversation with Punk, and it was very simple conversation where he said something along the lines of, 'I think that diagnosis and that percentage applies to humans and you're not human.'"

Thank You

Greatest Story Ever Told pic.twitter.com/UgWQYg3DnD

— Chris Bey (@DashingChrisBey) February 13, 2025

The 29-year-old has been rigorously rehabbing since, and is in the process of relearning how to walk and move as he did before. He said the conversation had a legitimate impact on how he was going to approach his rehab.

"I had to put my whole life into perspective," he said. "I've had a less percent chance of becoming a professional wrestler and landing on TV. I've had a lot less odds with everything that I've done in my life up until this point. So who's to say I can't beat this one? And once I realized that 24 to 48 hours were over, it was go time."

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