Former WWE star Steve Blackman has opened up about the severe physical toll of his wrestling career, revealing that he wrestled the majority of his WWE run while suffering from debilitating migraines caused by nerve damage in his neck.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the former Hardcore Champion explained that four bone spurs in his neck were pressing against nerves, triggering intense and regular migraines that left him physically incapacitated.
“I’m going to say, 80% of my run,” Blackman estimated when asked how long he suffered with the issue. “It was brutal.”
Blackman described a vicious cycle of pain that followed each match.
“It would be like Monday I’d wrestle and get a migraine… I mean it feels like you’re being stabbed in your head. Throw up, lay down, throw up, lay down, go to bed. The next day, sleep all day, wrestle the next day… the migraine again,” he recalled. “It’d be like every other day I’d have a migraine.”
The pain didn’t just end backstage — it followed him into the ring.
“You can’t imagine what it’s like getting forearmed or body slammed when you have a migraine,” he said. “You feel like a grenade went off in your head.”
He cited a match with Kane as one of the most difficult experiences of his career.
“The migraine kicked in in one second… Every time he hit me, I felt like a grenade was going off. And that was the beginning of the match. We had 15 minutes more to go.”
Blackman explained that the hardcore wrestling style actually helped him cope, as the use of weapons and fast-paced offense put less pressure on his neck compared to standard bumps.
Since retiring, Blackman has undergone two neck surgeries, which he says have greatly reduced his migraines and improved his quality of life. While he’s no longer active in the ring, he hinted at the occasional itch to return:
“There are days where I feel good enough that the thought of having another match crosses my mind.”
Known for his stoic demeanor and martial arts background, “The Lethal Weapon” Steve Blackman remains one of WWE’s most unique and underrated figures. His revelation adds another layer of respect to a career marked by toughness and quiet endurance.
