Paul Wight Says He Had ‘Small Back Surgery’ Done, Not Ready To Retire

Paul Wight has revealed that he had a back operation done recently and isn’t ready to retire from the ring. The AEW star appeared on NotSam Wrestling and revealed that he had a small operation done a couple of months back. He noted that he is hoping to compete again and sees opportunities in AEW.

Wight’s last match was on the Jericho Cruise back in January of 2024. He got physically involved in a match at the AEW Full Gear Tailgate Brawl as Big Boom A.J. & Q.T. Marshall defeated RPG Vice. You can see highlights of his comments below (per Fightful):

On An In-Ring Return:

“Dude, I’m hoping — it’s just a week-by-week thing. I had a small back surgery done a couple months ago… You play long enough, the bill comes due. I’ve had a major surgery every frickin’ year! For about the past five — whether it’s a knee surgery or a hip surgery… I feel like that old pickup truck. Like, okay, what’s broken now? I work so hard so long that when I finally stopped, the springs fell off, the tires fell off.

“But, we’re excited about it. I’m working with the best people I can work with in South Florida. I got a lot of great people on the team. I’ve got great support medically. Tony Khan’s been extremely supportive, so we’re just plugging away. I don’t plan on going anywhere. I like being in AEW.”

On Wanting Be Able to Perform At 100%:

“So it’s just getting my s**t together and getting ready, and also, bring a good product out. The last thing I’m gonna do is go out in that ring and have people go, ‘Aww, poor Paul. They should just kill him, like Old Yeller or something.’ We’re not gonna have that. If I’m not out there humping and bumping and getting after everything and slapping people’s souls out of their chest and carry that presence, then it’s time to hang up the boots so I’m not ready to hang up the boots yet.

“We’re still moving forward, there’s progress being made. Again, everything I’m dealing with now is mostly soft tissue, getting that stuff to work and you know, we’ll get that back and we’ll be in the ring. Trust me, I see the opportunity in AEW, I see the chances too. To have fun with the talent in the back, to entertain the fans, the financial gains for being able to compete at a more full-time schedule. Yeah, believe me, I’m salivating over here, 100 percent.”