Irish WWE "Superstar" Sheamus announced last week on his YouTube channel that he has been suffering from a condition called "Spinal Stenosis" for the past six months.
This is the same injury that ended the careers of Edge and "Stone Cold' Steve Austin. Sheamus, who turns 40 next month, is already older than Austin or Edge were when they were forced to retire, but Spinal Stenosis is a scary thing. Austin was told that one more bump in the ring could result in him being confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life whereas in Edge's case he could have even DIED.
Spinal Stenosis causes the narrowing of the spaces within your spine, which can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine. The symptoms of it include pain, numbness, and loss of motor control. There is no cure for the condition, but it can be rehabed. Sheamus recently returned home to Ireland to receive treatment, but is now back on the road with WWE.
It would be a sad end for a very successful career. Sheamus is billed as the first ever "Irish born" WWE champion. (A technicality surely imposed because of Irish-American winners such as Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan.)
It may not all be doom and gloom though for the former U2 Bodyguard. Perhaps a career in Hollywood beckons? Last year he starred as Rocksteady in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel, Out of the Shadows.
