WWE Star Karl Anderson Provides Injury Update

Former WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Karl Anderson is a week out from surgery, and fans eagerly await his promised post-WrestleMania return. 

In the meantime, Anderson took to his "Talk'n Shop" podcast to provide a more thorough injury update.

"It's like this — I moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, 24 years ago to be a wrestler," Anderson started. "And just last week, I had my first ever orthopedic surgery."

Anderson dated his injury to approximately September 2024, when he "felt something happen" during a match. What exactly Anderson felt was not disclosed. The WWE star initially did not seek medical attention and attributed the pain to the rough nature of in-ring competition. His pain worsened match by match until he wasn't able to sleep at night.

"I've never had that, to that extent," Anderson disclosed. "And I went, 'Hmm, let me tell somebody.'"

WWE doctors immediately scheduled Anderson for an arthrogram, in which red dye was shot into his arm to be read during an MRI exam. Doctors determined that Anderson had a torn rotator cuff, specifically a torn supraspinatus tendon. Anderson also had a partially torn labrum, but he believes that injury specifically was "workable." Anderson's injuries were severe enough that WWE doctors sent him to Birmingham for immediate surgery. He predicted that he would be out of action for six to nine months, which aligns with his promise to return in the post-WrestleMania season. He promised further injury updates on future episodes of the "Talk'n Shop" podcast.

Before his injury, Anderson worked alongside Luke Gallows as The OC on WWE programming. They were most recently seen fighting in a losing effort against Hank Walker and Tank Ledger on the September 24 episode of "WWE NXT." Anderson did not name nor blame any of his fellow in-ring competitors for his injury.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Talk'n Shop" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.