Just over two years ago, CJ Sensation, a pro wrestler that broke into the business when he was still in high school in the late-90s, was at a crossroads in his life. He already fought his toughest battles, not only beating addiction, but pursued higher education in the field to become a counselor to help others that deal with those same struggles. A member of the wellness team at Jade Wellness Center, a recovery facility in western, Pennsylvania, the real-life Craig Stephenson earned other certifications along the way to increase his knowledge of overall health.
“I have been doing that for a little over four years, and I’m forever grateful for being in a better spot physically, mentally, and emotionally to be able to help others navigate significant positive changes they would like to see in their lives,” Stephenson said.
But despite the personal and professional growth that he achieved by 2024, CJ was told he would had to grapple with another health hurdle, a brain disease that required surgery. Thankfully, the procedure was successful and relieved the slew of dizzying symptoms that he had been experiencing for quite some time before doctors made the diagnosis.
“Overall, I feel like since the initial brain surgery there have been significant improvements and symptoms have mostly resolved but I will still get the occasional dizziness but I definitely attribute to headaches going away to the surgery as well as being a proud owner of a CPAP Machine for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. I had a sleep study done and I was averaging stopping breathing 8.2 times per hour which was stopping the oxygen to my brain which is a pretty scary thing to think about,” CJ explained.
The staples in the back of his head that closed the incision site left a lengthy scar. However, the roadmap of scar tissue wasn’t alone, as a faded, similar surgical souvenir from years earlier was just a few inches lower on his neck. “The Snapshot” was a enthusiastic young lion that found his niche in Pittsburgh rings as a dazzling cruiser weight, becoming a highlight of the tri-state area around the start of the new millennium. A flute accident left him with a broken neck, putting his in-ring future in serious doubt. While he still made occasional wrestling cameos over the years, he spent most of the past two decades since the neck injury as a referee, pivoting his path in the industry to becoming one of the most dependable officials on the circuit. He shared the ring with many national names since he was a trusted asset to any organization that he worked with.
“I have still been dealing with significant neck pain with the C6/C7 fusion in 2003, and I’ve come to find out that my C2/C3 have congenitally fused over the course of the past 23 years. On June 15th of this year, I underwent a left side cervical radio frequency ablation where they passed an electric probe through 3 sets of needles to burn off the nerves that send the pain signal to my brain and then followed that up on June 29th having the right side procedure done. I have seen such a significant improvement and these are supposed to last 6-18 months,” Craig commented.
The brain issues of 2024 made him question if being in the ring in any capacity was wise, especially given the amount of health issues he had already overcome in his life.
Knowing how easy it is to get wrapped up in the over-the-top spectacle of professional wrestling, Craig decided to step away from the ring, focusing on producer and backstage roles, primarily for the International Wrestling Cartel, one of the longest-running organizations of the steel city circuit, and where he cut his teeth in the sport during his formative years as a performer.
“It’s been such a significant learning experience working backstage and helps me appreciate the wrestling business on a whole new level. I’d like to think that with 29 Years into this, learning all aspects of wrestling in and out of the ring, helps add more value to myself as a professional. It’s about being able to be in a capacity to assist with helping produce the best show possible,” Stephenson remarked.
“A typical show day for me is sometimes grabbing lunch with some of the boys and getting to the building as early as we are able to get in to make sure ring setup and all aspects of production get handled in coordinated manner as best as possible. Once talent starts arriving, I kick it into high gear and coordinate as much as possible to try and make sure things go off without a hitch. I’d see between 2 PM and when the show starts at 7 PM, I am walking around like a chicken with my head cut off. Once the show begins, I’m typically sitting at Gorilla coordinating times and communicating with referees, as well as any other production staff,” he added.
But, the energy of the crowd can be too alluring, even for the most seasoned of veterans. For someone that overcame cocaine and alcohol abuse, the pop of a wrestling audience is the best rush that CJ Sensation ever had, a nod to the sport that he dedicated his entire adult life to. After the successful surgery in 2024, more than a year strictly behind the scenes, and positive results from his physicians during that time, especially after the previously mentioned follow-up procedure this past June, CJ made the decision to put the stripes back on to continue his role as an official to go along with his other duties.
But. it wasn’t a decision he took lightly, as he consulted with doctors to get cleared to step back into the squared circle earlier this year.
“It was honestly a tough decision to get back into the ring as a referee, and I consulted with the neurosurgery team and surgeon that performed my brain surgery. I was told as long as I don’t put myself under any voluntary whiplash type movements, I should be fine, but to obviously consult back with them should any of the symptoms return regardless of how minimal. I always get the urge to want to physically interact, but cooler heads have prevailed. The older I get, my body just isn’t cut out for that type of physicality anymore,” Craig said.
“Having access to CJ’s over twenty years of experience in wrestling, refereeing, and producing live professional wrestling matches gives me an incredible sense of confidence and composure. CJ legit went out of his way to try to make me a better ref at no personal benefit,” added Nick Brown, one of the top officials on the independent circuit.
Recently celebrating his 45th birthday and six years of sobriety, Craig looks to achieve his personal and professional best, with the direction of his personal trainer and current IWC star, Elijah Dean offering fitness guidance. There was a time in CJ’s life when his early mornings consisted of finishing the bottle of booze from the night before. Now, when he’s awake before the sun comes up, it’s because he gets in a quick thirty minutes of cardio before he leaves for work. The Grey Goose from years ago was replaced with his meal prep lunch for the day. After at least eight hours on the clock, he doesn’t race to the club, but rather to the gym to get strengthen training in for the day. After hitting the showers, he’s not ready for another round of drinks, but rather to hit the couch so he can binge watch a few episodes of the current series that he’s set to get through before he does it all again the next day.
“I was 206 LBS in October of 2025, and a few weeks ago, I was 160lbs so a total loss of 46 pounds with it mostly being body fat in nine months,” CJ explained.
So, after nearly three decades since he first stepped foot into a professional wrestling ring, Craig Stephenson has not only overcome obstacles, but finds himself as assets to the sport in more ways than he had in his younger days. Taking into account his personal strides, professional development, and work on his own fitness goals, it’s very possible that the 45-year-old Craig Stephenson is the best version of CJ Sensation that the pro wrestling business has ever seen.
“Being at the training school has reinvigorated my love for the art of professional wrestling, and I was taught that when my time is up in this business, the best practice is to leave it better than I came into it. I think the thing I would like to be remembered most for in professional wrestling is resilience and the ability to overcome adversity to be able to help guide the next generation. Wrestling is family, and I can never repay how grateful I am that people didn’t give up on me when they undoubtedly should have,” CJ concluded.
For more information about CJ, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/craig.m.stephenson
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
