Kalisto came dangerously close to walking away from professional wrestling for good. The former WWE United States Champion revealed that he nearly died from COVID after his WWE release, spending roughly two and a half months in the hospital before seriously considering retirement.
During an interview with David Otunga, Kalisto opened up about two terrifying experiences that nearly cost him his life. The first happened years earlier when he landed on his head during a wrestling match in Mexico. The second came after his departure from WWE when he suffered a severe case of COVID. Kalisto explained that he had kept much of his medical situation private, but the experience was serious enough to leave him hospitalized for an extended period.
“I had two near-death experiences. That one uh where I landed on my head and the co—”
“Yeah, I was uh in the ER for like two and a half months. I didn’t I didn’t tell anybody, you know. I I don’t like, you know, spreading my medical history out there, you know. I’m a private person.”
The former WWE star admitted that being hospitalized during the pandemic was an incredibly difficult experience, especially because he was dealing with everything alone. The illness came just months after he was released from WWE in April 2021.
“And um but yeah, it was it it was hard, man. I mean, I was alone and I mean, obviously, there was a time of COVID and it was right after I got released actually after um a couple months later. Then I was there in the hospital a couple months later and and uh it was it was hard. It was hard.”
Things got so bad that Kalisto began questioning whether continuing his wrestling career was worth it. He had already survived one near-fatal accident earlier in his career, and now another major health scare had pushed him toward retirement.
“I I was about to retire um after what I was talking to you. I’m going back to the story where I had COVID that I almost died. I wanted to retire again. Everything comes back in full circle.”
However, everything changed when Mojo Rawley invited him to participate in a private charity wrestling event for children with autism and their families. Kalisto was booked in the main event alongside a young fan named Little Joey, who wanted to become his tag team partner.
Kalisto explained that he even purchased a matching outfit so they could make their entrance together. Drawing on his previous experience as a special education teacher, he also prepared the children for the loud noises that would happen throughout the match.
“So, I went to um Party City and I ended up getting the same outfit like, ‘Hey man, I want to be part of your so we could look like a tag team.’ So I ended up dressing like him and we were the greatest showmen, but the greatest showman and we did like a little entrance and I did the match.”
Little Joey ultimately scored the winning pinfall, and the reaction from the children and their families completely changed Kalisto’s outlook on his future.
He admitted that he arrived at the event already convinced that his wrestling career was finished. However, seeing the happiness he brought to the children made him realize he wasn’t ready to walk away.
“I had my mindset already set that I was gonna retire I’m done I had co I nearly died um just so many bad things was happening to me like maybe I can go back to teaching or something but uh when I saw Mojo I’m like and I just felt something within me like a fire and like of happiness and like I could still do this, you know, like I can’t let I’m thinking I can’t let them down.”
Kalisto even approached Mojo Rawley afterward and jokingly blamed him for changing his mind about retirement. He explained that the children had given him a reason to continue doing what he loved.
“So, I went to Mojo and I chopped them like it’s your fault, bro. It’s like why? I can’t let them down. I don’t have kids, man. They’re my kids. I I I can’t let if imagine how how much of a bad person I would be if I retire. No, man.”
That experience convinced Kalisto that wrestling was still something he wanted in his life. While he has since dealt with additional injuries, including a torn ACL and meniscus, he remains focused on recovering and getting back into the ring.
Kalisto was ready to call it quits after nearly losing his life, but one charity wrestling match gave him a reason to keep going. Now he’s working toward another comeback, proving that even after everything he’s been through, he’s not ready to give up on wrestling.
What do you think about Kalisto nearly retiring after his COVID battle and changing his mind because of the children at Mojo Rawley’s event? Do you want to see him make another run in WWE, or would you rather see him return somewhere else? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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