Steve Blackman Reveals How Brian Christopher’s Arrest Ended His WWE Run

Steve Blackman’s WWE career didn’t end with a farewell match or retirement tour — it ended because of someone else’s mistake and years of brutal pain catching up to him.

The former Hardcore Champion recently sat down with Chris Van Vliet and explained why he left WWE, revealing how an arrest at the Canadian border destroyed his tag team push and led to a life-changing neck surgery.

At the time, Blackman was in a rising tag team with Brian Christopher, with Trish Stratus as their valet. According to Blackman, things were just starting to click.

“At the end of the last 13 months I had left, Brian Christopher and I were tag teaming. It was getting over well. Trish would be a valet with us. The whole thing was—the whole gimmick was getting over. We had good matches. We had good chemistry.”

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They were even set for a run with the WWE Tag Team Championships — until it all unraveled in a single moment.

“We planned on having the tag team run for the next 13 months, you know, with belts and stuff. We go to Canada to do an appearance. They were sending us on more appearances because we were getting over well. He gets caught at the border with stuff in his bag, gets fired immediately, and our gimmick’s over.”

With the storyline dead, Blackman went to WWE management to finally address the excruciating migraines and neck issues that had plagued him for years.

“And I’m like, ‘JR, now what?’ He goes, ‘We planned on you being with him for the rest of this.’ I said, ‘I figured that. Well, are you opposed to me going and getting my neck operated on? I live in here with migraines every day.’ He goes, ‘We know. We know you do. We can see that.’ I said, ‘Well, how about if I get my neck fixed?’ And he’s like, ‘Go get it fixed. If you get doctor clearance after that, you can come back anytime you want.’”

But recovery didn’t go smoothly. After surgery, Blackman’s arm began to deteriorate from atrophy. What followed was a year-long nightmare that nearly broke him mentally.

“Once I had it worked on… my atrophy started after the operation. My right arm wouldn’t work. I was a wild man. I literally couldn’t bench anything. I couldn’t push anything. I couldn’t do a push-up. My arm wouldn’t even work. In a matter of a month after that, my right arm’s like two or three inches smaller than my left. And I’m losing my mind.”

Desperate, Blackman built a home gym and willed his way back.

“So I buy a Smith machine, stick it in my brother’s basement. I go over, push it up, let it down with my right hand, push it up, try to let it down. I try to focus on here. Well, it just wouldn’t work. I’d throw my tantrums, firing weights, kicking weights. I’m just losing my mind.”

Eventually, all the frustration paid off.

“About eleven and a half months goes by and I’m like, ‘My god, it’s working.’ And it actually started to work. After doing that like five times a week for eleven months, then it started coming back. And then it came back quick after that.”

Steve Blackman’s WWE exit wasn’t about fading out — it was about breaking down. Between an unexpected tag team collapse and a neck that refused to cooperate, “The Lethal Weapon” made the tough choice to step away from the ring. But as always, he fought his way through.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.